Vascular Surgeons Donate Expertise to Combat Casua

Newswise — All it took was a quick e-mail to members of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), to convince them to volunteer their expertise to help soldiers who have been injured in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study will be presented during the Vascular Annual Meeting, June 5-8, in San Diego, Calif.

The call to action came from David Gillespie, MD, chief of vascular surgery at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C., who asked volunteers to serve in two-week rotations at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Landstuhl, Germany. The LRMC serves as the primary evacuation facility for all combat casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan. Details of this project were revealed during a special presentation at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the SVS. Eighteen volunteers have served rotations for 20 weeks and some have started their second rotation. More are expected to arrive in June and volunteers are currently scheduled through December 2008. The U.S. Army provides housing for this project and the American Red Cross covers malpractice insurance. Civilian vascular surgery volunteers are providing clinical and educational expertise enhancing the delivery of sophisticated, state of the art care in support of what is being provided by the military's few vascular surgeons.

Ruth L. Bush, MD, MPH, associate professor and director of the vascular fellowship at Scott & White Hospital/Texas A&M University Health Sciences Center in Temple, Texas, said very few of the volunteers have prior military experience but all have vascular trauma experience through residency, fellowship and current practices.

"Most definitive vascular repairs are being done in theater by military vascular surgeons prior to evacuation of casualties to Landstuhl," said Dr. Bush. "The wounds are often massive and devastating with a combination of blast and penetrating injuries most commonly from improvised explosive devices or rocket-propelled grenades. Our volunteers are most often called upon for clinical expertise in the care of combat casualties, as well as performing general and vascular procedures intraoperatively. There are a variety of cases, with the most common being wound examinations under anesthesia for which intraoperative vascular consultation was requested (8 to 20 cases per volunteer)."

Additional procedures performed include IVC filter placement; thrombectomy and revision of lower and upper extremity interposition vein grafts; retroperitoneal spine exposures; diagnostic and therapeutic (vascular embolization) carotid angiograms; and endoluminal angioplasty and stent procedures; as well as Duplex ultrasound interrogation of vascular repairs, suspected arterial injuries and deep vein thrombosis.

In addition to reporting number and types of procedures performed, volunteers were queried on their experience and impression of the rotation. According to Dr. Bush, all current volunteers expressed gratitude for the experience and were humbled to witness not only the injuries and young age of the wounded, but also the teamwork and constant dedication from the surgeons and staff that occur at LRMC for the injured soldiers.

"With a limited number of military vascular surgeons and the unpredictable need for a specialist at LRMC, our volunteers are playing an important role in providing high quality vascular care for the nation's wounded soldiers by expanding vascular and endovascular capability at LRMC," added Dr. Bush. "These SVS members are carrying on a tradition started by our surgical forefathers during previous U.S. military conflicts, and have welcomed the opportunity to give back of their time and skills to those who have already given so much for their country."

About the Society for Vascular SurgeryThe Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) is a not-for-profit society that seeks to advance excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research and public awareness. SVS is the national advocate for 2,400 vascular surgeons dedicated to the prevention and cure of vascular disease. Visit the website at http://www.VascularWeb.org.