160th Forward Surgical Team field GHST teams during Exercise Anakonda 2016

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Debra Richardson | Soldiers assigned to the 160th Forward Surgical Team, FST, are fielding a new concept that involves breaking down their personnel into smaller elements that will still allow for surgical capabilities on the battlefield. For this specific training, the team used a 5-ton truck to transport and set up their modular operating room. Their first fielding attempt was in support of Exercise Anaconda 2016 in Chelmno, Poland, which is a Polish-led, joint multinational exercise taking place throughout Poland June 7-17.  

POLAND

06.15.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Debra Richardson 

354th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

The exercise is a Polish-led event, running from June 1-17, that includes more than 20 countries and demonstrates the U.S.’ commitment to the collective defense of Europe.
The following quote, by Frank A. Clark, is written on the whiteboard hanging at the entrance of the operating room: “If you find a path without obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” This, according to Maj. David Lidwell from Altoona, PA, is what makes GHST teams and Exercise Anakonda 2016 so valuable.
“We have to plan for unknown obstacles and with a deployment in our near future and several young, inexperienced Soldiers, this exercise is timed perfectly,” said Lidwell. “For those Soldiers who haven’t deployed yet or are lacking real-world experience, this exercise teaches them how to embrace the modularity of the FST, and how to support the GHST teams.”
The 160th provides damage control surgery, which is urgent life-saving surgery that is required within one hour of trauma, often referred to as the golden hour. This stems from the recognition that a patient injured in a trauma event will require surgical intervention within the first hour or their chances of survival are greatly decreased. Lessons learned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown the need for more advanced medical intervention at the point of injury in order to save lives and thus, the concept of GHST teams was born.
“In places like Afghanistan, assets are not always close to ground units and in the case of severe injuries, medical evacuations have ended in deaths,” explained Maj. Joseph Caruso, surgeon from St. Mary’s, Pa. According to the Notre Dame graduate, “GHST teams are first requested to support a mission for a specific unit. In the event of a life-threatening injury, the GHST teams get the injured Soldier stable enough to be evacuated to a combat support hospital.”
GHST teams aren’t doctrinal yet but the Army Medical Corps is researching its use and effectiveness, according to Lidwell. Normally operating rooms would be housed in large tents but those have proven too large to transport and too time-consuming to set up so Lidwell’s team has been experimenting with transporting and working out of the back of a 5-ton truck.
“GHST teams allow us to push surgical capabilities even further forward than traditionally done and includes a small team of five Soldiers who are capable of providing minimal but crucial surgical intervention,” said Lidwell. “The teams have more flexibility; they can’t do as much as an FST but they can do the most important things and ultimately, save lives.”
Packing may seem like a basic, fairly unimportant skill but in order for the GHST teams to be effective, organization is paramount.
“Exercise Anakonda 2016 also allows us to practice and refine non-surgical critical skills, such as packing for varying circumstances,” Caruso said.
The teams can be deployed within one hour of being requested and that leaves little time for packing. Caruso and his fellow Soldiers are using this time to practice rapid deployment, which may also involve disassembling the entire FST, moving to a different location and setting up the FST again.
Besides increasing collective defense between all 20 nations participating in the exercise, another goal of Exercise Anakonda 2016 is to increase interoperability and readiness.
“During this exercise, we will have the opportunity to work closely with Polish surgeons, which promotes combined training and sets the pace for future operations,” Caruso said.

• Date Taken: 06.15.2016
• Date Posted: 06.19.2016 08:18
• Story ID: 201716
• Location: PL