Search

Introduction: A systematic radiological examination is needed for military airborne troops in order to detect subclinical medical contraindications for airborne training. Many potential recruits are excluded because of scoliosis, kyphosis, or spondylolisthesis. This study aimed to determine whether complementary radiological assessment excludes too many recruits and whether medical standards might be lowered without increasing medical risk to appointees., Methods: This retrospective, epidemiological, cross-sectional single-center study spanned 5 years at the French paratroopers' initial training center. We analyzed all medical files and full-spine X-ray results of all enlisted troops during this period. Secondary evaluation by an orthopedic surgeon enabled 23 enlisted personnel, deemed medically unacceptable because of X-ray findings, to be given waivers for airborne training. A follow-up review of their 23 files was conducted to determine whether static-line parachute jumps were hazardous to those who were initially declared medically unacceptable., Results: Of the 3,993 full-spine X-rays, 67.5% (2,695) were described as having normal alignment and structure; 21.8% (871) had lateral spinal deviation; and 10.7% (427) had scoliosis. Sixty-six recruits (1.6%) were deemed unfit because of findings that did not meet the standard on the fullspine X-ray: 53 enlisted personnel had scoliosis greater than 15°, and 13 had spondylolisthesis (grade II or III). Of the 23 patients granted waivers, 82.3% with scoliosis (14) and all patients with kyphosis had not declared any back pain after 5 years., Conclusion: The findings, supported by a literature review of foreign military data, suggest that spondylolisthesis above grade I and low back pain are more significant than scoliosis and kyphosis for establishing airborne standards., Competing Interests: The authors have nothing to disclose., (2024.)

Background: In October 2021, French acute care societies jointly published cognitive aids to standardise practices and limit cognitive biases to ensure greater safety in management of severe trauma patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of a checklist on emergency physicians' adherence to the recommendations., Methods: This prospective before-and-after study study took place in a French mobile emergency and resuscitation service. All adults trauma patients referred to hospital were included. A checklist on trauma management inspired by the MARCHE acronym was produced. During phase I, the checklist was performed within 24 h after the end of the intervention. During phase II, the checklist was performed during the patient's transport to hospital, thus allowing potentially omitted procedures to be performed initially. The use of the checklist was systematically evaluated using an anonymous questionnaire among doctors and nurses. In phase II, doctors and nurses who did not perform checklist were systematically asked to answer a specific online questionnaire. The primary outcome was the overall omission rate of checklist items during each phase of the study., Results: One hundred and sixteen patients were included, 53 in phase I and 63 in phase II. Eleven patients did not have a checklist in phase II. The overall omission rate of checklist items was significantly lower with checklist (17%) than without (25%) (p = 0.02). This trend increased in proportion to severity with an omission rate of 30% without checklist versus 15% with checklist (p = 0.03) for patients with an ISS ≥ 25. A majority of doctors and nurses who used the checklist considered that it should be made compulsory (82% and 67% respectively). Paradoxically, only 55% of doctors who did not perform the checklist thought it was useful, while the omission rate was significantly higher (17% with checklist compared with 59% without checklist, p < 0.01)., Conclusion: This work shows a significant reduction in the number of omissions on the actions carried out during the management of a trauma patient in prehospital settings, allowing better adherence to the recommendations. Its benefit is increased in severely traumatised patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: In current French military operations, it is not uncommon for military nurses (MNs) alone to be required to support soldiers in isolated areas. At a time when advanced practice nurses in the civilian sector develop extended skills, we asked MNs about their willingness to be trained in pointof- care ultrasound (POCUS)., Methods: We conducted a webbased survey from 1 November 2018 to 1 December 2018, including all MNs deployed in Operation Barkhane. The questionnaire, sent by e-mail, aimed to describe the willingness of MNs to be trained in POCUS. Their opinion on the usefulness of this training, the situations, and ultrasound (US) targets that seemed most useful to them were also studied., Results: Thirty of 34 questionnaires were completed. On average, MNs had 7.4 years of practice and had been deployed three times for military operations. Five MNs reported having had informal training in clinical US by the military physicians (MPs) they work with and had performed POCUS in real-life situations; 24 (96%) of the untrained MNs wanted to be trained. Twenty- nine (96%) of the MNs felt that there was added value in knowing how to perform POCUS, especially in operations and in isolated posts without an MP. Focused assessment with sonography for trauma and pleural and renal US were the targets considered most useful to them, in that order., Conclusion: MNs are interested in learning POCUS and say it would be beneficial for the patient. Available scientific data tend to validate their ability after a brief training course to perform reliable, targeted US examinations in the field., (2022.)