Military medicine
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The goal of this study is to update the incidence of hyphema in Operation Iraqi (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF). We wanted to assess associated ocular injuries and final visual acuity (VA) in open-globe versus closed-globe injuries with a hyphema. ⋯ Close follow-up in patients with hyphema is important due to the associated development of traumatic cataract and retinal detachment and poor final visual outcome.
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Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has attracted great interest despite lacking empirical support, a manual, and a standardized protocol. Our team of experts in EAT and PTSD developed an eight-session group EAT treatment protocol for PTSD (EAT-PTSD) and administered it to two pilot groups of military veterans to assess initial effects. ⋯ This article presents the first standardized EAT protocol. Highly preliminary results suggest our new manualized group EAT-PTSD appears safe, well-regarded, and well-attended, yielding short-term benefits in symptomatology and quality of life if unclear length of effect. Future research should test this alternative treatment for PTSD more rigorously.
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Altered or abnormal scapular motion has been associated with increased shoulder pain and dysfunction. Fatigue of the scapular stabilizing muscles resulting from repeated arm motion has been reported to alter scapular kinematics, which could result in the clinical assessment of scapular dyskinesis. The purpose of this study was to characterize the effect of repeated arm motion on the development of scapular dyskinesis. The hypothesis was that repeated arm motion will induce a subtle or obvious scapular dyskinesis. ⋯ Repeated shoulder motion increased the frequency of scapular dyskinesis in army ROTC cadets. The cadets that developed scapular dyskinesis also reported greater disability and lower function of the upper extremity. The results provide a link between scapular dyskinesis, upper extremity function, and the strength of the scapular stabilizing muscles. Improving the strength of the scapular stabilizing musculature might reduce the effects of repeated arm motions.
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Empty bullet-related ocular injuries (EBOI) are rare and may result in unfavorable visual outcomes due to both open globe and closed globe injuries. To our knowledge, no reports of such injuries in terms of outcomes have been previously described in the literature. The aim of this study was to describe the treatment performed and ocular outcomes of such injuries. ⋯ The prognosis of EBOI is unpredictable and is dependent on the severity of ocular damage. The best treatment option is prevention of EBOI with protective eyewear.
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In patients with prior myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been shown to reduce all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, and risk of recurrent MI. Medically supervised cardiac rehab has challenges such as increased patient and center cost, patient transportation issues, patient time commitment, and increased need for resources. Home-based cardiac rehabilitation (HBCR) is an innovative alternative to medically supervised CR which can help to address some of the aforementioned issues. HBCR has been shown to have similar patient outcomes when compared to medically supervised CR; however, implantation efforts and experiences within Veteran Affair (VA) facilities were limited. Thus, we sought to describe our implementation efforts and outcomes of HBCR at our VA medical center, since our VA medical center does not offer an on-site medically supervised CR program. ⋯ HBCR is an effective alternative to facility-based CR. Veterans who completed the program showed improvement in physical capacity and functional status. Compared to those who were eligible but did not complete the program, hospitalization for heart failure was reduced after completing HBCR.