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Navy Tests New Rapid Response Surgical System During RIMPAC 2004

Navy Newsstand

Story Number: NNS040713-21
Release Date: 7/13/2004 11:56:00 PM

By Journalist Seaman David Perea, USS Tarawa Public Affairs

ABOARD USS TARAWA (NNS) -- A new Navy rapid-response surgical system, which will provide critical medical care for Sailors and Marines who are injured during maritime interdiction operations, made its first appearance on a foreign ship July 10 during the 2004 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises.

The six-member team of Navy surgeons and hospital corpsman from Shipboard Surgical Team (SST) 9, embarked on USS Tarawa (LHA 1), practiced a rapid-response drill with the Chilean frigate Lynch, while both ships operated off the coast of the Hawaiian island Kauai.

The team, along with approximately 600 pieces of medical equipment, which included an ultra sonic imaging device, monitors, surgical instrument sets, and intensive care equipment, were flown from Tarawa to Lynch aboard two helicopters. Two additional team members served as interpreters fluent in Chile's native language, Spanish.

Once aboard Lynch, the team set up their equipment quickly inside the ship's mess decks.

"It took us about 45 minutes to set up yesterday, but we're getting faster," said SST-9 team leader and trauma surgeon Lt. Cmdr. George Linville. "The limiting factor is that we arrive on two helicopters. By the time that our second 'bird' with all our ICU [intensive care unit] equipment gets there, we're already set up in surgery and anesthesia."

According to Linville, the rapid-response surgical team is still in its infancy and is the only one of its kind in the Navy. He said that it's critical to the Navy in the Pacific, where great distances from full surgical facilities inhibit care for Sailors injured during maritime interdiction operations.

"The smaller ships that conduct maritime interdiction operations have a very limited medical capability and have no capabilities for surgery," said Linville. "This new surgical system allows us to extend forward the surgical capability that's generally reserved for large deck amphibious ships and medical treatment facilities."

The Naval Health Research Center developed the concept of a shipboard surgical team in January after Rear Adm. (sel.) Christine Hunter, U.S. Pacific Fleet surgeon, realized that Sailors and Marines aboard smaller ships were going to be taking casualties during maritime interdictions, shipboard seizures and other operations. The new rapid response surgical system was unveiled during an open house July 1 aboard Tarawa during a RIMPAC port visit to the Naval Station Pearl Harbor.

The July 10 drill not only proved the Navy's ability to provide a rapid-response surgical team to a foreign ship, it also helped build a new bridge with U.S. allies in the Pacific Rim region.

"I think the international flavor of this practice run is significant, because it demonstrates the flexibility in the system to adapt to almost any allied surface combatant," said Linville.

Aboard Lynch, the shipboard surgical system also received positive reviews.

"This allows our ship to care for severely injured Chilean and American sailors who are injured in maritime interdiction operations in the wars on terrorism and drug runners," said Chilean Cmdr. Juan Pablo Otto San Martin, the ship surgeon aboard Lynch. "This kind of mutual cooperation for the mutual benefit of Chilean and American Sailors and Marines builds bonds, which strengthen our ability to combat a common foe."

"The exercise only enhances the interoperability and strengthening of the coalition, which is part of the RIMPAC objective," said Tarawa Commanding Officer Capt. John Riley. "I think the medical community has really come up with a great idea of how we can operate better. It will transform how we operate."

RIMPAC 2004 is a major international maritime exercise, conducted this year June 29 through July 27 off the coast of Hawaii. In addition to Chile and the United States, the participating countries include: Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

RIMPAC 2004 is part of the U.S. Navy's Summer Pulse '04 exercise. Summer Pulse '04 is the simultaneous deployment of seven aircraft carrier strike groups (CSGs), demonstrating the ability of the Navy to provide credible combat power across the globe, in five theaters, with other U.S., allied, and coalition military forces. Summer Pulse is the Navy's first deployment under its new Fleet Response Plan (FRP).