Coronado (AGF 11) - Naval Cruise Book

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MEDICAL DEPARTMENT O n cc A During their extended deployment in the Persian Gulf, the medical department of the USS CORONADO increased their trauma and infectious disease training by treating a variety of interesting medical cases. As the best equipped naval medical facility in the region, they provided referral medical consultation, laboratory and X-ray support to 64 ships of the Middle East Force. In the first seven months in the Middle East, they treated nearly 3,000 patients and professionally executed emergency medical evacuations via small boat, helicopter and plane to hospitals in Germany, Italy, Spain, Singapore, and the U.S. Despite the increased patient load the corpsmen volunteered for the added responsibilities of TAD assignments to critically understaffed medical departments on the USS JACK WILLIAMS and the USS JOHN HANCOCK. The strenuous physical demands of the region presented a broad spectrum of acute trauma, fractures, heat illnesses and infections. A deployed status often made transfer to hospital facilities impossible necessitating definitive care be performed underway. With the assistance of the modified surgical support teams, they performed several major and numerous minor surgical procedures in the operating room on board the ship. The department strengthened their training program and maintained optimal readiness by con- ducting 4 mass casualty drills and instituting a casualty response team in the event of a major conflagration. The continuing education coupled with daily injuries enabled an already strong department to become more proficient at rapidly and thoroughly managing a broad spectrum of acute medical problems, from individual trauma to full scale mass casualty. $ 70