Military medicine
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This investigation was performed in Zagreb and its surroundings in 1991 and 1992 during the war against Croatia. The study included 50 civilians who, at the moment of the sounding of the air-raid siren, had a continuous electrocardiogram recorded as part of the routine cardiologic examination. The frequency of the pulse was read out from the electrocardiogram at four different times: before the sounding of the siren, the moment of the sounding of the siren, the moment of cessation of the alert, and 1 hour afterward. ⋯ However, no significant difference was found between the beginning and the end of air-raid alert campaign (p > 0.05). We conclude that within the civilian population of the city of Zagreb there was no adaptation to traumatic war situations as indicated by a lack of pulse reaction after a period of time under air-raid alerts. In other words, civilians always reacted with increased pulse frequency at the moment of the sounding of the air-raid siren.
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Historical Article
Early pulsatile lavage for the decontamination of combat wounds: historical review and point proposal.
Pulsatile lavage is an effective means of irrigation for grossly contaminated wounds. Pulse lavage was first used by oral surgeons in the U. S. ⋯ S. military investigators pioneered its early development and scientifically validated its efficacy. Modern pulse lavage units are ideally suited for military use because they enable first- and second-echelon medical personnel (including nonphysicians) to rapidly and effectively decontaminate combat wounds with minimal logistic burden. Pulse lavage units should become standard issue in all combat medical supply canisters or Authorized Medical Allowance blocks, and medical personnel should be trained in their use.