THURSDAY, Aug. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Land mines have maimed thousands and been condemned in 162 countries, but new research shows they have been supplanted by a far more dangerous explosive device.

Scientists compared the injuries from both land mines and what are known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs). They found these newer devices, which are often perceived as crude or primitive, are actually sophisticated and highly destructive. Overall, the research team found that IEDs cause much more serious injuries and are more likely to result in amputations than land mines.

"The injury pattern suffered by the survivors of the IED is markedly worse than that of conventional [land mines]," said the study authors, led by Dr. Shane Smith, of University of Western Ontario in Canada.