NAVY MEDICINE January-February 1992 Surgeon General of the Navy Chief, BUMED NAVY MEDICINE VADM Donald F. Hagen, MC, USN Vol. 83, No. 1 January-February 1992 Deputy Surgeon General Deputy Chief, BUMED Chief, Medical Corps RADM Robert W. Higgins, MC, USN From the Surgeon General 1 Emphasis: Health Promotion Edftor Department Rounds Jan Kenneth Herman 2 Corpsman Climbs 300 Feet in Daring Rescue B. Doughty Aalletant Edftor 5 NAMI Saves Bends Victim Virginia M. Novinski C. Lee EdltoMI Alslslant Features Nancy R. Keesee 6 What's a NAMRID? CDR R.L. Buck, MC, USN LCDR J. T Need, MSC, USN 10 NEPMU-7 Supports Operation Provide Comfort LCDR T. W. Sharp, MC, USNR NAVY MEDICINE, Vol. 83, No. 1, (ISSN 0895-8211 USPS 311-G70) Ia pubtillled bimonthly by the De..-nt of the 14 Pacific Duty on the Troopship MS Sommelsdijk Navy, Bu-u of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED 09H~ W.alllnglon, DC 20372-5120. Sacond-claaa poetage paid at CAPT P.M. Ellwood, MC, USNR (Ret.) W.alllnglon. DC. and addltion.l maiHng otlcee. Edited hy D. L Mawdsley, M. n. POSTMASTER: Sand --.changee to fWvy Uedlclne caN of Naval Publlcaliona and ForTq c.r-, ATTN: Coda 301, 5801 Tabor Avenue. Philadelphia. PA 19120. 18 Chronology- WWII: Navy Medicine January-February I 942 POLICY: Navy Uediclne Ia the olllcial publlcallon of the J. Mitchum Navy Medical Depaltmanllt Ia 1..-cled for Madlcal Depart­ ment paraonnel and con1alna profeaalonalinfonnallon rela· live 10 medicine. danllatry, and the atllad haal1h acienca Professional Opinions expraaed are thole of the aulllcn and do not 23 Pyridostigmine Prophylaxis During Warm Water .-ar~~y r~ the official poa111on of the Dapamlent of the Navy, the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, or any Diving Operations other govwn-1 depament or agency. Trade na-are CAPT J. W. Thorp, MC, USN ueed for identification only and do not r.-.nt an enc1o..... LT D.M. Stevens, MC, USN rnent by the Department of the Navy or the au-u of Medi­ Cine and Surgery. Although Navy Uedlelne rnay cite or CAPT A.J. Dutka, MC, USN extract from directives. authority for action ahould be TJ. Doubt, Ph.D. obllllned from the cited reference. CAPT E.D. Thalmann, MC, USN OISTRIBUnON: Navy Uedleine iadlatrlbuted to active duty Medical Oepartnent personnel via the Standard Navy Dillri­ bullon Uat n.. following dlatribullon ia authorized: one copy To the Editor for each Medical, Dental. Medical Service. and Nurse Corpa 27 Letters from CAPT M.L. Dembert, MC ... LT S.M. Weibert, NC oilier. one copy for each 10 enlilled MediCal ~nt ll*ftbera. ~-10 in~ae or dacr-the number of aHollad copiel should be forwarded to NavyUedicineviathe Notes and Announcements lOcal command. NAVY MEDICINE Ia published from appropriated lunda by 22 Naval Medical Research and Development Command Highlights authority of the au-u of Medicine and Surgery In accord­ 28 In Memoriam: CAPT H.M. Braswell, Jr., MC, USN (Ret.) ... ._ with Navy Publicationa and Printing Aegulallonl P-35. RADM C.B. Galloway, MC, USN (Ret.) The Sec~ of the Navy hu ~ined thai thia publiCa· lion Ia .._..,In the trenaectlon of bualneu required by law of 1he Depatlment of the Navy. Fundi for printing this A Look Back publleallon have baWl approved by the Navy Publlcatlona and Prinl ng Policy Cornmlllee. Artlc..._ lalters. and addr­ 29 Navy Medicine ca. 1919 changee may be forwarded to the Editor, Navy Medicine, Department of the Navy, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED 09H). Washington, DC 20372-5120. Telephone (Area Coda 202) 153-1237, 153-1297; Autovon 294-1237, 294·1297. Contribullonl from the field are welcome and will COVER: A diver descends into the "wet pot" at the Naval Medical be publlthed .. apace permits, IUbject to editing and poui· Research Institute in Bethesda, MD, as scientists investigate the effects ble abridgiiWil For aala by the Superintendent of Documenta, U.S. of warm water diving. What they learned directly influenced diving ao-nn-t Printing Office. Washington, DC 20402. operations during the Gulf War. Story on page 23. Photo courtesy Naval Medical Research Institute. NAVMED P-50111 From the Surgeon General Emphasis: Health Promotion ast year a major focus for the Navy and the nation manding officers, and officers in charge with appointing a was on health promotion and healthy lifestyles. health promotion program officer to coordinate and pro­ L What we eat, whether or not we smoke or use vide an integrated health promotion program designed to tobacco products, how much we drink, and what we do for reduce morbidity, decrease disability, and decrease mor­ recreation- activities that have always been individual tality due to specific disease or injury risks in defined choices- are rapidly taking on more far-reaching