Bagram medical staff 'Smooth Operators'

  • Published
  • By Maj. Brenda Waters
  • Task Force Med Surgical Services Flight commander
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  The Task Force Med operating room staff at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital display the true meaning of teamwork, as they care for wounded American and Afghan patients here.

Nicknamed the "Smooth Operators," the team arrived in May and made the surgical suite mission-ready in less than 48 hours.

From May to August, the "Smooth Operators," consisting of 10 surgeons, six anesthesiologists, seven nurses, and 15 medical technicians, performed more than 1,000 surgical procedures, involving six mass casualty events and more than 600 trauma patients. These statistics tripled the hospital's past productivity history.

One memorable case the team experienced, they said, was when 17 members worked simultaneously for four hours, performing 13 procedures on a severely burned American soldier. The soldier, who was more than 85 percent burned, was successfully stabilized for transfer out of theater to a definitive care facility at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

In addition, the team pioneered the first and second successful free flap tissue transfers in Afghanistan, saving the limbs of two Afghanistan local nationals. They also conducted the first laparoscopic gynecological surgical cases in theater and mentored the Afghan National Army surgeons and nurses on America's state-of-the-art surgical techniques.

"This dynamic team worked around the clock, several individuals working more than 120 hours a week, to save the lives, limbs and eyesight of countless U.S. and coalition forces soldiers, as well as local Afghan civilians," said Col. Bart Iddins, the TF Med commander, who is deployed from the 59th Medical Wing, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. "Their instructions also fostered modernization of Afghanistan medicine."

In addition to their medical accomplishments, the team participated in weekly humanitarian missions at local Egyptian and Korean hospitals and local physical fitness events.

"During the team's rotation here, their morale has remained high, despite the long and tedious hours worked and their separation from loved ones at home," said Colonel Iddins. "It is an honor to work with this group and I'm proud of their selfless service to our country." 

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