Military medicine
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To describe health patterns in evacuated military members during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and utilize demographic, diagnostic, and pre- and postdeployment health information to understand the utility of data collected for aeromedical evacuations. ⋯ Combining data sources increases our understanding of disease patterns in deployed troops. Targeted preventive interventions can then be implemented. Changes in the U.S. Transportation Command's Regulating and Command & Control Evacuation System database can improve its utility as an epidemiological tool.
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Literature has generously documented the stress of military members and their families during deployments in noncombat periods. Deployment has been shown to increase the needs of family members for health care, both physical and psychological. The purpose of this study was to describe the health care needs and perceived stressors of active duty members deployed to Iraq during the predeployment, mid-deployment, and postdeployment phases. ⋯ Active duty members in all phases of deployment had equally disturbing levels of anxiety. All phases reported suicidal ideation at alarming rates (2.4% in predeployment, 4.9% in mid-deployment, and 3% in postdeployment). This study sheds new light on the stressors and subsequent health care needs of active duty members on carriers during war and provides valuable information for the prevention of high-risk anxieties and subsequent health risks for all service members during similar deployments.
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Operation Iraqi Freedom was the first large-scale combat operation involving the U.S. Marine Corps since the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Data from a combat surgical company are presented. ⋯ The time from injury to surgical care was considered long by civilian standards; however, this did not appear to affect outcomes substantially. A small percentage (5.2%) of injuries were to the torso. Hypothermia was commonly present. Because of the nature of their wounds, all patients required additional surgery after evacuation to rear area facilities. The outcomes of individual patients are not known, although it is known that only one Marine died after reaching medical care and, to date, no Marines have subsequently died of their wounds.