Page 139 - JSOM Winter 2022

project influence and security across the region. Together, these US MILITARY ACCLIMATES UNITS
pillars guide the United States’ affirmative agenda in the Arctic
region for the next decade.” TO HIGH-ALTITUDE OPERATIONS
Claudia Sanchez-Bustamante, MHS Communications, reports
The topics presented are Executive Summary, Introduction: Our “High altitude—generally considered at about 8,000 feet or
Vision for the Arctic, Changing Conditions in the Arctic, Our more above sea level—can negatively affect service members’
Approach: Strategic Pillars and Guiding Principles, Pillar 1— health as well as their physical and mental performance, espe-
Security: Develop Capabilities for Expanded Arctic Activity, cially if they’re not properly acclimated to it.
Pillar 2—Climate Change and Environmental Protection: Build
Resilience and Advance Adaptation, while Mitigating Emis- The lower pressure in that environment means there’s de-
sions, Pillar 3—Sustainable Economic Development: Improve creased availability of oxygen in the air around you, which
Livelihoods and Expand Economic Opportunity, Pillar 4—In- lowers the oxygen supply to your body. It can cause altitude
ternational Cooperation and Governance: Sustain Arctic Insti- illness within hours after arriving at high altitudes as your
tutions and Uphold International Law, and The Way Forward. body tries to adjust and you may require oxygen and medica-
tion to feel better.
The full report is given at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2022/10/National-Strategy-for-the-Arctic- Yet even operating in locations above 4,000 feet above sea level
Region.pdf can cause acute mountain sickness, the most common and mild
form of altitude illness, and decreased performance. Symptoms
SHELF STABLE BLOOD PRODUCTS can include head and muscle aches, shortness of breath, dizzi-
ness, and nausea, and may take between 1-3 days to subside.
The abstract “Evaluation of Shelf Stable Blood Products for
Resuscitation in a Canine Model of Hemorrhagic Shock” will Training and acclimating your body to operate optimally at
be presented at the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s 2023 altitudes higher than what you’re used to is key.
Critical Care Congress in January 2023. The SOCOM-funded Operating at high-altitude environments “is inherently hazard-
study spearheaded by Institute for Surgical Research (ISR) and ous,” said US Air Force Maj Elliott Reed, chief of the physio-
carried out in collaboration with the University of Utah ex- logical training branch at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s
amined whether shelf-stable blood product resuscitation strat- 711th Human Performance Wing, at Wright-Patterson Air
egies using freeze-dried plasma, a hemoglobin-based oxygen Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.
carrier, and lyophilized platelets can provide an alternative to
conventional hemorrhage resuscitation strategies in canines. “The Air Force takes a holistic approach to high-altitude oper-
ORISE Fellow Dr Tom Edwards and LTC Emilee Venn are ations, ensuring operational success by focusing on personnel
co-authors on the University of Utah abstract describing com- selection, training, and equipment,” he added. “This is similar
parison of thromboelastography (TEG 500) values between to fire fighters, who are not conditioned to work in fires but
resuscitation strategies. are instead prepared to mitigate the risk.”
For air crews to operate at high altitudes, “the human system
RADIATION EXPOSURE must be seamlessly integrated into the aircraft system,” he ex-
Dr Luciana Torres of the US Army ISR, CRT2 (Hemorrhage plained. “While oxygen is important, so is the need to control
and Edema Control), presented findings on a modification to the altitude through the use of cabin pressurization systems.”
ISR’s 40% hemorrhage polytrauma model to include the in- And depending on the mechanical structure of a given aircraft,
troduction of radiation exposure. Findings were as expected in other equipment may be necessary, he said, such as a full-
clinical lab results and survival were significantly affected by pressure suit for U-2 pilots or a G-suit [an anti-gravity gar-
the addition of radiation in an almost linear fashion in, though ment] for high-performance aircraft operators.
early hypothesis, it appears that each mechanism affects sur-
vivability in a gradient fashion. These findings not only give However, pilots are not the only service members operating at
rise to future studies for treatment protocols to overcome these high altitudes in the air. Service members routinely operate on
injuries but may also be showing patterns that will help with land at mountainous locations of varying altitudes to which
triage in Large Scale Combat Operations. they must properly acclimate.
For full details, please see https://health.mil/News/Articles/
MEASLES THREAT 2022/11/28/High-altitude-Training.
This month the CDC and World Health Organization issued a
report that 40 million children are at risk for measles globally.
They reported that in 2021 about 25 million children missed
their first dose of the measles vaccine and another almost
15 million children missed their second dose of the vaccine.
“The paradox of the pandemic is that while vaccines against
COVID-19 were developed in record time and deployed in the
largest vaccination campaign in history, routine immunization A pilot trains in the Research U.S. Marines with the 3rd Battalion,
programs were badly disrupted, and millions of kids missed Altitude Chamber1 at the Air Force 3rd Marine Regiment and Marine
Corps Mountain Warfare Training
Research Laboratory’s 711 Human
out on life-saving vaccinations against deadly diseases like Performance Wing,Wright-Patterson Center (MCMWTC) Bridgeport,
measles,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghe- Air Force Base, Ohio. The RAC can Marine Air Ground Task Force
breyesus said in a statement. “Getting immunization programs simulate high altitudes and is one Training Command undertake a
tactical exercise at MCMWTC
of four chambers used to study the
back on track is absolutely critical. Behind every statistic in effects of high altitudes on humans Bridgeport, California, Jan. 25, 2022.
this report is a child at risk of a preventable disease.” and equipment. (Photo: U.S. Marine Corps
(Photo: Keith Lewis, U.S. Air Force) Lance Cpl. Andrew R. Bray)
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