Lee Savoia-McHugh | United States Navy (original) (raw)
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Papers by Lee Savoia-McHugh
Military Medicine, Jun 27, 2021
Military members are required to perform in austere environments in which standard medical care r... more Military members are required to perform in austere environments in which standard medical care routinely provided in the civilian setting is not available. Medical problems requiring hospital-based treatment which is not available in the field, shipboard, or deployed setting can be a cause for military members to be permanently discharged from active duty for medical reasons. We present a case of chronic low back pain treated with epidural steroid injections not routinely available aboard ship. The member was found unfit for shipboard duties, potentially ending her career in the military. The patient's low back pain resolved with Strain Counterstrain (SCS) techniques. Additionally, SCS treatments also resolved undisclosed chronic pelvic pain, leading to improved overall quality of life. Strain Counterstrain is a noninterventional treatment which does not require special equipment, is available in austere environments and aboard ship, and allowed the member to remain on active duty. Strain Counterstrain is a manual muscle-retraining procedure easily learned, which can be performed in the field, on ship, in the deployed setting, in primary care, as well as in specialty pain medicine clinics.
PubMed, Sep 1, 2001
Background: Cycloplegic examination is required for applicants who desire entry into Naval Aviati... more Background: Cycloplegic examination is required for applicants who desire entry into Naval Aviation training. Before this study, all cycloplegic examinations performed at any site were repeated at the Naval Operational Medicine Institute (NOMI), Pensacola, FL, on all student naval aviator (SNA) candidates to assess for latent hyperopia which exceeded established limits for entry into training. Hypothesis: Repeat cycloplegic examination does not vary sufficiently to change student status regarding physical qualification for training. Methods: Data analysis of cycloplegic examinations repeated at the NOMI, for which the first and second examination were recorded in the Aviation Medical Data Retrieval System (AMDRS), over 10 yr. Results: There were 3919 SNA applicants who had cycloplegic examinations repeated at NOMI. Of them, 3903 (99.59%) were within standards on the repeat examination. There were 16 candidates who were sent to NOMI with a previously disqualifying cycloplegic examination. On second cycloplegic examination, 15 were within standards for SNA. Only 15 of the SNAs with a first cycloplegic examination within standards were outside SNA standards on repeat examination. Of these 15, 12 were also outside SNA standards in distant visual acuity and/or in manifest refraction. The remaining 3 were found to have excessive myopia, not latent hyperopia, on the second cycloplegic examination. The standard deviation between the first and the second cycloplegic examination was computed to be less than 0.50 diopters in any meridian. Conclusion: The cycloplegic examination of SNA candidates need only be repeated if the first cycloplegic examination is outside the SNA limit or within two standard deviations of the SNA limit.
The overall incidence of pulmonary embolus in the United States is approximately 650,000 cases pe... more The overall incidence of pulmonary embolus in the United States is approximately 650,000 cases per year.1 It is estimated that 0.1 % to 0.5 % of those with pulmonary embolus (650–3,250 cases) de-velop recurrent thromboembolic pulmonary hy-pertension each year.2 Case Report A 43-year-old man was admitted to the hospital complaining of nonproductive cough, progressive shortness of breath, increasing dyspnea on exertion, and fatigue of approximately 3 months ’ duration. The patient stated he could no longer walk without shortness of breath. He denied syncope, lighthead-edness, palpitations, chest pain, wheezing, hemop-tysis, fever, weight change, or night sweats.
Case Report A 43-year-old man was admitted to the hospital complaining of nonproductive cough, pr... more Case Report A 43-year-old man was admitted to the hospital complaining of nonproductive cough, progressive shortness of breath, increasing dyspnea on exertion, and fatigue of approximately 3 months’ duration. The patient stated he could no longer walk without shortness of breath. He denied syncope, lightheadedness, palpitations, chest pain, wheezing, hemoptysis, fever, weight change, or night sweats. Other than having the sickle cell trait, the patient related no additional medical or surgical history. He had never smoked tobacco and denied use of alcohol. One month earlier he returned from reserve military duty, where he had served for 8 months as an F-14 naval flight officer. While flying, the patient was exposed to immobility and excess gravitational forces. At the time of admission he was a full-time student. His family history was notable for hypertension. He had no known drug or food allergies and was not taking any medications, herbal supplements, or vitamins. The patient was...
