Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps
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The Thomas splint was developed for the stabilisation of femoral fractures at the end of the nineteenth century, and since the First World War has been extensively used by the British Army. It has been shown to improve the outcome after ballistic fractures of the femur, but recently there have been moves to abandon this device in favour of more modern splints such as the Sager splint. ⋯ However, we present our experience of managing both ballistic and closed femoral injuries using Thomas splints during the recent Gulf Conflict. It is our belief that the Thomas splint is an essential tool in the management of military femoral injuries at role three facilities and must be retained.
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This paper describes a hypothetical case of a HIV positive pilot. It explores legal and ethical aspects of medical confidentiality and discusses who, inside and outside military and medical circles, can be told of his condition in the light of the particular circumstances. Disclosure without the patient's consent is a serious step that should not be undertaken without advice from Service medico-legal departments and medical protection organisations.