Army flight medic performance of paramedic level procedures: indicated vs. performed.

Background: There is great disparity in the education, experience, and staffing requirements for civilian and Army aeromedical transports (AMT).

Objective: This study sought to determine if medical skills beyond the standard training for Army flight medics were indicated and being performed on Army AMT missions. As a secondary measure, the percentage of indicated interventions performed by basic Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B) and paramedic (EMT-P) flight medics were compared.

Education and experience of Army flight medics in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Objective: Adequate training levels and an appropriate amount of continuing education for Army flight medics (AFM) is a highly contested topic. We sought to obtain a cross-section of the education, experience, and time spent by flight medics on patient care before and in between deployments. We also sought the opinions of AFM regarding training, transport staffing, and medical oversight.

Postdischarge secobarbital after ED migraine treatment decreases pain and improves resolution.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether the addition of postdischarge oral secobarbital to standard emergency department (ED) migraine headache therapy improves pain relief and headache resolution compared with placebo.

Setting: The setting is an urban ED with 70 000 yearly visits.

Methods: This is an Institutional Review Board-approved, randomized, nonconsecutive, double-blinded, concealed, and placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Traumatic brain injury complicated by environmental hyperthermia.

Temperature variations after traumatic brain injury are common and devastating. This has been shown most clearly with hypothermia, but the complications associated with hyperthermia in the setting of traumatic brain injury can be just as problematic. We present the case of a soldier with traumatic brain injury exposed to environmental temperatures of 115-120 degrees F with a core temperature of over 108 degrees F.

An experimental predeployment training program improves self-reported patient treatment confidence and preparedness of Army combat medics.

Objective: To develop and assess impact of a focused review of International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) and combat casualty care with hands-on procedure training for U.S. Army medics deploying to Iraq.