http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2010-03-01-traumatic-brain-injury_N.htm
3/1/10
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON Troops caught near a roadside blast will be pulled out
of combat for 24 hours and checked for a mild traumatic brain injury,
even if they appear unhurt or say they are fine, according to a
treatment policy the Pentagon is planning to release.
"Very clearly, we're sort of taking it out of their hands," said Adm.
Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who pushed
hard for the policy change. "The sooner you're able to treat somebody
and get it right, the higher the probability you'll reduce the
long-term impacts (of brain injury). So speed is really important here."
The policy change stems from growing concerns that troops suffer mild
traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in combat or more than one and
they go undetected, Mullen told USA TODAY in an interview. "We need
to treat ... more quickly and then we need to keep track of people," he said.
The Pentagon is "likely to issue" the policy in the next several
weeks, spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
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A RAND Corp. study estimated in 2008 that 300,000 U.S. troops may
have suffered this injury, many from a blast. About 100,000 troops
have been diagnosed with mild TBI since 2003, with numbers increasing
as military medicine has become more aggressive in screening for the
hidden injury, according to Pentagon data.
The new policy is a major expansion of battlefield medicine because
it treats troops based on what happened to them, not just visible
wounds, said Air Force Col. Michael Jaffee, director of the Defense
and Veterans Brain Injury Center.
Pentagon data estimate that fewer than 2% of soldiers or Marines
would be sidelined by these policies, Jaffee said.
Research shows that 5%-to-15% of mild TBI cases lead to persistent
problems such as short-term memory, problem-solving skills and
headaches, Jaffee said.
The servicemember may not be fit for combat until he or she recovers,
Jaffee said. The majority recuperate in a few days, he said. If the
servicemember returned to combat before the brain heals, a second
concussion from another blast could cause significant damage, he said.
Under the proposed guidelines, squad and platoon leaders working with
medics or Navy corpsmen would pull from combat for at least 24 hours
any servicemember who was in a vehicle or structure damaged by a
blast, or who was standing within 55 yards of an explosion, Jaffee said.
The person would be checked for symptoms such as headaches, ears
ringing and double vision, and then tested to assess short-term
memory and concentration, with a score. If there are symptoms or a
poor test score, the servicemember would stay out of combat until he
or she improves, Jaffee said.
Soldiers heading to Afghanistan are already being trained in the new
protocol, said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff.
Chiarelli told about 600 soldiers with the 1st Brigade Combat Team,
101st Airborne Division about the new policy last December. The
brigade is going to Afghanistan.
"We're the first unit to have this training before we deploy," said
Maj. Scott Harrington, the brigade surgeon.
Chiarelli said it was important to make these changes soon. In the
past, he told USA TODAY in a recent interview, "we have not been as
fast to react as we needed to" with TBI.
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