Military medicine
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Safety is a principal concern for everyone in aviation, including those in military and civilian aeromedical programs. The U.S. Army flies thousands of helicopter missions each year, including many aeromedical flights. The comparison between Army general and aeromedical aviation crash data provides a benchmark for establishing patterns in aeromedical safety and may be useful for similar programs examining safety profiles. ⋯ There is a very low overall incidence of crashes in both groups. There may be no practical difference between Army general and aeromedical aviation mishap rates. Furthermore, Army crash rates are comparable with published civilian mishap rates.
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Three hundred thirty-nine freshmen participating in cadet basic training at the U. S. Military Academy completed a questionnaire that asked them about their previous military experience, gender, ethnicity, injuries and illness experienced in the last 12 months, foot type, cigarette smoking habits, smokeless tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and sleep habits. ⋯ Their feet were examined for blisters before and after the march. Univariate analysis showed that risk factors for foot blisters included ethnicity (blacks at lower risk than others), a sickness in the last 12 months, no previous active duty military experience, use of smokeless tobacco, and flat feet (pes planus). Logistic regression indicated that all of these were independent blister risk factors with the exception of no previous active duty military experience.
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This prospective descriptive study presents the morbidity among 2,283 Dutch marines in northwest Cambodia from 1992 and 1993. In a field database, we recorded 4,036 consultations from 1,356 persons (59.4%) leading to 3,562 diagnoses and 392 different International Classification of Diseases codes. Most diagnoses were for tropical disorders (24.8%), musculoskeletal disorders and injuries (23.9%), and dermatological disorders (22.7%). ⋯ Risk factors for lost working days were being in battalion 1, of younger age, and in lower ranks. Most lost working days occurred during the second month of each deployment. Despite many consultations, the overall morbidity and consequent lost working days remained low.
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This paper outlines the causative factors, incidence, and localization of extremity amputations of wounded persons treated at the Osijek University Hospital (Eastern Slavonia) during 1991 and 1992. The medical documentation of 5,024 patients was analyzed. Of these, 1,560 patients were treated in the hospital (31.0%). ⋯ Secondary amputations (on the lower extremities) were performed on 2 patients because of vascular insufficiency. Not a single secondary amputation procedure was performed because of infection, secondary uncontrolled hemorrhage, or gas gangrene. Amputation is a radical and irreversible intervention, and indications for amputation must be determined by those with great surgical experience and good knowledge of military-surgical doctrine.
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Combat medics play a significant role in any fighting unit. In recent years, during times of peace and low-intensity military conflicts, as well as in operations other than war, reserve combat medics have been challenged to treat major casualties in the field. Although this work requires important manual skills, the medics perform basic treatment maneuvers that are not necessarily for saving of lives. ⋯ Not all medics are exposed to major trauma, but for those who are, the numbers of patients per medic is not large. Therefore, the need to educate the medics in cognitive, and more importantly, in manual skills, is obvious. Suggestions for the means to do so are provided.