Military medicine
-
U. S. casualties have developed multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections. A surveillance project to evaluate U. ⋯ S., 9 developed infections. Carefully obtained screening cultures immediately after injury combined with look-back monitoring supports the role of nosocomial transmission. Consistent infection control strategies are needed for the entire MHS.
-
Over 3,500 infants and children, many critically ill and injured, have been admitted to military combat support hospitals (CSH) in Afghanistan and Iraq, which are not doctrinally staffed or equipped to provide their care. This report details how the military medical system is adapting to create a data driven and comprehensive response to optimize the medical and surgical pediatric care being provided. ⋯ Military physicians are routinely asked to perform outside their traditional scopes of practice while deployed. Given this reality, military pediatric specialists in medicine and surgery have initiated several successful multidisciplinary programs designed to improve in-theater care of injured children. These innovative efforts include drafting a pediatric addendum to the Army's "Emergency War Surgery" manual, development of instructional compact discs, augmenting and refining the pediatric portion of the Joint Forces Combat Trauma Management course, formation of a pediatric augmentation team to the CSH, and a comprehensive hyperlinked Web-based pediatric critical care and trauma educational platform.