Photo By Tech. Sgt. Micaiah Anthony | Badral Altan-Och, left, Pacific Angel 23-2 translator, poses for a photo with U.S. Air...... read more read more
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A young shepherd, mounted on a horse, splashes through a brook as he corrals a herd of sheep across a sprawling field surrounded by lush green mountains sharply cutting across a gradient blue sky. The subtle bleats and the babbling brook are abruptly interrupted by a shrieking neigh from the boy’s horse. The mare rears back as the child struggles to hold on but to no avail.
U.S. Air Force Airmen hustle back and forth moving equipment in Jargalant, Mongolia, in preparation for the official start of exercise Pacific Angel 23-2, on Aug. 20.
The group of Airmen are approached by a man and his son. The young boy clutches his bandaged black and blue arm. The Airmen spring into action, one escorts the family into the town’s only restaurant while another rushes to find the crew’s medical professional.
The journey from Jargalant to the nearest medical facility typically takes around 4 to 5 hours by vehicle through the mountains and fields of Mongolia’s wilderness, making urgent medical care a timely and risky endeavor.
“Jargalant was our most remote activity site during PACIFIC ANGEL 23-2,” said Maj. Michael Santora, Pacific Angel 23-2 lead medical planner. “Due to the difficulty of travel to the site and the nature of the work being done there, I assigned our physician assistant, Capt Loomis, to serve as health service support at this location.”
Originally, the physician assistant's primary role was to treat military members due to the site’s remote location. However, once presented with the situation, the medical professional had to act.
“I went over to the restaurant to find a child in a makeshift sling and bandage with an exposed left hand showing advanced deformity called a claw hand,” explained Capt. Brian Loomis, 18th Medical Group physician assistant. “I approached the family and attempted to introduce myself and what I was capable of as a physician assistant using Google Translate.”
The family, although apprehensive at first, decided they would like for Loomis to treat their child. Loomis brought the family to his hotel room above the restaurant where he kept all of his medical supplies.
“I removed the makeshift sling and dressings to find an obvious soft tissue infection localized to the palmar side of his wrist with moderate amounts of ulceration of the skin and surrounding swelling,” added Loomis. “Further assessment showed he had complete loss of sensation and motor function in his hand.”
Loomis began treating the wound by applying antibacterial ointment and splinting the arm. At this time the translator arrived and Loomis was able to get a better idea of what had transpired.
“I learned that the child had fallen from a horse 13 days prior which explained the extent of ulnar nerve damage to his hand,” Loomis recalled. “I was concerned that I would lose follow-up with the child, so I decided to prescribe antibiotics to cover the soft tissue infection.”
Loomis explained that pediatric dosing is weight-based, so he had to improvise by picking the boy up and estimating the child's weight by comparing it with his daughter's weight. By doing so, he was able to get a close enough estimate of the child’s weight to prescribe medication.
“The family was concerned about the fracture healing but the fracture had likely severely damaged the ulnar nerve which was of significant concern for myself,” Loomis explained. “Without surgical intervention, I feared he would either lose the use of his hand or lose his hand altogether.”
Loomis relayed his concerns to the translator, who conveyed the severity of the injuries to the family. The two then coordinated with the PAC-Angel medical team in Battsengel and the closest hospital in Tsetserleg for elevation in care.
“Fortunately, the father took our advice and drove his son to the hospital the next day where he had same-day surgery,” said Loomis with relief. “The arrival of our translator at such a crucial time and our presence here in Jargalant may have very well saved this young boy’s hand and ultimately his future.”
The PAC-Angel team in Jargalant continued their mission with pride and confidence knowing they were in good hands.
“The Pacific Angel exercise focuses on humanitarian assistance and disaster response for our partner nations,” concluded Santora. “This event exemplifies the importance of the exercise and highlights the partnership building that occurs during these engagements.”
| Date Taken: | 09.01.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.13.2023 18:29 |
| Story ID: | 459899 |
| Location: | TSETSERLEG, MN |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, PAC-Angel 23-2: Angel among angels, by TSgt Micaiah Anthony, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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