U.S. Military Hospital Healing More Iraqis

As American Casualties Fall, Care For Iraqis Maimed In Violence Ramps Up, Lives Saved

(CBS/AP)  The U.S. military's main combat hospital in Iraq has increasingly switched to helping Iraqis. As the numbers of wounded American soldiers have fallen, the hospital is now saving the lives of a remarkable 93 percent of Iraqis who come with devastating injuries.

It's another sign of the radical improvements in health care made at combat trauma care units in war time - especially because unlike U.S. soldiers, most Iraqi patients at the Air Force Theater Hospital don't wear body armor and helmets or drive in vehicles designed to withstand roadside bombs.

"There are people with injuries that are brought here, and I say this with confidence, if they went anywhere else in the world, they would not survive," said Col. Mark Mavity, the commander of the hospital.

On one recent day, 5-year-old Sajad Lafta lay in his bed crying for his father while his older half brother, Abdul Wahid, tried to comfort him by holding up a picture of a puppy that Sajad colored while recovering at the hospital.

The boy didn't know yet that Wahid, 25, came to visit him because his father was attending the funerals for two of his other young sons. They were killed by a car bomb that blew off Sajad's lower left leg and left tiny pieces of metal scattered over his body.

"Thank God, we are positive he is going to live," said Wahid, who planned to bring the puppy picture home to their mother as proof that Sajad was alive.

Over the years, the hospital on Balad Air Base has become synonymous with combat trauma care. It is best known for saving countless U.S. soldiers with catastrophic battle injuries - more than 96 percent on average over the six-month period ending in August.

But even more astonishing: during that same time, about 93 percent of Iraqis left the hospital alive - up from an average of 89.7 percent during the previous six months.

Their injuries are devastating - shredded limbs, penetrating shrapnel fragments, massive internal bleeding and gaping head wounds.

While Iraq has become a far safer place during the last year, regular attacks, which now focus more on civilian locations than military targets, still plague life.

On Thursday, bombs targeting Shiite worshippers as they left morning prayers at two Baghdad mosques killed 16 people and injured more than 30 others, police said.

The attacks occurred as the worshippers were celebrating the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

In the deadliest attack, a suicide car bomber in a Mercedes sedan detonated his explosives about 20 yards from a mosque in Zafaraniyah in southeastern Baghdad. He set off the bomb when Iraqi soldiers tried to stop him from approaching the building, police said.

That attack killed 12 people, including three soldiers, and injured 23, police said. In the other attack, a roadside bomb killed four people as worshippers were leaving the Rasoul mosque in the capital's eastern New Baghdad district. Nine people were injured.

The car bomb that wounded Sajad exploded during the evening of Sept. 12 in the town of Dujail, killing at least 32 people including his 7- and 6-year-old brothers as the three walked home after buying a few pieces of candy.

When Sajad's father heard the explosion, he raced over to his sons. Sajad was the only one still breathing. After the local hospital turned the boy away because his wounds were too severe, Sajad was taken on a U.S. helicopter to the military hospital on Balad Air Base, about 50 miles north of Baghdad.

Of the 11 Iraqis wounded in the blast who were taken to the hospital, 10 survived. The 11th was declared dead on arrival, doctors said.

As soon as the Iraqis arrived at the hospital, a team of doctors and nurses began operating - up to eight patients at a time. Nine hours later at 4 a.m., they called it a night.

"The magnitude of injury is something that's unlike what we typically experience in the civilian world. ... We had a gentleman (from the blast) with an arm blown off, a leg blown off, a kidney that was destroyed, huge soft tissue injuries, a head injury and he's alive today," said trauma chief Maj. Gary Vercruysse, an Air Force reservist who is an assistant professor of surgery at Emory University and works at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

The injured were rolled back into operating rooms again the next day. Much of the effort was placed on cleaning wounds to prevent infection. Sajad had his leg amputation wound closed and shrapnel painstakingly picked out of his body.

[bailmeout1]

U.S. Military Hospital Healing More Iraqis

Why?

[babooph]

If they had ins.,some computer guy in Asia would be busy denying much of the costs & getting a percentage of what he denied!![the propaganda system knows this ,but, as usual, KEEPS QUIET about it]

[smb5317]

These are the actions that truly bring about change. I am just concerned because I have learned that the Army deploys soldiers to Iraq who have disabilities and injuries. I see some contradictions here. I know a soldier that is unable to wear body armor and cannot run or jump or lift anything, yet he is being sent to Iraq for the second time. He''s had the problem with his ankle for over 2 years (and even served 15 months in Iraq with the problem) and the Army hasn''t taken the time to fix it or even really determine what the issue is. They can now treat Iraqis, but not their own soldiers. I applaud the work done there, but our soldiers need to be the first priority!!

[ajaxtheleast]

It''s good that they are healing more Iraqis,,,

For a couple days ago, since the media delays
reporting such inconvenient stuff as deaths
in Iraq, the militants gave the Iraqi doctors
100 more Iraqis to "heal'' and 32 that they wont
be able to "heal".

