title: Effects of Cardiac Surgery on Duty Status in the Active Duty Military Population.
abstract: No modern studies have addressed the impact of cardiac surgery on military duty status, which is associated with constraints not applicable to the general population. A review of all active duty patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), mitral valve repair (MVrep), bioprosthetic valve replacement (BIOVALVE), mechanical valve replacement (MECHVALVE), and septal defect closure (ASD/VSD) at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2011 was used to determine final duty status: Return to Full Duty (RTFD), Medical Board Separation or Planned Retirement/Separation. Complete data on final disposition was available for 99% (75/76) of patients. There were 9 Planned Retirement/Separation patients. There was a 100% rate of RTFD for all MVrep, BIOVALVE, and ASD/VSD patients. Patients undergoing CABG had an 83% (20/23) rate of RTFD. MECHVALVE patients had RTFD in only 23% (5/21) of cases. Patients undergoing MECHVALVE are unlikely to be suitable for continued service after surgery, but most if not all military patients undergoing MVrep, ASD/VSD, or BIOVALVE and the vast majority of CABG patients can expect to return to unrestricted active duty after surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, 620 John Paul Jones Circle, Portsmouth, VA 23708.
authors.forename: Jada M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Leahy
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, 620 John Paul Jones Circle, Portsmouth, VA 23708.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hoagland
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, 620 John Paul Jones Circle, Portsmouth, VA 23708.
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Strange
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, 620 John Paul Jones Circle, Portsmouth, VA 23708.
authors.forename: Jared L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Antevil
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062707:Return to Work / Q000639:trends*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology