Military medicine
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Ultrasound evaluation of cranial and long bone fractures in a cadaver model.
Ultrasound has been utilized in various settings for evaluation and treatment of skeletal injuries. Bone has different tissue acoustic impedance than soft tissue allowing visualization of the cortical disruption found in fractures. ⋯ Ultrasound by trained emergency medicine physicians can reliably identify fractures in the radius, tibia, frontal, and temporal bones in a very short amount of time, allowing for triage, treatment, and resource management.
-
Along with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is considered one of the "signature wounds" of combat operations in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom [OIF]) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom [OEF]), but the role of mTBI in the clinical profiles of Veterans with other comorbid forms of post-deployment psychopathology is poorly understood. The current study explored the deployment risk and postdeployment health profiles of heavy drinking OIF and OEF Veterans as a function of mTBI. ⋯ Both PTSD and combat experiences independently predicted screening positive for mTBI, whereas only combat experiences predicted receiving a confirmed mTBI diagnosis. mTBI was not associated with any dimension of alcohol use. These results support a growing body of literature linking mTBI with PTSD.
-
Cataract is the most common age-related disorder amenable to surgical correction in persons 65 years or older in the United States. Persons who are eligible for benefits through both the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Medicare have a choice in which system to receive medical care. ⋯ The VHA remains an important safety net for many veterans who are dually enrolled in Medicare. Dependency on the VHA for quality of life surgery needs to be kept in mind if budgetary pressures lead to restrictions of VHA services for veterans with Medicare.
-
The authors provide some back ground and general concepts for medical stability operations or medical civil military operations. Some novel programs were developed in northern Iraq, which have applicability to the greater military medical community. Train the trainer emergency medical technician and first aid course curriculums were developed and translated into Arabic and Kurdish and implemented by U. ⋯ Government priority locations. The implementing partners included 6 nongovernmental organizations and international organizations. These programs were closely synchronized with the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development to ensure unity of effort and sustainability.
-
Comparative Study
Comparison of the physical demands of single-sex training for male and female recruits in the British Army.
This study compared the physical demands and progression of basic training for male and female British Army recruits in single-sex platoons. Thirty male and 30 female recruits were monitored for energy expenditure (EE) (doubly labeled water), physical activity (3-dimensional accelerometry) and cardiovascular strain (percent heart rate reserve) during 6 weeks over the 14-week course. ⋯ Average daily percent heart rate reserve (female 31 +/- 4%; male 32 +/- 5%), physical activity levels (female 2.2 +/- 0.2; male 2.3 +/- 0.2) and percentage improvements in 2.4-km run time (female 10 +/- 4%; male 10 +/- 5%) were similar for both sexes (p > 0.05), although male recruits had 12% higher physical activity counts (p < 0.01). Although the absolute physical demands of basic training were greater for male recruits, the relative cardiovascular strain experienced was similar between sexes.