Background: Opioids can have adverse effects on casualties in hemorrhagic shock. In 2014, the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) recommended the use of ketamine at the point of injury (POI). Despite these recommendations the adherence is moderate at best. Poor use may stem from a lack of access to use ketamine during training. The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is often in a unique position, they maintain narcotics for use during all training events and operations. The goal of this work is to demonstrate that ketamine is safe and effective in both training and operational environments. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational performance improvement project within United States Special Operations Command and Air Combat Command that included the US Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and US Air Force Pararescue. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the doses per administration to include the interquartile range (IQR), standard deviation (SD) and the range of likely doses using a 95% confidence interval (CI). A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the mean pre-ketamine pain scores to the mean post-ketamine on a 0-to-10 pain scale. Results: From July 2010 to October 2017, there was a total of 34 patients; all were male. A total of 22 (64.7%) received intravenous ketamine and 12 (35.3%) received intramuscular ketamine and 8 (23.5%) received intranasal ketamine. The mean number of ketamine doses via all routes administered to patients was 1.88 (SD 1.094) and the mean total dose of all ketamine administration was 90.29mg (95% CI, 70.09-110.49). The mean initial dose of all ketamine administration was 47.35mg (95% CI, 38.52-56.18). The median preketamine pain scale for casualties was noted to be 8.0 (IQR 3) and the median post-ketamine pain scale was 0.0 (IQR 3). Conclusion: Ketamine appears to be safe and effective for use during military training accidents. Military units should consider allowing their medics to carry and use as needed.

The JSOM podcast digs deeper into the articles and subjects that matter to our readers. Our podcast hosts, Captains Alex Merkle and Josh Randles, tackle articles from the journal based on merit, interest, and application for operators in the field. In addition, the podcast features a special, not to be missed Interview Series with leaders, doctors, and authors.

In this episode of the JSOM Podcast, Alex and Josh discuss the articles "Ketamine Administration by Special Operations Medical Personnel During Training Mishaps". Guest Rico Pesce breaks down the article, "Far Forward Gaps in Hemorrhagic Shock and Prolonged Field Care: An Update of ALM Fluid Therapy for Field Use."

Guest: Rico Pesce

MAJ Andrew Fisher, MS-4, PA-C, LP for a great review of pre-hospital whole blood in the military; where we are now and how we got there. He reminds us that, "everything old is new again." The first whole blood transfusion research was done by the military in 1940 (Armed Forces Blood Program) and was used extensively in WWII and the Korean War. But times change and lessons learned are lost to the sands of time as one generation of peacetime military surgeons hands off the reigns to the next. Listen here.

World-renowned tourniquet expert Dr. John Kragh. In this interview, Dr. Kragh takes us through his history in becoming a tourniquet expert as well as detailing the evolution of tourniquet use in combat situations as a battalion surgeon in Southwest Asia. Tourniquet use has evolved considerably even during the 20-years since the JSOM has been in publication. Be sure to read Dr. Kragh's contributions to this quarter's journal as a companion to this interview. Listen here.

CMSgt Michael Rubio, currently the commandant of the 351st Special Warfare Training Squadron of the PJ schoolhouse at Kirkland AFB. It's a great opportunity to hear from the best about how PJ training has changed during the past 20 years, and get a glimpse of where it is heading in the future. You can listen here. Look for another episode later this month.

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When it comes to junctional or truncal wounds on the battlefield, there has never been a truly effective means of controlling hemorrhage. No hemostatic agent or dressing has proven to be ideal for these types of trauma scenarios. Injury patterns during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom highlighted this capability gap. During these conflicts, exsanguination from junctional (neck, axilla and groin) wounds was responsible for over 19% of the combat fatalities from potentially survivable wounds.1 Not surprisingly, after-action reports from medics returning from the battlefield in 2006-2008 clearly described the need for a better tool to control difficult bleeding. They requested a “fire and forget” solution that could apply a dressing to a wound and instantly achieve hemostasis, similar to Fix-aFlat® for punctured tires.

The JSOM is incredibly grateful to have the support of many institutions around the world. We would like to thank our recent institutional subscribers and re-subscribers for their support by acknowledging them in our eNewsletter and, when applicable, sharing their social media information. We reached a milestone, surpassing 50 institutions! We currently have 54 active institutional subscriptions, reaching a potential 59,000+ readers!

This edition, we welcome back 2 subscribers

Swedish Armed Forces, Orebro

Hong Kong Police Force Library

Visit https://jsom.us/Library for a full list of institutions that are currently subscribing to the JSOM. We are beginning a campaign to expand our institutional subscriptions. If you think your company would benefit from an institutional subscription, let us know! We'll be happy to talk to you and get the ball rolling. You don't have to be a university or medical center to subscribe - we have many EMS units, government agencies, and military medical units both in the United States and abroad.

Are you on the list? Great! Need to know how to access our resources? You can either contact your head librarian, or shoot an email to subscriptions@JSOMonline.org.

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