NMCSD's Plastic Surgery Department Provides High-Quality Reconstructive Care

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Luke Cunningham | 210112-N-LW757-1037 SAN DIEGO (Jan. 12, 2020) Cmdr. Yan Ortiz-Pomales, a plastic surgeon assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), prepares a patient for an axillary defect reconstruction with a perforator flap in one of the hospital's operating rooms Jan. 12. This procedure involves finding an island of tissue supplied by a small artery dissected down to its source for mobilization. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many facets of healthcare are conducted, and NMCSD has adapted some of its techniques and practices to keep both staff and patients safe while delivering the high-quality healthcare they’ve come to expect. NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Luke Cunningham)  

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES

01.13.2021

Story by Seaman Luke Cunningham 

Naval Medical Center San Diego

SAN DIEGO – Naval Medical Center San Diego's (NMCSD) Plastic Surgery department delivers high-quality healthcare services in support of active duty service members and beneficiaries.
NMCSD's Plastic Surgery department provides medical and surgical evaluations, office treatments, as well as diagnostic and reconstructive procedures for cancer, trauma and congenital anomalies.
Some notable services include microsurgical breast, head and neck cancer reconstruction, advanced microsurgical limb salvage procedures and any trauma-related reconstruction. Plastic surgeons also perform common chest and breast surgeries. The Plastic Surgery department also runs a multidisciplinary, craniofacial clinic that provides all medical and surgical services to children with congenital anomalies such as cleft lips and palates.
"Although our military focus is to address surgical issues related to cancer and trauma, we also have a robust, cosmetic practice that provides all services that one would expect from a major academic center," said Cmdr. Yan Ortiz-Pomales, NMCSD's Plastic Surgery department head. "We are also proud to have the only Surgical Transgender Team in the Department of Defense which provides top surgery for qualifying service members in the Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard."
NMCSD's Plastic Surgery clinic staff is made up of hospital corpsmen and civilians that are available to provide the support necessary for patients to successfully complete reconstructive surgery. The clinic is also able to provide an extra level of care to patients that do not have local family, or who require help navigating the healthcare system while their support network may be deployed.
"We also support our ear, nose and throat and oral and maxillofacial surgeons with complex head and neck reconstructions, and as of late, with immediate total mandibular reconstruction," said Ortiz-Pomales.
All service members, their dependents and TRICARE beneficiaries have access to all of the services provided by NMCSD's plastic surgery department.
"Plastics and reconstructive surgery is a field that has made most of its advances through challenges faced during times of war," said Ortiz-Pomales. "We are proud to be part of that legacy. Through past experience and current expertise, we have been able to build a phenomenal team that can essentially tackle anything our service members may need."
NMCSD's Plastic Surgery department's mission is to provide the highest quality, efficient and compassionate care for active duty service members and beneficiaries. The Plastic Surgery department provides medical and surgical evaluations, office treatments, diagnostic and reconstructive procedures for cancer, trauma and congenital anomalies. NMCSD's Plastic Surgery department's goal is to rehabilitate patients through novel, reconstructive and aesthetic procedures to re-establish function and reintegration to normal life. Board-certified plastic surgeons Capt. Craig Salt, Cmdrs. Eamon O’Reilly and Yan Ortiz-Pomales all practice in accordance with standards outlined by the American College of Surgeons, the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and the Joint Commission.
NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high-quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere.
Visit navy.mil or facebook.com/NMCSD for more information.

• Date Taken: 01.13.2021
• Date Posted: 01.19.2021 18:36
• Story ID: 386870
• Location: SAN DIEGO, CA, US