Patients who underwent elective total hip (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgeries in low-volume hospitals had a higher risk of venous thromboembolism and mortality following the procedure, a recent study suggests.

WASHINGTON — Currently, when troops in Afghanistan suffer a head injury and require magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), they generally must be flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. That ordeal may be keeping some servicemembers from reporting symptoms and getting the care they need, according to DoD officials who say MRIs soon will be available in theater.

WASHINGTON — Imagine that future soldiers could one day wear a nano patch as part of an advanced battlesuit that would relay their vital signals and administer medicine if they were injured in battle. Or, that remotely controlled unmanned vehicles could assist in medication delivery or evacuating casualties from the battlefield.

Washington - Military scientists want to make sure that injured troops in the battlefield receive the same standard of care as they would receive in a stateside U.S. hospital, especially when it comes to managing hemorrhage.

Washington, DC - The military services, especially the Army, are walking a tightrope on how to appropriately treat wounded warriors’ pain without feeding into the growing problem of misuse of pain relievers and other prescription drugs among troops.

Several recent events have thrown a spotlight on the dilemma.

WASHINGTON—A military research clinical trial evaluating the use of antioxidants to reduce sequela of mTBI in 80 troops after blast injury has come under fire by DoD’s Inspector General (IG).

WASHINGTON, DC—Last summer, DoD issued a policy designed to speed detection of mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) on the battlefield. Now, using new technologies to make the process as efficient as possible, the policy is being implemented in theater, according to DoD officials.

WASHINGTON, DC—At the top of the agenda for the 112th Congress’s House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC ) is stricter oversight of VA, something that the new Republican leader of the committee believes has been allowed to lapse.

Has the health of servicemembers exposed to burn pit operations in theater been compromised? It is an issue of concern as servicemembers have attributed respiratory and eye symptoms to burn pit smoke.

WASHINGTON, DC—The Air National Guard is lending its expertise when it comes to transporting severely injured servicemembers in the aeromedical evacuation system.