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Medics practice immediate care procedures on cadavers, learning to save human lives

By Spc. Brianna Kearney, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment—

2308-20160206_cadaver_01 The 104th Area Support Medical Company, Maryland Army National Guard, and members of the 175th Medical Group, Maryland Air National Guard, conducted immediate care training on human cadavers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore on February 6, 2016.
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Healthcare specialists practice laceration repairs on a cadaver. Sutures – or stitches – can be made using different types of thread, such as catgut, silk or a synthetic like nylon.

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The medical professionals used medical equipment also known as “armamentarium” to insert a central venous catheter.

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A catheter into a large vein to get fluid into and out of the body.

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A service member examines a port after removing it from a cadaver’s chest. The use of a port reduces the number of injection sites a patient will need during lengthy medical procedures, such as when receiving chemotherapy. All injected medicines are administered through the port.

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After finding black and white marks throughout the cadaver’s internal organs, service members discuss whether this could have been an indication of cancer.

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A service member inserts a laryngoscope into a subject’s throat. Laryngoscopy is a medical procedure used to view the vocal cords and other internal workings of the throat before an artificial airway is inserted to aid breathing.

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The medical team practices placing an oropharyngeal airway, which helps direct medicine to the stomach and oxygen to the lungs.

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All service members got to hold and examine a cadaver’s heart to lessen the shock of dealing with internal anatomy. They also practiced massaging the heart. This “cardiac massage” is another form of resuscitation similar to CPR usedto restore and maintain circulation after cardiac arrest.

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Medical teams from theArmy and Air components of the Maryland National Guard use their unique joint training at the cadaver lab to become more proficient at treating human patients.