Military Medicine
Military members are required to perform in austere environments in which standard medical care r... more Military members are required to perform in austere environments in which standard medical care routinely provided in the civilian setting is not available. Medical problems requiring hospital-based treatment which is not available in the field, shipboard, or deployed setting can be a cause for military members to be permanently discharged from active duty for medical reasons. We present a case of chronic low back pain treated with epidural steroid injections not routinely available aboard ship. The member was found unfit for shipboard duties, potentially ending her career in the military. The patient’s low back pain resolved with Strain Counterstrain (SCS) techniques. Additionally, SCS treatments also resolved undisclosed chronic pelvic pain, leading to improved overall quality of life. Strain Counterstrain is a non-interventional treatment which does not require special equipment, is available in austere environments and aboard ship, and allowed the member to remain on active duty...
Aviation, space, and environmental medicine, 2001
Cycloplegic examination is required for applicants who desire entry into Naval Aviation training.... more Cycloplegic examination is required for applicants who desire entry into Naval Aviation training. Before this study, all cycloplegic examinations performed at any site were repeated at the Naval Operational Medicine Institute (NOMI), Pensacola, FL, on all student naval aviator (SNA) candidates to assess for latent hyperopia which exceeded established limits for entry into training. Repeat cycloplegic examination does not vary sufficiently to change student status regarding physical qualification for training. Data analysis of cycloplegic examinations repeated at the NOMI, for which the first and second examination were recorded in the Aviation Medical Data Retrieval System (AMDRS), over 10 yr. There were 3919 SNA applicants who had cycloplegic examinations repeated at NOMI. Of them, 3903 (99.59%) were within standards on the repeat examination. There were 16 candidates who were sent to NOMI with a previously disqualifying cycloplegic examination. On second cycloplegic examination, 1...
The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice / American Board of Family Practice
Military Medicine, Jun 27, 2021
Military members are required to perform in austere environments in which standard medical care r... more Military members are required to perform in austere environments in which standard medical care routinely provided in the civilian setting is not available. Medical problems requiring hospital-based treatment which is not available in the field, shipboard, or deployed setting can be a cause for military members to be permanently discharged from active duty for medical reasons. We present a case of chronic low back pain treated with epidural steroid injections not routinely available aboard ship. The member was found unfit for shipboard duties, potentially ending her career in the military. The patient's low back pain resolved with Strain Counterstrain (SCS) techniques. Additionally, SCS treatments also resolved undisclosed chronic pelvic pain, leading to improved overall quality of life. Strain Counterstrain is a noninterventional treatment which does not require special equipment, is available in austere environments and aboard ship, and allowed the member to remain on active duty. Strain Counterstrain is a manual muscle-retraining procedure easily learned, which can be performed in the field, on ship, in the deployed setting, in primary care, as well as in specialty pain medicine clinics.
PubMed, Sep 1, 2001
Background: Cycloplegic examination is required for applicants who desire entry into Naval Aviati... more Background: Cycloplegic examination is required for applicants who desire entry into Naval Aviation training. Before this study, all cycloplegic examinations performed at any site were repeated at the Naval Operational Medicine Institute (NOMI), Pensacola, FL, on all student naval aviator (SNA) candidates to assess for latent hyperopia which exceeded established limits for entry into training. Hypothesis: Repeat cycloplegic examination does not vary sufficiently to change student status regarding physical qualification for training. Methods: Data analysis of cycloplegic examinations repeated at the NOMI, for which the first and second examination were recorded in the Aviation Medical Data Retrieval System (AMDRS), over 10 yr. Results: There were 3919 SNA applicants who had cycloplegic examinations repeated at NOMI. Of them, 3903 (99.59%) were within standards on the repeat examination. There were 16 candidates who were sent to NOMI with a previously disqualifying cycloplegic examination. On second cycloplegic examination, 15 were within standards for SNA. Only 15 of the SNAs with a first cycloplegic examination within standards were outside SNA standards on repeat examination. Of these 15, 12 were also outside SNA standards in distant visual acuity and/or in manifest refraction. The remaining 3 were found to have excessive myopia, not latent hyperopia, on the second cycloplegic examination. The standard deviation between the first and the second cycloplegic examination was computed to be less than 0.50 diopters in any meridian. Conclusion: The cycloplegic examination of SNA candidates need only be repeated if the first cycloplegic examination is outside the SNA limit or within two standard deviations of the SNA limit.