implica­ populations. tions. It is becoming increasingly apparent that our deci­ Seven areas especially targeted for attention are: physi­ sions in these areas affect our health and quality of life, cal fitness and sports, tobacco use prevention and cessa­ and, as a result, also impact on the nation's health care tion, substance abuse prevention, back injury prevention, crisis. More and more organizations, we among them, are stress management, hypertension, and nutrition. looking toward health promotion and preventive medicine With many mandated programs and limited resources, as one way to help curb escalating costs and demands on an commands need to know which areas to emphasize if they already overburdened system. are going to maximize their health promotion efforts. We The military has an advantage over our civilian counter­ have been actively working to help each command deter­ parts, since our beneficiary population is mostly healthy. mine its specific health promotion needs and will continue We must press this advantage and keep them that way. At to do so. By giving health promotion programs the atten­ the beginning of this year I signed out BUM ED Instruction tion and support they deserve, we can fulfill our role as 6110.13 establishing our Health Promotion Program. The subject matter expert, guiding light, and role model as we instruction presents the goal of health promotion as pre­ facilitate health promotion programs within line com­ venting avoidable illness and injury and its task as reducing mands. the impact of disease and injury on the population by Navy leadership is committed to continually improving eliminating individuals' exposure to the risk factors for the quality of life for its members and their families. Health illness. plays a vital part in a person's quality of life, and Navy Our new instruction formalizes and requires what most medicine must take an aggressive and active role in pro­ of our facilities are already doing: providing beneficiaries moting health. with the information and resources they need to maintain a CHARLIE GOLF ONE. healthy lifestyle. This instruction tasks commanders, com- VADM Donald F. Hagen, MC January-February 1992 Department Rounds Corpsman Climbs 300 Feet 1n• Daring Rescue HMCS L" and the radio tower she icture the Super Dome, or any aecended. pro football field: IO? ya~ds P long- 300 feet. Now, 1magme this distance straight up in the air. That is how far the independent duty corpsman of U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka, Japan, had to climb to 2 NAVY MEDICINE other bruises and abrasions. HMCS Esther Lee was on duty at the one-person Totsuka Naval Branch Medical Clinic when the phone call came in: "Doc, we need you . .. Some­ body is hurt and trapped on the tower," said an excited voice. Lee grabbed the rescue bag and headed to the mammoth tower. "You just men­ tally start a checklist of things you need to know," said Lee. "Was he (the victim] knocked unconscious? Is he unconscious now? Is there active bleeding? Generally, is he 'safe?"' When Lee got to the tower she used binoculars to see the patient, but was unable to make a good assessment from the ground. "That's when I made the decision to climb the tower." Was she afraid of heights? "That's the first question (the command mas­ ter chief] asked me. I didn't know, but that wasn't a consideration," she said. "Don't misunderstand, I did not want to climb the tower. But I was not com­ fortable staying on the ground, not knowing what kind of shape he was in." Lee was fitted with a climbing belt and briefed on climbing the tower. At all times, safety was stressed . Indeed, because of the patient's harness and his coworkers' me thodica ll y care ful provide medical assessment and as­ Radio Transmitting Facility, Totsuka, procedures, further injury was pre­ sistance to a member of the Air Force's Japan, on 22 Oct 1991 , when the tacti­ vented. 1849th Electrical Installation Squad­ cal crane rigging used for lowering sec­ After the brief, she began her ascent. ron. tions of the tower collapsed. The "I never looked up. Looking down was SGT Tracy D. Brown, leading his broken section smashed into Brown, not a problem, but I never looked up highly specialized team, was disman­ fracturing his shoulder, breaking one because I didn't want to see how much tling a microwave tower at the Naval of his ribs, and inflicting numerous farther I had to go ," said Lee. She will January-February 1992 3 never forget the feel of the wind and position. Lee immobilized him, strap­ think, 'I hope I never have to use this. I the view, looking down on to-story ping him in securely, and put a cervical hope I never have to be in this kind of buildings. "You can see a long way collar on him.