Shipboard medical admissions during peacetime and combat support deployments

Hospitalizations aboard aircraft carriers were examined to ascertain differ ences in illness type attributable to theater of operations and combat depl oyment status. Percentage distributions and lengths-of-stay statistics of m ajor diagnostic categories are provided and compared between Vietnam combat support and peacetime modes of operations and between Western Pacific and Mediterranean theaters of operations. Respiratory disease proportions were found to be significantly higher for Vietnam combat support deployments tha n during subsequent peacetime deployments. For peacetime deployments, the W estern Pacific deployments had higher percentages of infective, respiratory , and skin disorders. whereas the Mediterranean theater had a larger propor tion of total admissions accounted for by accidents.