What is the medical requirement for a quick release system in a body armour vest?

A quick release system is a method by which personal armour can be rapidly doffed by the disconnection of structural components using little force. There are slight variations in the design of quick release systems available in different personal armour systems worldwide, including the position of the activation device, how many points on the vest are released at one time and how many constituent parts the vest dismantles into. Limited evidence exists, however, to justify each of these differences.

Anogenital injury following sexual assault and consensual sexual intercourse: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Sexual violence is a grave human rights violation and a serious global public health challenge. Rates of reporting of sexual violence and subsequent passage of cases through the criminal justice system are poor all over the world. The presence or absence of anogenital injury following sexual assault may influence survivors in their willingness to report a crime, and law enforcement officers and jurors in their decision making regarding the laying of charges and/or conviction of offenders.

Plus Sutures for preventing surgical site infection: a systematic review of clinical outcomes with economic and environmental models.

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) represent ~ 20% of all hospital-acquired infections in surgical patients and are associated with prolonged hospital stay, admission to intensive care, and mortality. We conducted a systematic review with economic and environmental models to assess whether triclosan-coated sutures (Plus Sutures) provide benefits over non-coated sutures in the reduction of SSI risk.

Methods: Searches were conducted in fifteen databases.

Triage in major incidents: development and external validation of novel machine learning-derived primary and secondary triage tools.

Background: Major incidents (MIs) are an important cause of death and disability. Triage tools are crucial to identifying priority 1 (P1) patients-those needing time-critical, life-saving interventions. Existing expert opinion-derived tools have limited evidence supporting their use.

Using CT scans to determine the optimal sizes of hard armour plates to protect the torso for UK female Armed Forces personnel.

Introduction: Hard armour plates provide coverage to essential anatomical structures in the torso that, if injured, would likely be responsible for death before damage control surgery can be undertaken. Existing front and rear OSPREY plates in conjunction with Mark 2 plates used at the sides in current UK Armed Forces personal armour systems are provided in a single size, used by both female and male users.

Methods: CT scans of 45 female UK military personnel were analysed.

Secure app-based secondary healthcare clinical decision support to deployed forces in the UK Defence Medical Services.

Background: Modern instant messaging systems facilitate reach-back medical support for Defence Medical Services (DMS) by connecting deployed clinicians to remote specialists. The mobile app Pando (Forward Clinical, UK) has been used for this purpose by the DMS via the '' function. We aimed to investigate the usage statistics for this technology in its first 1000 days to better understand its role in the DMS.

Acquisition and retention of military surgical competencies: a survey of surgeons' experiences in the UK Defence Medical Services.

Introduction: The acquisition and retention of militarily relevant surgical knowledge and skills are vital to enable expert management of combat casualties on operations. Opportunities for skill sustainment have reduced due to the cessation of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and lack of military-relevant trauma in UK civilian practice.

Methods: A voluntary, anonymous online survey study was sent to all UK Defence Medical Services (DMS) surgical consultants and higher surgical trainees in Trauma and Orthopaedics, Plastic and Reconstructive, and General and Vascular surgical specialties (three largest surgical specialties in the DMS in terms of numbers).

Establishing a COVID-secure site for elective surgery during the COVID pandemic: An observational study.

Introduction: Maintaining timely and safe delivery of major elective surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic is essential to manage cancer and time-critical surgical conditions. Our NHS Trust established a COVID-secure elective site with a level 2 Post Anaesthetic Care Unit (PACU) facility. Patients requiring level 3 Intensive Care Unit admission were transferred to a non-COVID-secure site.

Comparing the surgical management of acute paediatric scrotal pain between adult urologists and general surgeons in the UK: an observational study.

Introduction: Acute scrotal pain is a common paediatric surgical emergency. Assessment and timely exploration are required to rule out testicular torsion (TT) and prevent unnecessary morbidity.

Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study was carried out at two district general hospitals in the UK for boys aged ≤16 years presenting with acute scrotal pain between January 2014 and October 2017 managed by adult general surgery (AGS) at one hospital and adult urology (AU) at the other.

Paediatric major incident triage: UK military tool offers best performance in predicting the need for time-critical major surgical and resuscitative intervention.

Background: Children are frequently injured during major incidents (MI), including terrorist attacks, conflict and natural disasters. Triage facilitates healthcare resource allocation in order to maximise overall survival. A critical function of MI triage tools is to identify patients needing time-critical major resuscitative and surgical intervention (Priority 1 (P1) status).

The BCD Triage Sieve outperforms all existing major incident triage tools: Comparative analysis using the UK national trauma registry population.

Background: Natural disasters, conflict, and terrorism are major global causes of death and disability. Central to the healthcare response is triage, vital to ensure the right care is provided to the right patient at the right time. The ideal triage tool has high sensitivity for the highest priority (P1) patients with acceptably low over-triage.

Defence Healthcare Engagement: A UK Military Perspective to Improve Healthcare Leadership and Quality of Care Overseas.

Defence Healthcare Engagement (DHE) describes the use of military medical capabilities to achieve health effects overseas through enduring partnerships. It forms a key part of a wider strategy of Defence Engagement that utilises defence assets and activities, short of combat operations, to achieve influence. UK Defence Medical Services have significant recent DHE experience from conflict and stabilisation operations (e.

Evaluation of a bundle of care to reduce incisional surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery.

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is associated with morbidity, mortality and increased care costs; many SSIs are considered preventable. The aim of the present study was to test implementation of a pragmatic, evidence-based bundle designed to reduce incisional SSI after emergency laparotomy and elective major lower gastrointestinal surgery.

Method: This was a prospective before-and-after study.

How do deployed general surgeons acquire relevant skill sets and competencies and mitigate skill fade?

There are recognised difficulties internationally with acquisition and retention of skills among deployed military general surgeons. These are compounded by reduced trauma workload in non-deployed roles or during low tempo or limited activity deployments, and the winding-down of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. We summarise the relevant military-run courses, military-civilian collaborations and potential future strategies that have been used to address skill sets and competencies of deployed surgeons.