ABSTRACT
Airway management skills are essential for healthcare providers within military and civilian settings. To maintain competency in these skills, it is crucial for the provider to have opportunities for review and retraining. Virtual airway training or telementoring can be an effective means to fulfilling these requirements for healthcare providers located in remote sites. The projection of high quality imagery to far forward locations is essential for health care practitioners in the provision of telemedicine and distance training. The Storz C-CAM was developed to interface with existing endoscopy equipment to facilitate implementation of telemetric devices in remote locations. This work describes the use of the Storz C-CAM in providing medical device training to deployed medical personnel at a far forward location.
Subject(s)
Imaging, Three-Dimensional/instrumentation , Laryngoscopy/education , Laryngoscopy/instrumentation , Surgery, Computer-Assisted/instrumentation , Telemedicine/instrumentation , Telemetry/instrumentation , User-Computer Interface , Computer-Assisted Instruction/instrumentation , Equipment Design , Equipment Failure Analysis , Humans , Military Medicine/education , Military Medicine/instrumentationABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To provide an analysis of casualties treated during medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) or/and at the Spanish Role 2 in Herat, Afghanistan, including type of weapon, injuries, and effects of protective measures. METHOD: A retrospective analysis was carried out concerning patients who had suffered injuries from either gunshot or explosive devices treated during MEDEVAC or/and at this facility during the period 2005-2008. RESULTS: The total number of cases analyzed was 256. The majority of the casualties were produced by explosive devices (71%). The anatomical regions most affected were the lower limbs (48%). There was a higher New Injury Severity Score in casualties wounded by gunshot (14 +/- 1) than in those wounded by explosive devices (8.5 +/- 1.5) (p < 0.001). Surgical procedures for injuries caused by gunshots were 1.7 times more likely than for those due to explosive devices (95% confidence interval: 1.4 to 2.1). Protective devices were used only by 25% of casualties. CONCLUSIONS: The injury score indices of firearm casualties were higher than the explosive device casualties' injury score indices. The possible reasons for this finding are discussed.
