Bmj Military Health最新文献

{"title":"Accuracy of heart rate measured by military-grade wearable ECG monitor compared with reference and commercial monitors.","authors":"Bryndan Lindsey, C Hanley, L Reider, S Snyder, Y Zhou, E Bell, J Shim, J-O Hahn, M Vignos, E Bar-Kochba","doi":"10.1136/military-2023-002541","DOIUrl":"10.1136/military-2023-002541","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Physiological monitoring of soldiers can indicate combat readiness and performance. Despite demonstrated use of wearable devices for HR monitoring, commercial options lack desired military features. A newly developed OMNI monitor includes desired features such as long-range secure data transmission. This study investigated the accuracy of the OMNI to measure HR via accuracy of R-R interval duration relative to research-grade ECG and commercial products.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>54 healthy individuals (male/female=37/17, age=22.2±3.6 years, height=173.0±9.1 cm, weight=70.1±11.2 kg) completed a submaximal exercise test while wearing a reference ECG (Biopac) and a randomly assigned chest-based monitor (OMNI, Polar H10, Equivital EQ-02, Zephyr Bioharness 3). All participants also wore two wrist-based photoplethysmography (PPG) devices, Garmin fēnix 6 and Empatica E4. Bland-Altman analyses of agreement, concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and root-mean-squared error (RMSE) were used to determine accuracy of the OMNI and commercial devices relative to Biopac. Additionally, a linear mixed-effects model evaluated the effects of device and exercise intensity on agreement.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Chest-based devices showed superior agreement with Biopac for measuring R-R interval compared with wrist-based ones in terms of mean bias, CCC and RMSE, with OMNI demonstrating the best scores on all metrics. Linear mixed-effects model showed no significant main or interaction effects for the chest-based devices. However, significant effects were found for Garmin and Empatica devices (p<0.001) as well as the interaction effects between both Garmin and Empatica and exercise intensity (p<0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Chest-based ECG devices are preferred to wrist-based PPG devices due to superior HR accuracy over a range of exercise intensities, with the OMNI device demonstrating equal, if not superior, performance to other commercial ECG monitors. Additionally, wrist-based PPG devices are significantly affected by exercise intensity as they underestimate HR at low intensities and overestimate HR at high intensities.</p>","PeriodicalId":48485,"journal":{"name":"Bmj Military Health","volume":" ","pages":"144-149"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138488792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Military standard operating procedures translated into civilian best practice: delivery of cold water immersion to treat exertional heat stroke at Brighton marathon 2023.","authors":"Todd Leckie, M J Stacey, D Woods, R Greenhalgh, R Galloway, C Kipps, R Hemingway","doi":"10.1136/military-2023-002460","DOIUrl":"10.1136/military-2023-002460","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48485,"journal":{"name":"Bmj Military Health","volume":" ","pages":"182-183"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41216470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of physical health comorbidities and long-term functional outcomes among community-reintegrated veterans following lower limb amputation in Sri Lanka.","authors":"Ashan Wijekoon, D Gamage Dona, S Jayawardana","doi":"10.1136/military-2023-002578","DOIUrl":"10.1136/military-2023-002578","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Lower limb amputation (LLA) poses significant health challenges, including physical health comorbidities (PHCs) and functional limitations. Military veterans, who typically undergo traumatic LLA at a young age, endure these challenges for an extended period. Understanding the extent of these challenges is vital to designing tailored and feasible postamputation care for them. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of PHCs and long-term functional outcomes among community-reintegrated veterans following LLA in Sri Lanka.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in five districts in Sri Lanka. Prevalence of PHCs and functional outcomes were compared between community-reintegrated veterans with war-related traumatic LLA and a matched able-bodied cohort. Data on PHCs were collected from participants' medical records and through a self-administered questionnaire. Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) and 2 min walk test (2MWT) were used to compare functional outcomes between the groups. Veterans' functional level was identified using the K-level classification.