Page 11 - JSOM Spring 2021

Applications of Fish Oil Supplementation for Special Oper- core spiritual beliefs, values, awareness, relationships and ex-
ators is to explore the evidence for FOS and its application to periences. The SOCOM Spiritual Fitness Scale (SSFS) enables
multiple physiological and psychological contexts experienced religious support teams in SOF communities and beyond to
by SOF personnel. reliably measure SP according to POTFF’s definition of SP and
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction (CJCSI)
In Making Use of Your Assets: Clin- on Spiritual Fitness (SF). The authors illustrate how a chaplain
ical Use of EOD Radiography in the can align SP initiatives with the three core attributes of SP/
Forward-Deployed Setting, a clinical SF and leverage the SSFS to assess baseline unit needs, con-
image is taken while obtaining a lat- ceive and develop evidence-based initiatives, conduct rolling
eral radiograph of the right foot for program assessments, and articulate program efficacy to key
evaluation of possible calcaneal frac- leaders and collaborators.
ture. Radiographs demonstrated no
fracture, allowing for expedited pa- INFECTIOUS DISEASES
tient care and evacuation. Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection that can in-
volve the skin, mucosal membranes, and internal organs.
Immediate Paramedic Tactical Re- Soldiers are at high risk of leishmaniasis when conducting op-
sponse Unit in a Civilian Emergency erations in endemic regions. Medical providers should have a
Medical Service: The First Year Expe- low threshold to consider Leishmaniasis as the cause of per-
rience reports on the implementation sisting skin lesions.
of an immediate paramedic tactical
response unit into a civilian emer- INJURY PREVENTION
gency medical services (EMS) system Vitamin A and Bone Fractures: Low consumption of vitamin
and compared with the preexisting traditional tactical EMS A can cause night blindness, reduce immune function, and
support. have detrimental developmental effects. Several lines of evi-
dence suggest that excessive dietary intake of vitamin A might
The Use of Chest Seals in Treating Sucking Chest Wounds: A be associated with an increased risk of bone fractures. Me-
Comparison of Existing Evidence and Guideline Recommen- ta-analysis of observational human studies that have examined
dations: Vented chest seals seem to be superior to unvented vitamin A and fractures suggests that dietary consumption of
chest seals, and most international guidelines have updated large amounts of vitamin A in the form of β-carotene likely
their recommendations for the use of vented chest seals. How- has a protective effect, reducing the risk of fractures. On the
ever, frequent physical examinations for early signs of a de- other hand, meta-analyses that have specifically examined hip
veloping or worsening tension pneumothorax are the best fractures have shown that total vitamin A (all types) or retinol
medical care. consumption may increase the risk of hip fractures. Until more
information is available, it is advisable to consume vitamin
CASE REPORTS A primarily from plant sources, avoid excessive consumption
Lessons Learned on the Battle- from dietary supplements and animal sources, and lower con-
field Applied in a Civilian Set- sumption from fortified foods.
ting reports the case of a civilian
27-year-old man treated in a NSOCM COURSE
military hospital in France who Tourniquet Use on a Pediatric Patient describes the applica-
sustained multiple stab wounds, tion of a tourniquet on a 14-month-old child who suffered a
limb amputation and profiles a common situation in which the
including one in the left groin, The SAM Junctional Tourniquet
with massive external bleeding. (SAM-JT) consists of a belt placed Combat Application Tourniquet GEN 7 (C-A-T Resources)
around the pelvis that enables might be used in civilian care systems. The intervening nurse
iliac artery compression through
an inflatable bladder (the “target at the scene had been trained on the use of hemorrhage-con-
compression device”). trol devices through the American College of Surgeons’ Stop
Watch Where You Point That Pneumomediastinum From The Bleed campaign.
Pneumatic Nail Gun Injury to the Hand reports for the first
time a case of pneumomediastinum from a nail gun injury to SPECIAL TALK: AN INTERVIEW
the hand. Our patient was a 40-year-old male construction Interviews with Rick Hines, Kyle Stigall, and Russ S. Kotwal
worker who shot a nail gun into his hand. He became acutely
dyspneic and was found to have a pneumomediastinum due
to air insufflation. He later underwent tube thoracostomy and BOOK REVIEW
intubation. Guerilla Surgeon: A Thing of the Past
or Warning to the Future?
ONGOING SERIES
HUMAN PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION
In Aligning and Assessing Core Attributes of Spiritual Fitness TCCC UPDATES
for Optimizing Human Performance, the SOCOM Preserva- Tactical Medicine Training for SEAL Mission Commanders
tion of the Force and Family Program identifies spiritual per- originally published in Military Medicine in July 2001, before
formance (SP) as a key pillar for holistically caring for and the attacks of 911 focused US military attention sharply on
optimizing the performance of all Special Operations Forces Afghanistan. The paper emphasizes a number of points that
(SOF) and their families. Enhancing SP is key to sustaining bear revisiting now that US involvement in the Middle Eastern
conflicts has largely been concluded.

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