Comfort comes home

Military Medicine, Jul 2003

USNS Comfort(T-AH 20) deployed January 6 as part of an effort to reposition forces for possible military actions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The ship arrived on station in the northern Arabian Gulf in Mid March and returned home to Baltimore in late May. The Comfort, operated by the Military Sealift Command for the Navy and normally berthed in Baltimore, is crewed by about 60 civilian mariners that operate the ship and more than 1200 active duty Navy medical and support staff who run the hospital when operating at the 1000-bed level.

All patients are treated based on their medical needs aboard the hospital ship, in accordance with the Geneva Convention. During its time in the Gulf, Comfort cared for Coalition Forces, Iraqi civilians, Freedom Fighters and enemy prisoners of war (EPWs). Comfort has treated about 350 patients wounded in combat or accidents related to supporting roles of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Of those 350 total patients, medical staff aboard Comfort treated nearly 200 Iraqi civilians and enemy prisoners of war as part of the humanitarian relief assistance phase of OIF.

Comfort performed over 500 surgical procedures during Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom. Comparing those numbers to the numbers from the previous Gulf War, the Comfort team completed close to 180 more surgical procedures. While those numbers may not look staggering, the 500 procedures were performed over a period of only about four weeks. During the first Gulf War, the 337 procedures they performed took place over nine months. The first war also brought only Americans and non-combat related injuries.

Comfort Anesthesiologist Cmdr. Craig Bonnema, MC, has been keeping track of the statistics for this deployment, "In the past four weeks, we have easily exceeded the number of surgical cases that were done in the last Gulf war." When commenting about what the numbers really said, Bonnema stated that, "It says a lot about the high level of care here on the Comfort, to be able to keep up this kind of pace."

On board Comfort, every department went above and beyond the call of duty to accomplish the mission. The Respiratory Technicians (RTs) were no different. Without the RTs, critically injured patients would not have been able to breathe. Their focus was on airway management for these patients. Sufficient oxygen and ventilation were provided, and they are part of the team that made patients as comfortable as possible. At the peak of Comfort's ICU patient load, there were 20 patients on ventilators at one time. Petty Officer 1st class Eric Agnew, the leading petty officer for the RT department, said, "Theoretically, with our manpower, we should be able to handle a max of 15 ventilators. When we were doing 20, it was very taxing, but we did it."

Not only is the volume challenging, but the emotional piece can also be exhausting for the RTs as well. Petty Officer 2nd class Wil Sappenfield commented that, "We have such a high responsibility with our job. If we screw up, no one will catch it."He added that there is added pressure when working with children who have been caught in battle. Agnew commented that, "We display what Navy Medicine is all about, which is adapting and overcoming, and dealing with limited resources and staffing. We have stepped up to the plate and hit a homerun. We have dealt with everything that has been thrown at us."

The Comfort's activation for Operation Enduring Freedom and OIF represents the longest deployment of either of the Navy's two hospital ships since both were sent to the region for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm twelve years ago. Having treated over 300 mostly combat related inpatient injuries, this has been the most operationally significant role for a Navy ship since the Vietnam War. According to Commander Tommy Stewart who served as a Corpsman during the Vietnam War and later took a commission as a Navy Nurse, "This was extremely valuable experience for the junior personnel, because they are the next generation of combat casualty care providers. Now they will be able to enter any future combat operations with the knowledge and experience gained from Operation Iraqi Freedom. Most of those who trained during the Vietnam era have retired. Now the remaining few of us can stand relieved of the watch as this generation stands ready to assume the watch."

Reference:

Austin,E.Comfort Heads Home.Navmed Navigator. 2003,2(18),1,3

Mater,E.Comfort Faces Different War.Navmed Navigator. 2003,2(15),1,4

Austin,E.After Weeks of Comfort Iraqi Patients Return Home.2003,2(16),1,3

Mater,E.Respiratory Techs Help Give Breath of Life.Navmed Navigator.2003,2(16)1,3