629th Forward Surgical Team Saves the Life of Injured Ugandan Soldier

Photo By Maj. Corey Schultz | A seriously injured Ugandan soldier is medevac'd 200 miles south to the hospital in Kampala. The 629th Forward Surgical Team, including Capt. Shawn Shumand, a nurse (right) provided immediate care to the soldier so that he could be medevac'd by D Company. 7-158th Aviation Regiment's CH-47 Chinook.  

KITGUM, UGANDA

10.20.2009

Story by Maj. Corey Schultz 

U.S. Army Reserve Command

KITGUM, Uganda — The 629th Forward Surgical Team from Columbus, Ohio, leapt into action when they received a radio call that a steel beam at a construction site had fallen 20 feet to strike a Ugandan soldier in the head.

Around 11:20 a.m. on Oct. 21, Capt. Bruce Scullion, Joint Task Force Lion Operations Officer, came into the 629th's field hospital to ask if the team could treat the injured soldier.

1st Lt. Boyer, the medical Officer in Charge at the site and a nurse with 629th, had made a radio call to the Tactical Operations Center, reporting that the patient was conscious, bleeding from the nose and mouth, and had suffered an eye laceration.

Boyer provided immediate care with materials he had available, including some creative makeshift supplies such as boots to stabilize the patient's neck.

While the primary mission of the 629th FST was to provide care to US forces, the soldiers quickly made the decision to bring the Ugandan soldier in for treatment.

"We can save life, limb and eyesight," said Maj. Scott Armen, a surgeon from Gainesville, Fla. "Bring him in."

Capt. Shawn Shumard, a nurse, Sgt. Gene Tucker, a medic, and other Soldiers of the 629th immediately began preparations, readying IVs, clearing an area to receive the injured Ugandan's stretcher, and setting out equipment such as neck braces, sutures and medicines. Shumard filled hypodermic needles and set them aside so that they would be ready at a moment's notice. Shumard had been off duty when the call came in and was still wearing his shorts and T shirt. Not wanting to waste a moment going back to his tent to change, he threw on his surgical scrubs over his gym clothes.

"When he gets here, Thomas will take the airway. I'll get the vitals," said Tucker.

629th's commanding officer, Lt. Col. Tom Englehart, an anesthesiologist from Columbus, Ohio arrived on the scene, and the team brought him up to speed on the events.

"Patient's conscious, bleeding from ears and nose, eye laceration," said Sgt. Chris Wickeser, a medic serving as the 629th's detachment sergeant. "That's the last we got."

With the Ugandan People's Defense Force ambulance in transit to the field hospital, Armen —the lead surgeon-- had time to rehearse. "We'll start with the primary survey ... get two IVs ready. It sounds like he's stable at this point."

The plan was to examine the soldier, give him what care the Level II hospital could provide, and then take him by helicopter to the hospital in Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda, where a CAT scan was available. The 629th did not have the equipment to determine if he had suffered a skull fracture or internal bleeding, so it was critical to take him to Kampala. Englehart got on the radio with the TOC and requested that one of the two CH-47 Chinook helicopters be ready.

"We'll have the bird standing by," came the reply.

Preparations complete, there was a few minute's pause before the ambulance arrived. Soldiers double checked the equipment and waited.

"They say that this type of work is 90% boredom, 10% panic," Englehart commented. "But we don't panic. That 10% of the time, it's 100% intensity."
Tucker's radio crackled, "Ambulance has just entered FOB, they'll be there any moment."

"Prepare to receive ground evac," Armen said.

The team hurried out to the ambulance and brought in the stretcher, setting it up in their emergency room area. The Ugandan soldier lay still, barefoot and dressed in fatigue pants and a green T-shirt. His head had been cocooned in white tape to stabilize his spine. To prevent his neck from moving back and forth and compounding the injury, Boyer had taped his boots to either side of his head before wrapping him in surgical tape. This innovative method served as a makeshift brace until he got to the field hospital.

"Nice job with the boots, stabilizing his neck," Englehart said. "Anything you can do to stabilize the neck, that was good thinking."

1st Sgt. Katina Elliot, operating room surgical technician, unrolled a green Army blanket to cover the patient. The team quickly examined him, attached IVs, and gently untaped his makeshift neck brace, protecting his neck with a collar. The soldier was conscious throughout, his blood pressure remaining stable.

"Do you know where you are?" asked Armen. A second Ugandan Soldier named Rollo translated for his friend. "Do you know what day it is?"

Armen instructed Rollo, "Tell him he's going to have a lot of things happening to him. We'll try not to hurt him."

Armen checked his eyes, inspected his ears for blood, and then prepared stitches for a facial laceration.

"Relax, relax, breathe," said Elliot.

Armen stitched up a facial laceration, and the soldier was ready for medevac.

"He's stitched up, let's get him out of here," Armen said.

The CH-47 Chinook was already running on the grassy airfield by the time the ambulance arrived. The aircrew of D Co., 7-158th Aviation Regiment of Olathe, Kan., helped board and secure the stretcher. Shumard, Rollo and Spc. Eric Kesson, a medic, stayed with the injured man, monitoring his vital signs throughout the flight.

The rest of the 629th Forward Surgical Team took a moment to relax and prepare for the next scheduled event: routine morning sick call at 7:30 a.m., where they expected nothing more serious than allergies, mild stomach discomfort and perhaps dehydration.

"But this type of work, you never know what's next," Englehart said. "That 10% of the time, that's why we stand prepared."

The 629th is currently deployed to Uganda as part of Natural Fire, a U.S. Army Africa military exercise between six nations: the U.S., Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. They provide routine care to personnel on the forward operating base —and are on call to save lives as the situation requires.

• Date Taken: 10.20.2009
• Date Posted: 10.23.2009 04:42
• Story ID: 40544
• Location: KITGUM, UG