Field Guide On Managing Pain Of Battlefield Trauma

Main Category: Pain / Anesthetics
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice;  Public Health;  Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 29 Apr 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. has released a one-of-a-kind publication intended to educate anesthesiology residents in the art and science of advanced battlefield regional anesthesia techniques and acute pain medicine. Its aim is to serve as a resource to manage the pain of combat trauma.

"The Military Advanced Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia Handbook" is the first field guide for pain management intended for use by deployed medical forces. The illustrated manual was developed as a supplement to Emergency War Surgery - Third United States Revision.

"This book project represents the culmination of hard work by a dedicated collaborative group of anesthesiologists at MARAA. It is the first source for the military that addresses pain management and demonstrates protocols and techniques that we can apply in present and future conflicts," said Col. Chester Buckenmaier, M.D., chief of the Army Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management Initiative and MARAA founding member.

Until now, detailed instruction, photos and illustrations on how to provide advanced regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine services on the modern battlefield were unavailable. The book, formatted for easy reference, provides a quick review of the anatomy and technique of each nerve block. The manual also features chapters on peripheral nerve block equipment, acute pain nursing in the field, acupuncture and evacuation medicine.

"Pain management is getting recognition that it hasn't received in the past. One accomplishment of MARAA and the pain initiative is raising awareness of pain management in the military. As a result of that awareness, and the significant achievement done on the battlefield, pain management is now a priority in the military," Buckenmaier said.

MARAA was formed as a tri-service platform to develop consensus recommendations from the Air Force, Army and Navy anesthesia services. The group studies new technology and recommends improvements in medical practice to promote regional anesthesia and analgesia in the care of military beneficiaries.

Through the organization, anesthesia providers have greatly improved the management of pain for combat wounded through the application of modern pain treatment medications and technologies, including advanced regional anesthesia. The organization serves as an advisory board, leading the knowledge transfer to individual service anesthesia consultants and the military's surgeons general. The group has been instrumental in promoting the benefits of pain management across the continuum.

The Borden Institute, an agency of the U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School, released the handbook. The manual is printed on waterproof paper and includes a multimedia DVD. Military medical personnel may obtain a copy of the book through the Borden Institute at http://www.bordeninstitute.army.mil/index.html. An electronic version of the book is available for free download at http://www.arapmi.org. The general public may order the book online from the Government Printing Office at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) is a private, not-for-profit organization established in 1983 and authorized by Congress to support medical research and education at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and throughout the broader military medical community.

The Military Advanced Regional Anesthesia & Analgesia (MARAA) is a tri-service collaborative group of anesthesiologists that work to develop consensus recommendations from the Air Force, Army, and Navy anesthesia services for improvements in medical practice and technology that will promote regional anesthesia and analgesia in the care of military beneficiaries. The organization serves as an advisory board to the individual service anesthesia consultants to the surgeons general.

The Army Regional Anesthesia & Pain Management Initiative (ARAPMI) is a collaborative research partnership between Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington D.C. and the Conemaugh Health System, Johnstown, PA. ARAPMI seeks to improve the management of pain in military and civilian medicine. ARAPMI serves as a model of integrated acute and chronic pain management. Emphasis is on preparedness of civilian and military medicine for austere medical environments during national disasters or acts of terrorism. Through clinical and research efforts, it has become a model for effective integration of acute and chronic pain management.

Source:
Douglas Schauss
Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine

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