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Veterans were active prosthetic users who had undergone LLA >10 years ago. Sixty-six (77.6%) veterans reported experiencing phantom limb pain. A significantly higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus (34.2%), hypertension (22.4%), knee osteoarthritis (18.8%), knee pain (20%) and back pain (69.4%) was observed among veterans compared with the able-bodied group (p<0.05). Veterans demonstrated significantly lower levels of functional mobility (2MWT: mean (SD): 113.6 (14.8); increased risk of falling (TUG): mean (SD): 10.6 (1.8)) compared with able-bodied individuals (150.8 (11.9) and 7.2 (0.9), respectively, p<0.001). The majority of the veterans belonged to the K3 functional level (71.8%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The higher prevalence of PHCs and impaired functional outcomes underscores the multifaceted health challenges faced by veterans with LLA living in low-resource community settings with limited access to rehabilitation. These findings provide insights into the unique rehabilitation needs of individuals with similar backgrounds, informing the design and implementation of tailored rehabilitation interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":48485,"journal":{"name":"Bmj Military Health","volume":" ","pages":"120-125"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12015008/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138292105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Medical operations in the 21st century: application of TAK among wartime medical assets.","authors":"Adam Brust, J H Cole, J Forte, L Mansfield, S Hughey, J Riesberg, A Lin","doi":"10.1136/military-2023-002400","DOIUrl":"10.1136/military-2023-002400","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Advances in technology have improved the ability for real-time communication and enhanced awareness of medically related information on the battlefield. A government off-the-shelf platform, Team Awareness Kit (TAK), may enhance the ability for battlefield healthcare delivery, evacuation, telecommunication, and medical command and control. Integration of TAK into existing medical infrastructure provides a global view of resources, patient movement and direct communication, significantly reducing the 'fog of war' as it relates to battlefield injury and evacuation. Rapid integration and adoption are technically feasible with minimal resource investment. This technology can be rapidly scaled for the increasingly interconnected world of healthcare delivery.</p>","PeriodicalId":48485,"journal":{"name":"Bmj Military Health","volume":" ","pages":"97-100"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9746776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Community-based physical activity promotion confers broad-spectrum benefits for military veterans with chronic and complex conditions: evidence from 4 years of rehabilitation consultant referrals.","authors":"Kelly Clanchy, J Hill, M Fenning, S Tweedy","doi":"10.1136/military-2023-002375","DOIUrl":"10.1136/military-2023-002375","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Veterans experience a high incidence of chronic and complex health conditions requiring a holistic approach to health and well-being. The Adapted Physical Activity Program (APAP) is a theory-based programme developed to support the physical activity (PA) participation of community-dwelling people with disabilities. Although available to all people with disabilities, of the 214 clients referred between 2015 and 2019, two hundred and three were veterans. This study aimed to understand this unexpected predominance by describing the characteristics of the veterans referred to APAP, including client goals, as well as describing the characteristics of the rehabilitation consultants who made the referrals.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Descriptive statistics were used to describe specific characteristics of the veterans and the rehabilitation consultants. Content analysis was used to analyse client goals.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Client data highlighted the complexity of this clinical population. All clients had been diagnosed with more than one health condition, with most experiencing both a physical injury and a mental health diagnosis. Content analysis revealed six overarching client goals, including supporting sustainable PA participation, mental health and well-being, participation in meaningful activities, community and social engagement, management of condition and physical health and fitness. Data from the referring organisations showed that each organisation had multiple health professionals that made repeated referrals to APAP. The most common health profession to make a referral to APAP was occupational therapy.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Veterans have a high incidence of chronic and complex health conditions including physical injury and mental illness. Programmes and services that look beyond addressing the diagnosis and treatment of specific conditions to supporting the overall health and well-being of the individual are required. Person-centred, community-based PA programmes such as APAP might offer this solution. Further research is required to assess the efficacy of such programmes with this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":48485,"journal":{"name":"Bmj Military Health","volume":" ","pages":"105-109"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9763377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanical assessment of proprietary and improvised pelvic binders for use in the prehospital environment.","authors":"Thomas John Howe, H Claireaux, H Fox, G Morgan, L McMenemy, S D Masouros, A Ramasamy","doi":"10.1136/military-2023-002398","DOIUrl":"10.1136/military-2023-002398","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Pelvic fractures often result from high-energy trauma and are associated with a 10% mortality rate and significant morbidity. Pelvic binders are applied in suspected pelvic injury to stabilise fractured bone, decrease bleeding and potentiate tamponade. A binder must hold the pelvis with sufficient force for this effect to be achieved. This study aims to quantify the ability of proprietary and improvised pelvic binders to hold a target tensile force over time.