Research papers

During surgery at Johns Hopkins, a 30-inch by 18-inch surgical towel bearing the legend “Medical Department U.S. Army” was discovered in his abdomen and removed.  The civil suit that ensued alleged that the towel was left in his abdomen as a result of negligence during his surgery ... the court  held that as a matter of law,  the United States government could not be held liable. 

 Sudden unexpected death is always tragic, but especially so when it  occurs in soldiers. Death in combat is devastating, but it is an  inherent risk of an occupation that calls for individuals to put their  life at risk for others. Sudden cardiac death during basic military  training should raise concern because it implies failures at many  levels.

Sudden death among military recruits is a rare but devastating  occurrence. Because extensive medical data are available on this  cross-sectional and diverse population, identification of the underlying causes of sudden death may promote health care policy to reduce the incidence of sudden death.        

 This study sought to examine the incidence of sudden death in a large, multi-ethnic cohort of young women. Approximately 852,300 women entered  basic military training from 1977 to 2001. During this period, there were 15 sudden deaths in female recruits ...

 We reviewed the clinical and autopsy records of the 19 sudden cardiac deaths that occurred among the 1 606 167 US Air Force healthy, medically screened recruits (90% male; 17 to 28 years old) during a 42-day basic training period between 1965 and 1985. 

 Efforts to understand and prevent the rare, but tragic, occurrence of death among healthy, young military recruits trying to serve their country depend upon medical surveillance data and accurate determination of mortality rates by specific cause.

 Exertional sickling from sickle cell trait (SCT) can pose a grave risk  for some military recruits ... we report the cases of two U.S. Army recruits who collapsed and soon died from metabolic complications of exertional sickling as they struggled to finish in time the 2-mile run of the Army Physical Fitness Test...

 Studies have suggested that sickle cell trait elevates the risks of  exertional rhabdomyolysis and death. We conducted a study of sickle cell trait in relation to these outcomes, controlling for known risk factors.

 Sickle cell trait has long been considered a benign condition but  continues to be the leading cause of death in young African Americans in military basic training and civilian organized sports.  

 This study examined injury rates and risk factors for discharge in a cohort of 756 men and 474 women in U.S. Army basic combat training (BCT) at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

 Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) are common in military trainees and present a considerable threat to occupational fitness, deployability, and overall military readiness. Despite the negative effects of MSKIs on military readiness, comprehensive evaluations of the key known and possible risk factors for MSKIs are lacking.  

 Efforts to understand and prevent the rare, but tragic, occurrence of death among healthy, young military recruits trying to serve their country depend upon medical surveillance data and accurate determination of mortality rates by specific cause.