Summer - United States Special Operations Command

ABSTRACTS FROM CURRENT LITERATUREMass Casualty in an Isolated Environment:Medical Response to a Submarine CollisionCDR Christopher John Jankosky, MC USNMilitary Medicine Vol 173, No 8 August 2008EXCERPTOn January 8, 2005, the U.S.S. SAN FRANCISCO (SSN 711), a nuclear-powered submarine, collided witha seamount in a remote Pacific Ocean location. The high-speed impact resulted in injuries to 90% of the crew.Subsequent emergency medical response is described as well as the 3-month physical and psychological morbidity.Recommendations for medical training, equipment, and policy for workers in isolated environments arediscussed.Terror-Inflicted Thermal Injury: A Retrospective Analysis of Burns in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Between the Years 1997 and 2003Haik, Josef MD; Tessone, Ariel MD; Givon, Adi BA; Liran, Alon MD; Winkler, Eyal MD; Mendes, David MD;Goldan, Oren MD; Bar-Meir, Eran MD; Regev, Eli MD; Orenstein, Arie MD; Peleg, Kobi PhD, MPHJournal of Trauma-Injury Infection & Critical Care. 61(6):1501-1505, December 2006.ABSTRACTBackground: Terror attacks have changed in the past decade, with a growing tendency toward explosives andsuicide bombings, which led to a rise in the incidence of thermal injuries among victims. The Israeli-Palestinianconflict of October 2000 marked a turning point when an organized terror campaign commenced. This articlepresents data of terror-associated burns from the Israeli National Trauma Registry (ITR) during the years1997 to September 2000 and October 2000 to 2003. Methods: We analyzed demographic and clinical characteristicsof 219 terror-related burn patients and 6,546 other burn patients admitted to hospitals in Israel between1997 and 2003. Data were obtained from the ITR. Results: Burns contributed about 9% of all terror relatedtrauma and about 5% of all other trauma (p < 0.0001). These percentages have not changed significantly beforeand after October 2000. Terror-related burns afflict Jewish males more than predicted by their percentage in thepopulation, whereas other burns afflict non-Jewish males more than predicted. Adults and young adults (15-59years) are the predominant group in terror-related burns (80%), whereas children younger than 15 years are thepredominant group in other burns (50%). Large burns (20% to 89% total body surface area) are more commonin terror casualties, with greater mortality (6.4% in terror-related versus 3.4% in others; p = 0.0258). Conclusion:Although the incidence of burns has risen because of an organized campaign, this change was noticeablein other trauma forms as well in similar proportions. Terror-related burns afflict a targeted population, and generallytake on a more severe course with greater mortality rates, thus requiring appropriate medical treatment.Abstracts From Current Literature51