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The ability of three proprietary and three improvised binders to hold a binding force for 2 hours was tested. A uniaxial materials testing machine was used to tension each binder to 150 N and then hold the displacement for 2 hours; the drop in tension over time was recorded for each binder. The ability to hold tension above 130 N after 2 hours was set as the metric of binder performance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The median tension at 2 hours was above 130 N for the SAM Pelvic Sling II and T-POD Pelvic Stabilisation Device and was below 130 N for the Prometheus Pelvic Splint, field-expedient pelvic splint (FES) and the Personal Clothing System-Multi-Terrain Pattern Combat Trousers binders. The tension in the improvised FES after 2 hours was approximately at the target 130 N; however, in 40% of the tests, it held above 130 N.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Binders varied in their ability to maintain sufficient tension to treat a pelvic fracture over the 2-hour testing period. The FES performed well under our testing regime; with relatively low cost and weight, it represents a good alternative to proprietary binders for the austere environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":48485,"journal":{"name":"Bmj Military Health","volume":" ","pages":"116-119"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12015040/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9993929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Are military fitness tests safe for members with a total hip arthroplasty?","authors":"Max Talbot, L Pullman, M Sokolov, T Reilly, R Russell, C-A Dion, D Théoret, G Slobogean","doi":"10.1136/military-2023-002461","DOIUrl":"10.1136/military-2023-002461","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members must complete an annual fitness evaluation. Members with a total hip arthroplasty (THA) may be at risk of injury during these strenuous tests. To inform CAF policy, we sought expert consensus on the safety of fitness testing for members with a THA.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a three-round Delphi study with a panel of hip arthroplasty experts to determine the safety of CAF operational fitness evaluations for members with a THA. The experts evaluated videos of the 10 individual tasks included in the evaluations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All individual tasks were judged to be safe by consensus. One task, which involves digging with a shovel, was considered safe provided that participants avoid deep hip flexion. The nine other tasks were judged to be safe without modifications or interventions. The experts also supported a policy recommendation that would allow members to perform military fitness evaluations if they (1) have a primary THA, (2) had no episodes of instability, (3) are at least 12 months postoperatively and (4) have been cleared by an orthopaedic surgeon and a physiatrist/physiotherapist.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A panel of arthroplasty experts concluded, based on video analysis, that CAF fitness evaluations are generally safe for members with a THA.</p>","PeriodicalId":48485,"journal":{"name":"Bmj Military Health","volume":" ","pages":"140-143"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12171500/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138832385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of medial tibial stress syndrome in the British Armed Forces: a population-based study.","authors":"Emma Farquharson, A J Roberts, A I Warland, N Parnis, N E O'Connell","doi":"10.1136/military-2024-002788","DOIUrl":"10.1136/military-2024-002788","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) is common in the Armed Forces due to the physical demands placed on service personnel (SP). There are no large studies reporting the extent to which MTSS affects the Armed Forces. A retrospective cross-sectional study design was used to report the annual prevalence of MTSS in the British Armed Forces and in training units and healthcare utilisation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Secondary data were sourced from the electronic medical records for all SP with MTSS (20 257) between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2018. Prevalence was calculated annually across the Armed Forces and in recruits. Healthcare utilisation (number of contacts and days under the care of a healthcare professional) was reported according to characteristics of SP (sex, age, ethnicity, service branch, body composition measurement and medical discharge).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Over 9 years, 20 257 SP were seen for MTSS. Prevalence of MTSS decreased across the Armed Forces, from 2.19% (95% CI 2.12 to 2.26) in 2013 to 1.61% (95% CI 1.55 to 1.68) in 2018. The prevalence of MTSS was 2.7 times higher in recruits, affecting 4.34% (95% CI 4.00 to 4.69) in 2018. In 2018, the prevalence in female recruits was over four times higher (7.03%, 95% CI 5.74 to 8.32) than trained female SP (1.60%, 95% CI 1.39 to 1.81) and higher than male recruits (4%, 95% CI 3.65 to 4.35). Comparing service branches, royal marines had the least healthcare input (median contacts (IQR): 3 (1-7.5)) over the least number of days (median days (IQR): 17 (0-154)), with the royal air force receiving the most (median contacts (IQR): 5 (2-13)) over the greatest number of days (median days (IQR): 76 (4-349)).