Citation

Bridwell RE, Oliver CJJ, Ziehl CD, Tannenbaum CLI, McCarthy CPM. Mil. Med. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Surgery, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, 3551 Roger Brooke Dr, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Association of Military Surgeons of the United States)

DOI

10.1093/milmed/usz417

PMID

31789382

Abstract

Military free fall or high-altitude low-opening parachute jumps play a key role in special operations tactics, though injury patterns in these operators are not well characterized. In contrast to lower-altitude static line paratroopers, free fall operators require precise parachute deployment after a prolonged descent, with the potential for high-velocity trauma. This report describes a 33-year-old Marine Corps Reconnaissance operator who sustained left comminuted basicervical femoral neck fracture requiring cephalomedullary nail internal fixation with a full recovery. This femoral neck fracture highlights the high-energy injuries experienced by these invaluable operators, especially when conducting combat or night jumps.

© Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2019. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Language: en