Military medicine
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A complex pneumothorax is a loculated pneumothorax due to adhesions. Chest roentgenograms are usually inadequate to assess a complex pneumothorax. ⋯ In addition, if there is a persistent or recurrent pneumothorax after tube thoracostomy, a CT scan can be used to determine the relationship of the chest tube to the pneumothorax. Three cases are discussed to illustrate the use of the CT scan in evaluating patients who have a complex pneumothorax.
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An outbreak of foodborne gastroenteritis affected 648 United States Air Force personnel stationed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. The implicated food source was a locally catered meal. Despite the presence of an aggressive Air Force public health program, foodborne illness had a major impact on manpower and medical resources during a critical phase of military operations. It is the recommendation of the authors that the Air Force not rely on local caterers during future deployments.