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The prevalence of MTSS has reduced; however, it remains high in subsections of the Armed Forces, particularly in female recruits. There is a large variation in the amount and duration of healthcare input SP received for MTSS.</p>","PeriodicalId":48485,"journal":{"name":"Bmj Military Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142693675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Traumatic injuries and outcomes during the Libyan Civil War: a systematic review.","authors":"Mansour Abdulshafea, V Di Pietro, D Naumann, Z Ahmed","doi":"10.1136/military-2024-002943","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/military-2024-002943","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The Libyan Civil War (LCW) is an ongoing internal armed conflict that started as a peaceful protest in February 2011, resulting in a power vacuum after the regime collapsed and an uncontrolled spread of arms, which caused a significant increase in violence and trauma. Our review aims to investigate the war-related epidemiology and mortality in patients who have been injured during this conflict.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic review was undertaken according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies published between February 2011 and May 2024. Studies were included if they involved patients with trauma during the LCW and outcomes of interest were type and anatomical distribution of injuries and mortality. Certainty of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirteen studies met the eligibility criteria, with a total sample size of 4665 patients. There were seven studies (n=4378 patients) that reported mortality rate, with 438 (10%) who died. 13 out of the 14 studies documented the mechanism of injury of their participants with a total number of 4543 injuries, most commonly from firearm-related trauma (60.3%). 12 studies recorded the anatomical distribution of their sample of 4123 anatomical sites, with extremities being the most affected part, accounting for 54.5% of injuries.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The LCW has caused a high burden of morbidity and mortality among the Libyan population. This review provides an insight into the adverse health consequences of this active war and highlights the difficulties in collecting reliable information on the wounded during conflicts.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42024527289.</p>","PeriodicalId":48485,"journal":{"name":"Bmj Military Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143558456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Body mass index and physical training-related injuries in military personnel: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis.","authors":"Weijuan Lan, J Shu, Y Liu, C Xie, J Sun, L Yuan","doi":"10.1136/military-2024-002779","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/military-2024-002779","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Discrepancies exist in findings on how varying body mass index (BMI) levels impact physical training-related injuries across different studies. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the relationship between BMI and physical training-related injuries both qualitatively and quantitatively.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive search of the MEDLINE, Cochrane and EMBASE databases was performed. The study selection followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using weighted data and a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses were based on gender and military service branches. Heterogeneity among the studies was assessed through the I² statistic, indicating the proportion of total variation in effect size estimates. Funnel plots and Egger's test were employed to assess publication bias.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>33 studies were included in the analysis, with abnormal BMI (underweight, overweight and obesity) identified as a clear risk factor for training-related injuries (overall RR=1.21, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.27; male RR=1.16, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.23; female RR=1.05, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.09). No significant heterogeneity was observed among navy, army and air force personnel (p=0.58), although abnormal BMI remained a notable risk factor in both the army and air force. Meta-regression analysis indicated that the lowest injury risk occurred at a BMI of 23 kg/m². Obese individuals under the age of 27 and underweight individuals over the age of 27 were at high risk. Additionally, the highest injury risk was observed during the first 5 months of military training, with a gradual decline in subsequent months, stabilising by the 12th month.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Findings suggest that abnormal BMI increases the risk of training injuries among military personnel and that this risk varies with age and the duration of training. Emphasis should be placed on risk prevention in the early stages of military training and on enhanced protection for high-risk populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":48485,"journal":{"name":"Bmj Military Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143558455","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}