Page 7 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Fall 2016

The risks of “Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever” are
covered by Burnett. RMSF is a risk to military forces
Intensive care bed who train and deploy to wooded areas of the Americas.
in the French Recognition that this disease can be seen outside of the
military forward Rocky Mountain region of the United States—and most
surgical unit. often, it is—is paramount to the initiation of prompt ap-
propriate treatment that can be life-saving.

continue to retain its protective capabilities for many RMSF rash.
years past the end of the manufacturer’s warranty. Al-
though commonly retired from law enforcement use
because of age alone, this equipment can provide a sig-
nificant degree of ballistic protection and is far better
than nothing in an environment where threats can arise
suddenly.
n n n
The purpose of “Evaluation of Two Junctional Tourni- Knapik and O’Connor discuss “Exertional Rhabdomy-
®
quets Used on the Battlefield: Combat Ready Clamp olysis: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Preven-
versus SAM Junctional Tourniquet,” by Meusnier and tion.” ER is a medical condition in which an individual
®
colleagues, was to compare the use of two junctional- performs so much activity that he or she presumably
tourniquet models, the Combat Ready Clamp (CRoC ) depletes local muscle energy stores and muscle cells are
®
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and the SAM Junctional Tourniquet (SJT), in simulated unable to maintain cellular integrity, resulting in cell
out-of-hospital trauma care when tourniquets were inef- damage and the release of cellular contents, with resul-
fective to stop the arterial flow.
tant secondary complications. In the military services,
the incidence of ER appeared to increase in the period
Strohmayer, Matthews, and Locke provide a detailed of 2004 to 2015. Acute kidney injury is the most serious
review of schistosomiasis management and screening in potential complication of ER.
“Schistosomiasis: Travelers in Africa.”

“Management of Crush Syndrome Under Prolonged
Schistosomiasis management and screening tests.
Field Care,” by Walters and colleagues, is a clinical prac-
tice guideline (CPG) produced through a collaboration
of the SOMA Prolonged Field Care Working Group (PF-
CWG) and the Joint Trauma System (JTS) at the US Army
Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) in San Antonio.
This CPG is meant to provide medical professionals who
encounter crush syndrome in austere environments with
evidence-based guidance for how to manage the various
aspects of crush injury care and monitoring.

In “Left Hand Injury With Focal Swelling and Tender-
ness,” Urbaniak and Hampton continue the SOFsono
n n n Ultrasound Series with the case of a 28-year-old NATO
Special Operations Forces Operator who sustains a left
“Walking the Plank” by Banting and Meriano leads this hand injury, reporting dorsal hand pain and limited mo-
issue’s Ongoing Series. Trauma patients with an unsta- tion in his fifth finger.
ble cervical spinal injury represent a very small percent-
age of blunt trauma patients, but the fear of missing one Kragh provides “It Always Starts
of these injuries has led to a rigid approach to univer- With the Heart,” an interview with
sal immobilization on a backboard. This practice may Ricardo “FLO” Flores. “FLO loves
be harming some of our patients. Using the Canadian people, travel, and The Gates of Fire,
C-spine rule or the NEXUS criteria can help identify a book by Steven Pressfield about the
those who receive no benefit and would only be exposed 300 Spartans in battle at Thermopy-
to risk. lae against the Persian army.” Ricardo “FLO” Flores

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