Military medicine
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As combat-related trauma decreases, there remains an increasing need to maintain the ability to care for trauma victims from other casualty events around the world (e.g., terrorism, natural disasters, and infrastructure failures). During these events, military surgeons often work closely with their civilian counterparts, often in austere and expeditionary contexts. In these environments, the primary aim of the surgical team is to implement damage control principles to avert blood loss, optimize oxygenation, and improve survival. Upper-extremity vascular injuries are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality resulting from exsanguination and ischemic complications; however, fatalities may be avoided if hemorrhage is rapidly controlled. In austere contexts, deployed surgical teams typically include one general surgeon and one orthopedic surgeon, neither of which have acquired the expertise to manage these vascular injuries. The purpose of this study was to examine the baseline capabilities of general surgeons and orthopedic surgeons to surgically expose and control axillary and brachial arteries and to determine if the abilities of both groups could be increased through a focused cadaver-based training intervention. ⋯ There was a baseline capability gap for both general surgeons and orthopedic surgeons to surgically expose and control the axillary and brachial vessels. Outcomes from the course suggest that the methodology facilitates the acquisition of accurate and independent vascular procedural capabilities in the management of upper-extremity trauma injuries. The impact of this training for surgeons situated in expeditionary or remote contexts has direct relevance for caring for victims of extremity trauma. These outcomes underscore the need to train all surgeons serving in rural, remote, expeditionary, combat, or global health contexts to be able to competently manage extremity trauma and concurrent vascular injuries to increase the quality of care in those settings.
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We established a murine wound infection model with doxycycline treatment against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (AB5075) in Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) outbred mice. ⋯ Compared to the previously developed BALB/c dermal wound model, this study demonstrates that the mouse strain selected impacts wound severity and resolution. Furthermore, this mouse model accommodates two dorsal wounds rather than only one. These variations offer investigators increased versatility when designing future studies of wound infection. In conclusion, ICR mice are a viable option as a model of dermal wound infection. They accommodate two simultaneous dorsal wounds, and upon infection, these wounds follow a different pattern of resolution compared to BALB/c mice.
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Military transport of critically ill/injured patients requires judicious use of resources. Maintaining oxygen (O2) supplies for mechanically ventilated is crucial. O2 cylinders are difficult to transport due to the size and weight and add the risk of fire in an aircraft. The proposed solution is the use of a portable oxygen concentrator (POC) to supply O2 for mechanical ventilation. As long as power is available, a POC can provide an endless supply of O2. Anecdotal evidence suggests that as little as 3 L/min of O2 could manage as many as 2/3 of the mechanically ventilated military aeromedical transport patients. ⋯ Oxygen delivery utilizing POCs is dependent upon multiple factors including ventilator operating characteristics, ventilator settings, altitude, and the use of pulsed dose or continuous flow O2. Careful patient selection would be paramount to provide safe mechanical ventilation using this method of O2 delivery.
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Influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) are common in military populations and can impair mission-readiness, particularly in the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic; therefore, it is important to identify potential risk factors for infection and better understand the burden of infection. ⋯ ILIs are likely to be more common during training than healthcare records indicate and may result in decreased training effectiveness. Increasing access to handwashing facilities and education about the importance of handwashing to prevent the spread of disease will likely reduce the ILI burden in this population.
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Ketamine is an alternative to opioids for prehospital analgesia following serious combat injury. Limited research has examined prehospital ketamine use, associated injuries including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD outcomes following serious combat injury. ⋯ The present results showed that patients treated with prehospital ketamine had significantly lower odds of PTSD during the first year postinjury only among patients who did not sustain TBI. These findings can inform combat casualty care guidelines for use of prehospital ketamine and opioid analgesics following serious combat injury.