Page 13 - JSOM Winter 2024

initiative involved harnessing available cell phone applications to sports-related traumatic hyphema complicated by commotio ret-
deliver rapid and effective public health messaging, including spe- inae in a Special Operations unmanned aircraft systems operator,
cially created infographics. requiring teleconsultation and evacuation to specialty care. They
additionally provide tailored prehospital strategies to manage
these serious injuries.

Grade 1 hyphema with
1/3 of the anterior
chamber pooled with
blood. This was taken
30 minutes after the
Public Health infographic shared to injury. Red circle outline
alert U.S. personnel to potential risks. highlights the blood
pooling in the anterior
chamber.
EDITORIAL
On Saving – The Psychosocial Benefit of Saving Lives in War
and Society: Kotwal and colleagues explore the importance of
cohesion to the overall health and development of a society. Ac-
cording to the authors, cohesion and leadership are needed to
Quality of Vision and Patient Satisfaction After Refractive defend our nation, preserve national security, improve societal
Surgery: A Comparative Analysis of LASIK, SMILE, and PRK: health, and save lives.
Ryan and colleagues retrospectively reviewed the medical records
of 375 U.S. Servicemembers who underwent laser in situ ker- ONGOING SERIES
atomileusis (LASIK), photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), or small HUMAN PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION
incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) to compare patient-reported Uncovering the World of Dietary Supplements and Perfor-
outcomes between techniques. The researchers found that, over- mance-Enhancing Substances in the Military: Deuster and col-
all, all three techniques delivered excellent visual outcomes with leagues highlight key topic areas related to dietary supplements
minimal visual symptoms, allowing for the performance of daily and performance-enhancing substances in the military. The au-
activities with less difficulty and limitation. thors review solutions to problems related to the regulation and
Special Forces Medics Ability to Identify Wooden Foreign quality of these supplements to meet the needs of providers with
Bodies by Point-of-Care Ultrasound: In their prospective, single- respect to evidence-based information and discuss Operation Sup-
blinded, observational study using chicken thigh models, Osborne plement Safety (OPSS) resources and tools.
and colleagues sought to evaluate the ability of SF medics to detect
wooden foreign bodies (FBs) with point-of-care ultrasound. The LAW ENFORCEMENT
authors found that, with minimal ultrasound training (a 1-hr lec- Improving Self-efficacy in Flight Nurse Practitioners in Prepa-
ture), the medics were capable of accurately identifying soft-tissue ration for the Role of the Law Enforcement Tactical Nurse
wooden FBs, and that the FB’s size, orientation, and proximity to Practitioner: Gregory S. Wamack describes a pilot study under-
fibrous tissues were important factors in accurate identification. taken to determine whether the Tactical Combat Casualty Care
course increases the tactical self-efficacy of flight nurse prac-
Surface Combat Swimming Performance and Shooting Abil- titioners (FNPs) in preparation for the role of law enforcement
ity after Training With or Without Military Equipment: To tactical nurse practitioner. Following the training, tactical self-
assess the effect of a training program with or without equip- efficacy increased in all participants, with statistically significant
ment on 1000-m surface combat swimming and shooting ability, increases seen in half of the FNPs.
Kostoulas and colleagues randomly assigned 45 cadets to one of
three groups: a control group, a swimsuit and fins group (SF), and UNCONVENTIONAL RESILIENCE
a combat uniform and equipment group (UE). The SF and UE Social Determinant of Unconventional Resilience: Tactical En-
groups followed a 60-min surface combat swimming training pro- gagement in Grief-Processing: In this seventh installment of a
gram for 4 weeks. The researchers found that while the training nine-part series, Jeschke and colleagues expand their operation
had a positive effect on the 1000-m surface combat swimming, it model to encompass grief-processing. In this paper, they sum-
did not affect the participants’ shooting ability. marize contemporary bereavement studies, death-stacking, and
historical grief-processing; extrapolate the social determinant of
CASE REPORTS grief-processing from qualitative data; and use qualitative data
Updated Findings on the Efficacy of Combined Subanes- to thematize various grief processes. They conclude by illustrat-
thetic Ketamine Infusion and Cervical Sympathetic Block- ing how grief-processing galvanizes SOF medic equanimity amid
ade as a Symptomatic Treatment of PTSD/TBI in a Special death discernment, which emphasizes the human fragility inherent
Forces Patient with a 2-year Follow-up: A Case Report: Lipov in all SOF missions.
and colleagues revisit the case of a Special Forces Servicemember
with a history of hospitalization for depression, PTSD, and TBI, THE WORLD OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS MEDICINE
and who had been treated with a cervical sympathetic blockade/ Pioneering Collaboration and Innovation in Combat Medi-
ketamine infusion combination (the SOF method). At 720 days of cine: Chiala’ and colleagues spotlight research presented at 2nd
follow-up, the authors found that the approach appeared to have annual NSOCM Symposium, hosted by the International Special
a profound and long-lasting impact on the symptoms of blast TBI Training Centre (ISTC).
and PTSD. Although the mechanisms of the effect are not fully
known, the authors believe the SOF method represents an effec- TCCC UPDATES
tive new treatment for this complex patient population.
Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC)
Traumatic Hyphema with Commotio Retinae in a Special Op- Update
erations Environment: Bird and colleagues present the case of

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