Military medicine
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Case Reports
Treatment of methylene chloride induced carbon monoxide poisoning with hyperbaric oxygenation.
Methylene chloride is an organic solvent with many industrial uses. Inhalation of methylene chloride fumes can result in toxicity, caused by hepatic biotransformation of methylene chloride to carbon monoxide. A case of acute methylene chloride poisoning is presented, including successful treatment of this patient with the use of hyperbaric oxygenation. The rationale for the use of hyperbaric oxygenation in the treatment of methylene chloride poisoning is discussed.
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A case of a benign cementoblastoma involving the maxillary right first, second, and impacted third molars is presented. A review of the literature reveals the lesion is relatively rare in the maxilla, with only 13 previously reported cases.
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Advanced training for medics and corpsmen in the field would help prevent deaths and disabilities. Courses in Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS) and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) can be used as a format for standardizing the approach to the injured patient. It can be integrated into the military setting along with the basic survival skills needed by the unit's medical provider.
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There is no current training or experience that can closely parallel operating in the combat theater. However, the use of a structured and systematic approach to patient care such as Advanced Trauma Life Support would have given those thrust into trauma care a format to build upon.