Study Finds Century-old Combat Helmet Superior Shield Against Brain Trauma
Combat helmets have always been made to protect against blunt objects, not blast waves. Despite improvements in helmet design, battlefield brain injuries continue.
by David Welna
Feb 21, 2020
3 minutes
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In the weeks following Iran's Jan. 8 ballistic missile attack on the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq, 110 American service members deployed there were diagnosed with what has been the signature, albeit invisible, wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: traumatic brain injury caused by concussive blasts from exploding weapons.
Even if they were all wearing combat helmets, they and more than diagnosed with TBI over the past two decades lacked equipment that was specifically designed to protect
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