Journal of special operations medicine : a peer reviewed journal for SOF medical professionals
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To determine the prevalence of tourniquet use in combat trauma, the contribution to lives saved and the complications of their use in this environment. ⋯ ISS and TRISS are poorly representative of injury severity and outcome for combat trauma involving isolated multiple limb injuries and cannot be used to discriminate whether a tourniquet is life-saving. The presence of severe isolated limb injuries, profound hypovolaemic shock and the requirement for massive transfusion reasonably identifies a cohort where the use of one or more tourniquets pre-hospital to control external bleeding can be said to be life-saving.
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Inspiration through -7cm H2O resistance results in an increase in venous blood flow back to the heart and a subsequent increase in cardiac output and blood pressure in hypotensive animals and patients. Breathing through the impedance threshold device with 7cm H2O resistance (ITD-7) also reduces intracranial pressure with each inspiration, thereby providing greater blood flow to the brain. A new device called an ITD-7 was developed to exploit these physiological mechanisms to buy time in hypotensive War Fighters when other therapies are not readily available. Animal and clinical data with the ITD-7 demonstrate the potential value and limitations of this new non-invasive approach to enhancing circulation.
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Case Reports
Differential diagnosis of shoulder pain followed by progressive weakness: a case report.
Upper extremity weakness can be the result of a myriad of conditions ranging from contractile tissue injury, joint injury, or injury to central or peripheral nervous system components. Accurate diagnosis is important in establishing an optimal treatment regimen and sound prognosis. This report provides an overview of the diagnosis and treatment of Parsonage-Turner Syndrome, a relatively rare cause of upper extremity weakness and dysfunction.
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Special Operations Forces (SOF) Operators need a variety of individual medical items that can generally be broken down into three types of medical kits: a major trauma kit, to treat major traumatic wounds; an in-use medical kit, to prevent or treat anticipated common medical conditions during operations; and a survival medical kit, to treat minor injuries and ailments when in a survival/evasion situation.
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Tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) is a system of prehospital trauma care designed for the combat environment. Although widely adopted, very few studies have reported on how TCCC interventions are actually delivered on the battlefield, from a quality of care perspective. ⋯ Tourniquets save lives. Needle decompression can save lives, but is usually performed in patients with multiple critical injuries. TCCC instructors must reinforce proper techniques and indications for each procedure to ensure that the quality of care provided to injured soldiers on the battlefield remains high.