title: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis of Battle Injury Versus Disease, Non-Battle Injury-Two Validating Flight Surgeons' Experience.
abstract: Today, military combat medical care is the best it has ever been. Regulated U.S. Air Force aeromedical evacuation (AE) is one important reason. The Theater Validating Flight Surgeon (TVFS) validates that a patient is ready for flight. Two TVFSs' experiences, successively deployed in 2007, are the focus of this study. A unique operational worksheet used to manage the AE queue was used for approximately 5 months. A descriptive analysis of the worksheet's 1,389 patients found the majority male (94%), median age 30 years, and mostly Army enlisted soldiers (63%). U.S. civilians made up 9%. Battle Injury (55%) surpassed Disease, Non-Battle Injury (45%); most frequently seen were extremity injuries (73%) and cardiac illness (31%), respectively. Common to both Battle Injury and Disease, Nonbattle Injury were several TVFS prescriptions including no "remain overnights" (79%), head of bed elevation (78%), cabin altitude restriction (57%), no stops (44%), Critical Care Air Transport Team (27%), and supplemental oxygen (22%). This study is a first look at the TVFS experience and it offers up an initial accounting of the TVFS clinical and prescriptive practices. It is also a jumping point for future TVFS investigations using the available AE databases.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, 2510 5th Street, Building 840, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433.
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive, Occupational, and Aerospace Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905.
authors.forename: Lawrence W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Steinkraus
authors.affiliation: U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, 2510 5th Street, Building 840, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433.
authors.forename: Brittany L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Fouts
authors.affiliation: U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, 2510 5th Street, Building 840, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Serres
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017732:Air Ambulances / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010355:Patient Identification Systems / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010361:Patients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014857:Warfare; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*