DESERT STORM AFTER ACTION REPORT

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practice their specialties to any great extent during this deployment. It is recommended that
specialists be considered for rotation every three months if similar situations arise in the
future.

(6) Many ocular disorders arose at the deployed site. The ATH vas ill-equipped which eye
evaluation materials and personnel. It is recommended
that an optometrist with appropriate equipment be deployed with the ATH.

(7) Essential medical equipment was lacking on the ATH. For example, no ERG machines, pulse
oximeters, nebulizing machines, ventilators, IV pump machines or suction equipment was initially
available. It is recommended that this critical life support equipment be added to the TA. See the
text of our report for additional recommendations.

(8) Several key laboratory tests were missing from the Table of Allowances. This included arterial
blood gas capability, serum and/or urine beta HCG pregnancy tests, capabilities for culture, and
KOH as well as liver function tests. It is recommended that these laboratory services be added to
the capability of the Air Transportable Hospital.

(9) There was no adequate private area to treat mental health patients. It is recommended that
additional tentage be added to the ATH and an area for mental health care to be designed into the
ATH.

(l0) Need for additional flexibility in the ATH mission. During this
deployment the 1st ATH acted as a primary care clinic, a potential trauma
center, and an aeromedical staging facility. It is recommended that training
In all these areas be included for personnel placed on an air transportable
hospital and that conceptually air transportable hospitals be regarded as are
to accomplish any of the aforementioned missions.

(11) Diarrheal disease. Ac lease one epidemic of acute
gastroenteritis involving febrile diarrhea was experienced during this
deployment. This was responsive to Ciprofloxacin. It has been noted in ocher
deployments chat Ciprofloxacin is very useful and should be mandatory in large
quantities for deployment to Third World nations.

(12) Relationships with aeromedical evacuation system and the 1st Air
Transportable Hospital. There were many problems dealing with the air
evacuation of patients. These included difficulty obtaining access to Army
helicopters, difficulty accessing the USMS Mercy or Comfort for subspecialty
consultations, difficulty with JMRO in obtaining an appropriate destination
for a particular patient, problems with JMRO downgrading the urgency o" a
patient at a distance without notifying the patient's attending physician,
delays In moving air evac patients, lack of appropriate monitoring and code
equipment and drugs on air evac aircraft, inappropriate transfers of usable
patients through the aeromedical staging facility attached to the 1st ATH, and
lack of clarity in the roles of ASR physicians in the care of percents ac aero
medical staging facilities. IC is recommended that these problems be reviewed
with the Military Airlift Command and better communication be established in
the future. As with many problems, better communication between deployed
medical facilities and the Military Airlift Command will contribute greatly to
the solution of these problems.