Military medicine
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Multicenter Study
Prehospital Use of Ketamine in the Combat Setting: A Sub-Analysis of Patients With Head Injuries Evaluated in the Prospective Life Saving Intervention Study.
Ketamine is used as an analgesic for combat injuries. Ketamine may worsen brain injury, but new studies suggest neuroprotection. Our objective was to report the outcomes of combat casualties with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who received prehospital ketamine. ⋯ We found that combat casualties with suspected TBI that received prehospital ketamine had similar outcomes to those that received OAs or NAs despite injury differences.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Helping High School-Aged Military Dependents With Autism Gain Employment Through Project SEARCH + ASD Supports.
Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face high rates of unemployment, with unique challenges for military-dependent and -connected youth with ASD. This paper reports preliminary findings from Year One of a randomized waitlist controlled trial investigating the efficacy of the Project SEARCH + ASD Supports (PS + ASD) intervention model for military-dependent and -connected youth with ASD. ⋯ Initial results are promising and suggest that the PS + ASD model may help to meet the transition needs of military-dependent and -connected youth with ASD and the employment needs of local military communities.
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Musculoskeletal overuse injuries are a serious problem in the military, particularly in basic combat training, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars lost because of limited duty days, medical treatment, and high rates of reinjury. Injury risk models have been developed using peripheral computed tomography (pQCT)-based injury correlates. However, pQCT image capture on large number of recruits is not practical for military settings. Thus, this article presents a method to derive spatial density pQCT images from much lower resolution but more accessible dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). ⋯ High potential exists to create a practical protocol using DXA in place of pQCT to assess stress fracture risk and aid in mitigating musculoskeletal injuries seen in military recruits.
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Scholars have described military deployments as one of the most stressful aspects of life for military couples. Deployment affects multiple roles and family members, yet little is known about the degree to which postdeployment outcomes are accounted for by predeployment functioning independent of deployment experiences. ⋯ Study findings reinforce the importance of predeployment preparation, providing families with resources to maximize resilience in response to the stress of deployment.
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The goal of the present study was to characterize behavioral health rates, behavioral health care utilization, loneliness, and perceived prejudice and support among sexual minority soldiers. ⋯ Organizational barriers, such as perceived prejudice and lack of support, appear to still exist for sexual minority soldiers. Increasing organizational support and implementing training and education for health care providers in order to better support the LGB soldier community may mitigate these barriers.