A Word From Our Publisher

Greetings JSOM Newsletter Subscribers,


The 2024 SOMA Call for Labs is underway. The submission deadline is 12-1-23. Please visit the SOMA website for all details.

Respectfully,

Michelle DuGuay Landers, MBA, BSN, RN

Breakaway Media, LLC

Publisher

Journal of Special Operations Medicine (JSOM)

Lt Col, USAF/NC (Ret)

publisher@jsomonline.org

www.JSOMonline.org

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Journal of Special Operations Medicine Featured Abstracts

Combat Vascular Access: A Scoping Review

Smith SWhite JMcGuire TMeunier BBall IHilsden R. 23(3). 32 - 38. (Journal Article)

ABSTRACT


Medical leadership must decide how to obtain vascular access in a combat environment. Adequate combat trauma resuscitation requires efficient vascular access. A search of the Medline and EMBASE databases was conducted to find articles on combat vascular access. The primary dataset of interest was the type of vascular access obtained. Other data reviewed included who performed the intervention and the success rate of the intervention. The search strategy produced 1,339 results, of which 24 were included in the final analysis. Intravenous (IV), intraosseous (IO), and central venous access have all been used in the prehospital combat environment. This review summarizes the available combat literature to help commanders make an evidence-based decision about their prehospital vascular access strategy.

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Use of Intranasal Analgesia in French Armed Forces: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Montagnon RCungi PAoun OMorand GDesmottes JPasquier PTravers SAigle L, Dubecq C. 23(3). 39 - 43. (Journal Article)


ABSTRACT


Background: Pain management is essential in military medicine, particularly in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) during deployments in remote and austere settings. The few previously published studies on intranasal analgesia (INA) focused only on the efficacy and onset of action of the medications used (ketamine, sufentanil, and fentanyl). Side-effects were rarely reported. The aim of our study was to evaluate the use of intranasal analgesia by French military physicians. Methods: We carried out a multicentric survey between 15 January and 14 April 2020. The survey population included all French military physicians in primary-care centers (n = 727) or emergency departments (n = 55) regardless of being stationed in mainland France or French overseas departments and territories. Results: We collected 259 responses (33% responsiveness rate), of which 201 (77.6%) physicians reported being familiar with INA. However, regarding its use, of the 256 physicians with completed surveys, only 47 (18.3%) had already administered it. Emergency medicine physicians supporting highly operational units (e.g., Special Forces) were more familiar with this route of administration and used it more frequently. Ketamine was the most common medication used (n = 32; 57.1%). Finally, 234 (90%) respondents expressed an interest in further education on INA. Conclusion: Although a majority of French military physicians who replied to the survey were familiar with INA, few used it in practice. This route of administration seems to be a promising medication for remote and austere environments. Specific training should, therefore, be recommended to spread and standardize its use.

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November 2023 Featured Article

Pain Control and Point-of-Care Ultrasound: An Approach to Rib Fractures for the Austere Provider

Snyder R, Brillhart DB. 23(3). 70 - 73. (Journal Article)

ABSTRACT


Rib fractures are common injuries that cause significant discomfort and can lead to severe pulmonary complications. Rib injury most often results from high-velocity traumatic mechanisms, while rarely representing underlying metastatic disease or secondary injury due to pulmonary illness. Because most rib fractures are caused by obvious trauma, algorithms are focused on treatment rather than investigating the exact mechanism of rib fractures. Chest radiographs are often the initial imaging performed but have proven to be unreliable in identification of rib fracture. Computed tomography (CT) is a diagnostic option as it is more sensitive and specific than simple radiographs. However, both modalities are generally unavailable to Special Operations Forces (SOF) medical personnel working in austere locations. These medical providers could potentially diagnose and treat rib fractures in any environment using a standardized approach that includes clarity of mechanism, pain relief, and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). This case demonstrates an approach to the diagnosis and treatment of a rib fracture in a 47-year-old male who presented to a military treatment facility with unlocalized flank and back pain, but the methods employed have applicability to the austere provider working far from the resources of a medical center.


Keywords: POCUS; rib fracture; perineural block; prolotherapy; musculoskeletal ultrasound



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The Journal of Special Operations Medicine Podcast

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. THE SUMMER 23 EPISODE IS HERE!

Current Episode


The Summer 2023 episode of the JSOM podcast is our most recent recording and is now available on our website and wherever you listen to podcasts.


Our Guest Medic Editor is SO1 Brentyn Jone, a Navy SEAL/SOCM, currently, working in the Tactical Medical Training Department. He will be reviewing Prevalence of Trauma-Induced Hypocalcemia in the Prehospital Setting.


JSOM Guest Author Interview

Patrick Thompson is affiliated with the Trauma, Hemostasis & Oxygenation Research Network, Bergen, Norway. He will be reviewing Risk of Harm in Needle Decompression for Tension Pneumothorax.



CPT Josh Randles will review The Impact of Special Operations Medics and Corpsmen on Military Medical Student Training: A Qualitative Study.


Listen on our Website
Listen, Rate, and Review Our Podcast on Spotify

Please Support Our Sponsors and Media Partners

The Journal of Special Operations Medicine is proud to have the support of many great sponsors and media partners. Our sponsors are leaders in the field of military medical technology. Please help support these companies by following the links below to learn more about their missions and the products they offer. This section also features peridoic promtional information for events and conferences, including the 2023 SOMA Scientific Assembly. 

Institutional Subscribers

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.


Visit https://jsom.us/Library for a full list of institutions 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 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.


Institutions receive a print copy of our journal, digital access, or both. Digital subscribers have unlimited access to our full compendium of articles, journals, and the ATP-P. If you are a student, researcher, doctor, or other medical professionals at one of these institutions, please contact your librarian for login details. Additionally, the digital resources are typically available 2-3 weeks ahead of print publication.


If your institution is not on the list and you want more information about our institutional access, contact our subscriptions manager, Dr. Scott Graverson.

Contact Dr. Graverson

Advertise with the Journal of Special Operations Medicine

For over 20 years, the Journal of Special Operations Medicine (JSOM) has brought important, lifesaving information to the Special Operations Forces (SOF) community. And over the years, as our audience and readership has expanded into over 80 countries, physicians, military and tactical medics, and other medical professionals working in unconventional environments rely on the JSOM for breakthrough research at the intersection of operational medicine and tactical casualty care. Our peer-reviewed research and interactive clinical content make the JSOM a must-read for:


  • Physicians
  • Medics
  • Educators
  • Law Enforcement
  • The military and civilian global medical community


For these reasons, many of the world’s top medical technology companies and medical device distributors make the JSOM a cornerstone of their advertising programs. And with a strong multichannel and social media presence, the JSOM offers the most dynamic print and digital media options at cost-effective prices. For medical marketers worldwide looking to reach our niche audience, the JSOM is the gold standard. For more information, please see our attached media kit.


See Our Media Kit
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Photo of the Week

FORT DIX, NJ

Photo by Steven Roussel 

DVIDS


While treating the casualty, Cadet team members assemble the ASIP radio and prepare a nine-line MedEvac report. Teams must evaluate the casualty, treat any injuries identified during evaluation, request medical evacuation in 9-line format using a ASIP radio, prepare the casualty for evacuation, and move the casualty to an exchange point.


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Please send us your approved medical action images for future covers, our journal Photo Gallery, bi-weekly eNewsletters, and JSOM social media! All images must include captions in the emails in which they are sent. Images for print must be high resolution, at least 300 dpi. Images for the eNewsletter and social media must be at least 400px wide, 72 dpi.  


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Journal of Special Operations Medicine 

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