By Jim Garamone of American Forces Press Service ABOARD THE USNS COMFORT : In a life-saving move, a Navy helicopter transported two severely injured Haitians to receive treatment aboard this hospital ship.
"The senior medical officer sent the patients on to receive care with us," said Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Tim Donahue, the Comfort's chief of surgery. Both were in critical condition. The 20-year-old patient has a broken skull and possibly a fractured cervical vertebrae. Doctors aboard the Vinson also suspected there might be bleeding inside his skull. The 6-year-old patient has a crushed pelvis and possible damage to his bladder and urethra. At 10:24 p.m., the call came to casualty receiving: "Helos on deck." Stretcher bearers removed the patients from the Vinson's chopper and moved them via elevator to the receiving area. The patients were met by a phalanx of doctors, nurses and corpsmen and placed in an assessment area. The sailors went about their duties professionally and quietly. The boy was conscious and able to answer questions. A Haitian-American servicemember – Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Yves Henry – translated the doctor's questions to the boy and his answers back. The boy had undergone surgery aboard the Vinson two days before. The medics aboard the Vinson sent him to the Comfort to take advantage of the expertise and equipment aboard the vessel. The other patient had a tube inserted in his throat and could not speak. Doctors took X-rays of him on the gurney and then moved him to another area to receive a CAT scan. After the initial rush, Donahue spoke to press who observed the procedure. The chief of surgery was pleased with the performance of the medics. "It's quiet," he said. "That means they are talking and communicating well. Everything went very smoothly." Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) William Todd, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, said the 6-year-old could move his hips and did not present symptoms of complications. "He's a tough little boy," Todd said. "It's probably pain from the previous surgery." Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Shawn Safford was the general surgeon who examined the young man. "He was very alert," he said. "He has a slight fever, but we will treat that. We will watch him for a few days to ensure it is going well." The boy knows his father's cell phone number, but not what happened to him, his mother or his brother. "He was scared and was reaching for my hand," Safford said. "Just holding a kid's hand is sometimes the best medicine." (Issued on :Jan 20, 2010) Both Haitian patients are in the Comfort's intensive care unit. | ||||
| Related Sites: USNS Comfort USNS Comfort on Twitter Special Report: Haiti Earthquake Relief | ||||
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By Jim Garamone of American Forces Press ServiceABOARD THE USNS COMFORT : Haiti sounds like the seventh level of hell now, and the crew and medical staff of this hospital ship is preparing to enter it.
Red Cross officials estimate that between 50,000 and 100,000 people are dead, with thousands more injured. Government offices were damaged or destroyed in the quake, and local control is tenuous at best, non-existent in most places. Government officials and police are victims just as any other Haitian in this crisis. Food and fresh water is limited and entirely dependent on humanitarian efforts now. Violence and looting also has occurred in the capital, throwing many plans out the window. The Military Sealift Command crew is driving the Comfort as fast as they safely can. They know time means lives and they are working to ensure no moment is wasted. The humanitarian crisis also drives the medical staff as they prepare to receive casualties as soon as possible. Plans now are for the Comfort to moor in the harbor of Port-au-Prince – as it did during a humanitarian exercise last year. The area is near what's left of the United Nations compound. Depending on the security environment, Officials plan to send medical detachments ashore to help in casualty evaluation. The ship has mobile security teams embarked, to provide force protection for the ship and deployed teams. They also will coordinate with U.S. forces already on the island. Aboard the Comfort, staff members are ensuring medical supplies and equipment are where they need to be. Medical planners expect crush wounds and burn injuries to predominate, and are setting up accordingly. The ship is setting up 11 operating rooms, with eight expected to be working as soon as the ship reaches its station. Medics are setting up wards and holding drills. Specialists tested casualty flow procedures through the ship this morning from the flight deck to patient admission to the operating rooms to the intensive care wards to regular patient wards. Other specialists are ensuring that the equipment works properly and procedures are in place so X-rays, for example, are produced and read quickly. The pharmacy is readying to ensure the correct medications go to the right patients and the laboratory is ensuring the right tests are performed and matched to those who need them. The crew also is working to absorb an expected influx of 350 more personnel. About 250 will be medical staff, and 100 are support personnel. This will allow the hospital ship to increase the number of patient beds and man all the operating rooms. Other health safety personnel are infusing uniforms with prometherin – an insect repellent to ward off mosquitos that carry malaria.(Issued on Jan 18, 2010) Note : The ship is scheduled to arrive in Haiti Jan. 21. | ||||
| Related Sites: Special Report: Haiti Earthquake Relief | ||||
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