The overall incidence of pulmonary embolus in the United States is approximately 650,000 cases pe... more The overall incidence of pulmonary embolus in the United States is approximately 650,000 cases per year.1 It is estimated that 0.1 % to 0.5 % of those with pulmonary embolus (650–3,250 cases) de-velop recurrent thromboembolic pulmonary hy-pertension each year.2 Case Report A 43-year-old man was admitted to the hospital complaining of nonproductive cough, progressive shortness of breath, increasing dyspnea on exertion, and fatigue of approximately 3 months ’ duration. The patient stated he could no longer walk without shortness of breath. He denied syncope, lighthead-edness, palpitations, chest pain, wheezing, hemop-tysis, fever, weight change, or night sweats.
Case Report A 43-year-old man was admitted to the hospital complaining of nonproductive cough, pr... more Case Report A 43-year-old man was admitted to the hospital complaining of nonproductive cough, progressive shortness of breath, increasing dyspnea on exertion, and fatigue of approximately 3 months’ duration. The patient stated he could no longer walk without shortness of breath. He denied syncope, lightheadedness, palpitations, chest pain, wheezing, hemoptysis, fever, weight change, or night sweats. Other than having the sickle cell trait, the patient related no additional medical or surgical history. He had never smoked tobacco and denied use of alcohol. One month earlier he returned from reserve military duty, where he had served for 8 months as an F-14 naval flight officer. While flying, the patient was exposed to immobility and excess gravitational forces. At the time of admission he was a full-time student. His family history was notable for hypertension. He had no known drug or food allergies and was not taking any medications, herbal supplements, or vitamins. The patient was...
Military Medicine
Military members are required to perform in austere environments in which standard medical care r... more Military members are required to perform in austere environments in which standard medical care routinely provided in the civilian setting is not available. Medical problems requiring hospital-based treatment which is not available in the field, shipboard, or deployed setting can be a cause for military members to be permanently discharged from active duty for medical reasons. We present a case of chronic low back pain treated with epidural steroid injections not routinely available aboard ship. The member was found unfit for shipboard duties, potentially ending her career in the military. The patient’s low back pain resolved with Strain Counterstrain (SCS) techniques. Additionally, SCS treatments also resolved undisclosed chronic pelvic pain, leading to improved overall quality of life. Strain Counterstrain is a non-interventional treatment which does not require special equipment, is available in austere environments and aboard ship, and allowed the member to remain on active duty...
Aviation, space, and environmental medicine, 2001
Cycloplegic examination is required for applicants who desire entry into Naval Aviation training.... more Cycloplegic examination is required for applicants who desire entry into Naval Aviation training. Before this study, all cycloplegic examinations performed at any site were repeated at the Naval Operational Medicine Institute (NOMI), Pensacola, FL, on all student naval aviator (SNA) candidates to assess for latent hyperopia which exceeded established limits for entry into training. Repeat cycloplegic examination does not vary sufficiently to change student status regarding physical qualification for training. Data analysis of cycloplegic examinations repeated at the NOMI, for which the first and second examination were recorded in the Aviation Medical Data Retrieval System (AMDRS), over 10 yr. There were 3919 SNA applicants who had cycloplegic examinations repeated at NOMI. Of them, 3903 (99.59%) were within standards on the repeat examination. There were 16 candidates who were sent to NOMI with a previously disqualifying cycloplegic examination. On second cycloplegic examination, 1...
The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice / American Board of Family Practice