Page 3 - JSOM Winter 2023

from the

PUBLISHER
Michelle DuGuay Landers, MBA, BSN, RN
Lt Col (Ret)

Greetings JSOM Subscribers, only for military conflicts in remote areas but also for civilians
engaged in search and rescue operations or backwoods guides.
reakaway Media is honored to announce that we are As we look to the future, once again, the thought leadership
working with CAPT (Ret) Frank Butler, COL (Ret) Kevin and drive to continuously improve casualty outcomes to in-
BO’Connor, and Jeff Butler on publishing Tell Them crease survivability will shape the way medicine is employed
Yourself: It’s Not Your Day to Die. throughout the continuum of care.
Michelle D. Landers, Lt Col (Ret)
From the book’s cover material: Winter Podcast

Tell Them Yourself is an extraordinary account of how a Our JSOM Podcast team of Alex Merkle and Josh Randles
small group of world-class trauma experts joined forces will be reviewing the following articles for our Winter podcast:
with America’s best combat medics to rewrite the battle-
field medicine rule book and then sell these revolutionary  Optimizing Brain Health of United States Special Op-
new concepts to a disbelieving medical world. erations Forces by Brian L. Edlow, Natalie Gilmore,
Thousands of Americans wounded in combat died in Samatha L. Tromly, et al. (p. 47)
Vietnam–when they could easily have been saved. More  Bluetooth Tactical Headsets Improve the Speed of Accu-
deaths than in the Twin Towers on 9/11. More deaths than rate Patient Handoffs by Daniel J. Stinner, Cory McEvoy,
Pearl Harbor. In 1990, there had been very little progress Michael A. Broussard, et al. (p. 75)
made in battlefield trauma care since the Civil War. But  Effectiveness of Sternal Intraosseous Device in Patients
the revolutionary new concepts embodied in Tactical Presenting with Circulatory Shock: A Retrospective Ob-
Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) have changed that land- servational Study by Allyson M. Hynes, Shyam Murali,
scape dramatically. Gary A. Bass, et al. (p. 81)
Against great odds, TCCC has reduced the incidence
of preventable deaths among combat casualties to the JSOM Guest Medic
lowest level in history and has been credited with sav-
ing the lives of thousands of our nation’s wounded ser- Our guest medic for this quarter is Ricky
vicemen and women in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Ditzel, who will review “Optimizing Brain
Afghanistan. TCCC is now mandated by the U.S. Depart- Health of United States Special Opera-
ment of Defense as the nation’s standard for battlefield tions Forces” by Edlow and colleagues
trauma care. (p. 47). Ricky and his two siblings’ adoles-
TCCC has forever changed the way care will be pro- cent lives were defined by chaos. Inspired to
vided to America’s combat wounded and is now being make a positive change for his family, he enlisted in the Army
used by militaries around the world and in civilian prehos- and served as a U.S. Army Special Operations Flight Para-
pital trauma care as well. medic. In this role, Ricky treated U.S. and Allied forces service-
This is a medical book like no other because it is a members who suffered from the acute and chronic effects of
combat medical story like no other. traumatic brain injury.
This book is a must-read! Be sure to come by our booth at These experiences propelled Ricky to become a neurodegen-
SOMSA 24 to purchase your copy and get it signed by CAPT erative disease researcher and vocal advocate for brain and
(Ret) Butler. mental health. Ricky believes strongly in a life of service and
consistently seeks opportunities to support underserved com-
JSOM Winter Edition Cover munities and promote health equity. He believes the current
healthcare structure reduces access to care for individuals with
The cover illustration for the Winter neurologic disabilities because of limitations associated with
edition of the JSOM captures the public transportation, specialty care access, and education.
challenges of remote medicine, where
access is limited and the elements Driven towards research and finding solutions to increase the
play a significant role in the effi- quality of life for people with neurological disabilities, Ricky
ciency of treatment and transport. is pursuing a career as a physician. He plans to create a neu-
Today’s military is actively engaged rologic center of excellence that will provide comprehensive
in a conversation about the best multidisciplinary outpatient care under one roof. Ricky is
methods, equipment, and skillsets for the Chairman of the Special Operations Forces to School of
dealing with extended evacuation Medicine (SOF to SOM) (https://www.softosom.org/), a board
times and delayed access to definitive member of Neuroacanthocytosis Advocacy USA, and the Spe-
care or surgical support. These are important dialogues, not cial Operations Medical Association. He will continue to serve
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