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File: 123096_sep96_decls2_0040.txt
Subject: MEDICAL OPERATIONS DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM 9 NOV 91
Unit: VAR. BUMED
Parent Organization: BUMED
Box ID: BX303801
Folder Title: VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6
Document Number: 2
Folder Seq #: 10
TE[F.ATF,R MEDICAL CARE
Navy MTFs provided routine health care services to troops deployed in the
theater and instituted preventive measures to safeguard the health of combat forces.
Providing this theater medical care posed some unanticipated challenges for the
medical facilities.
Patient Care
The fleet hospitals and hospital ships were designed, equipped, and supplied
primarily to @de care to combat casualties. During Desert Shield/Storm,
Navy echelon III medical facilities in theater handled 6,613 inpatient admissions
and 53,433 outpatient visits. Table 11 provides final patient statistics by facility.
Table 11. Medical statistics for Navy echelon III facilities
USNS USNS
Comfort Mercy FH-5 FH-6 FH-1 5 Total
Inpatients 718 650 4,347 201 697 6.613
Outpatient visits 8,000 6,050 28,942 2.340 8.101 53,433
Surgeries 357 290 584 23 239 1,493
Helicopter overheads/ 2,100 1,300 873 20 83 4,376
landings
Patient evacuations (out) 553 a llsoi 122 417 2,593b
SOURCE: Modstat reports and unit statistics.
a. Patient evacuations not available for USNS Mercy
b. Patient evacuation total does not include USNS A4e@.
Most of the health care services provided by the echelon III MTFs were not
related to combat. The MTFS, and particularly the fleet hospitals, lacked the rou-
tine medical equipment and supplies to support non-combat-related medical needs
on a continuing basis, including those for routine gynecological care for women,
optical support, orthopedic injuries, general medical care, and restorative dentistry.
External fixators for orthopedic injuries help patients to heal faster, allowing them
to return to their units sooner, and make patient transportation easier by reducing
the need for trac,lion. During this operation, the facilities had the time and oppor-
tunity to requisition the necessary items through the support of the fleet hospital
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Document 57 f:/Week-37/BX303801/VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6/medical operations during operation desert storm:1217961126393
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-37
Box ID = BX303801
Unit = VAR. BUMED
Parent Organization = BUMED
Folder Title = VARIOUS BUMED DOCUMENTS FOLDER 6
Folder Seq # = 10
Subject = MEDICAL OPERATIONS DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM
Document Seq # = 2
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 17-DEC-1996