Manas medics participate in professional exchange

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Giana Jaworski
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) --  The Manas Air Base surgical team visited the Kyrgyz Republic national surgical center to donate training supplies and other usable items and see local doctors perform surgical cases Oct. 24. 

"We have excess supplies we gave them to use in training and some for their practices," said Maj. Karla Atchley, a 376th Expeditionary Medical Group nurse anesthetist.

The supplies included mostly intravenous catheters, dressing supplies, suction tubing, endotracheal tubes, blood collection tubes, sterile gloves and irrigation fluids. 

Capt. Cheryl Barnes, an 376th EMDG operating room nurse, sat in as a patient, allowing Major Atchley to demonstrate proper use some of the supplies they brought. 

"Usually we only have time to donate supplies, but today we watched and participated in some of the practices," said Tech. Sgt. Katrina Bowers, a 376th EMDG surgical technician. 

The surgical team also assisted and watched some of the surgical cases. 

Dr. Batyrhan Niyazov, chief of the surgical residency program at the center, had offered the invitation to other rotations but they had been unable to take advantage of the opportunity. 

"We (appreciated) the opportunity to see in general how their operation room is run," said Maj. (Dr.) Christy Chai, a 376th EMDG general surgeon. 

Major Chai was allowed to scrub in as the surgical assistant for the first case they observed, a gall bladder surgery involving the removal of nine calcium deposits. 

During this visit the Manas members were also given a tour of the emergency room area where they viewed a couple of cases. 

"I think that it was a great experience to participate with the local surgeons in their surgical procedures," Captain Barnes said. "I learned that even though we did not speak their language we were still able to decipher what they were doing." 

At the end of the tour, Dr. Niyazov invited them to return for another visit. The 376th EMDG plans to reciprocate by planning a base tour for the national surgical center staff. 

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

View the comments/letters page