Military medicine
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This investigation was performed in Zagreb and its surroundings in 1991 and 1992 during the war against Croatia. The study included 50 civilians who, at the moment of the sounding of the air-raid siren, had a continuous electrocardiogram recorded as part of the routine cardiologic examination. The frequency of the pulse was read out from the electrocardiogram at four different times: before the sounding of the siren, the moment of the sounding of the siren, the moment of cessation of the alert, and 1 hour afterward. ⋯ However, no significant difference was found between the beginning and the end of air-raid alert campaign (p > 0.05). We conclude that within the civilian population of the city of Zagreb there was no adaptation to traumatic war situations as indicated by a lack of pulse reaction after a period of time under air-raid alerts. In other words, civilians always reacted with increased pulse frequency at the moment of the sounding of the air-raid siren.
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Historical Article
Early pulsatile lavage for the decontamination of combat wounds: historical review and point proposal.
Pulsatile lavage is an effective means of irrigation for grossly contaminated wounds. Pulse lavage was first used by oral surgeons in the U. S. ⋯ S. military investigators pioneered its early development and scientifically validated its efficacy. Modern pulse lavage units are ideally suited for military use because they enable first- and second-echelon medical personnel (including nonphysicians) to rapidly and effectively decontaminate combat wounds with minimal logistic burden. Pulse lavage units should become standard issue in all combat medical supply canisters or Authorized Medical Allowance blocks, and medical personnel should be trained in their use.
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Comparative Study
Advanced trauma life support versus Combat Trauma Life Support courses: a comparison of cognitive knowledge decline.
This prospective study was conducted to compare cognitive knowledge decline among graduates of the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Combat Trauma Life Support (CTLS) courses in Israel. The investigation was based on multiple-choice questions that tested the results of 211 ATLS and CTLS course graduates and was performed 3 to 66 months after completion of the courses. ⋯ No significant difference was found in the rate of decline in knowledge gained from the two courses after a given period. Priority for refresher courses should be set regardless of type of course previously attended by physicians.
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Women have served in every war and conflict in our history, but the effects of military duty on women are largely unknown. This article discusses the history of women in the military and presents findings from the Veterans Administration Women's Health Project. ⋯ We compared Short Form 36 scores between veteran and nonveteran women. The results indicate that veteran women score lower on every scale compared with nonveteran women.
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Focused military curricula and readiness training are often inadequate for military resident physicians. We developed a standardized gynecologic military-unique patient scenario and examination to assess obstetrics and gynecology residents' clinical and operational problem-solving abilities. Integration of military-unique gynecologic standardized patients, clinical scenarios, and objective structured clinical examinations into obstetrics and gynecology curricula is a novel approach for realistic medical readiness training for resident physicians. This tool can become a cornerstone in the ongoing development of needed military-unique curricula.