With 16 of the 32 right in Market Place Heaven
right under the nose of
The Surge''s own home territory.

[stn_sage]

We''''ve got to stay the course with McCain!
He''''s the only one who can complete Bush''''''''s vision for the future of America!
Don''''t you see?!

Posted by JoeFoolSwat at 05:40 PM : Oct 02, 2008
----------------
Joe, you''re a funny guy! If you KNEW what Bush''s "vision" was, you wouldn''t be saying it needs to be completed! Unless you''re fabulously wealthy and a VIP, you''re of no interest or use to Bush!

You need to do some research on him instead of just regurgitating ten second sound bites! Believe me, if you do, you''ll come away with an entirely NEW opinion!

I''m outta here!

[stn_sage]

Well, it''s good that American medical personnel are able to help so many Iraqis who have been maimed and injured in this war!

But, need I state the obvious?!

IF we hadn''t invaded and attacked this country, that had nothing to do with 911, these people wouldn''t have gotten hurt to begin with and it wouldn''t be necessary to care for them NOW!!

So, it''s difficult to assert the U.S. is doing them a FAVOR!!

[joefoolswat]

We''ve got to stay the course with McCain!

He''s the only one who can complete Bush''''s vision for the future of America!

Don''t you see?!

[mdalerwill]

dmw1167,

Having lived in England and traveled Europe, I too know a little bit about the topic of government health care, and I couldn''t disagree with you more. In fact, I did something in England that you might not have done; I got sick. I wasn''t working there, and I didn''t have travelers insurance (long story), but they took care of me very promptly, and it cost me less than I would have paid in co-pays with my insurance in the USA. The doctor was very good, very professional. The British friends I have are all very happy with their healthcare system and think it is worth the extra taxes. Of course, their taxes get spent a little differently than ours. Universal health. Subsidizing basic food stuffs. I found it much easier to be poor in England than middle class in the USA, though granted this was 9 years ago. I could get a can of soup for the equivalent of 12 cents and a loaf of bread for 25 cents. (Sure there was expensive processed foods too but I stayed away from them.) The money they pay in taxes they save in other areas of life, and they have a sense of security and community we don''t have here.

If you haven''t already I would suggest watching Michael Moore''s film "Sicko." Yes, I know he is far from impartial, but that doesn''t negate the corruption in the American healthcare insurance industry or the fact that people in other countries are by-and-large happier and better-off with socialized medicine.

[antoniof123]

Posted by dmw1167 at 03:07 PM : Oct 02, 2008

What is wrong with this country is the fact that no one wants to collaborate they all want there way. Health care in Europe is as good as here. Of course you are talking about the wait time and that is true. But you forget it is not costing you anything so you go more often and are more likely to find a problem in the early stages.

If things were better here as far as medicine were concern than we would have the longest life expectancy that is not the case in fact we are not in the top 10. The one that has the highest is Cuba and many other countries. So to say that we have the best is not true.

One other thing the rich will always get better care than the poor they can afford it so what does it help you to complain about another type of system.

The real question is do you truly understand what this is all about.

[skyk239]

I don''''t know what your relative practices, but I doubt you are comparing apple to apples. Why don''''t all of you Google the English health Care, plus the French and other countries in Europe and get an eye full. In England people die waiting to be treated, their health care is awful.

For their health care all European countries charge $4.25 more per gallon of gas. How would you like to pay 8-9 dollars per gallon for gas and it still doesn''''t cover the cost. You can bet your life that when something is free there is never enough.

No one in this country goes with out medical care for the very poor you have Medicaid others can go to the Emergency Room of any Hospital and get care, they can''''t be turned away.

Posted by dmw1167 at 12:05 PM : Oct 02, 2008

YOU are a LIAR! POINT BLANK and YOU know it! THERE isn''t ONE of those Countries who have Universal Health Care, and ALL of the G-7 DO, would trade their plans for ours. A recent poll of the Citizens of Canada, for instance, showed that over 80% of those folks favored THEIR Health Care Plan over ours!! Helll you don''t need THAT to tell you they have a SUPERIOR Plan... our OWN Seniors were going there to take advantage of the Drugs if you remember. How can we EVER discuss things if people like this insist on outright LYING? Why can''t we have it and make it work?

[skyk239]

Why aren''t they in THIS nation helping OUR people. THIS has been the biggest rip off of the American Tax Payers in our history. SOMEONE needs to hang for this. YES these people deserved FREEDOM but so did the people of Poland. We never KILLED our OWN TROOPS or drained our OWN treasury to free them! IF we do not get back to being AMERICAN''S we are doomed.

[middleman8]

What a bunch of clap-trap.

Invade a country murder hundreds of thousands of its citizen, flatten the country then P R brag about giving out a little of your extra medicine. Should do that at home, u have the worst medical care in the world. EXCEPT FOR THE RICH.

[antoniof123]

93% saved & great medical care -no paperwork -immediate care-NO INSURANCE!!!!This is what the propaganda system has been lobbied to have us fear Stateside !!!!

Posted by babooph at 09:30 AM : Oct 02, 2008

I know and you want to hear something else I have a family member who is a doctor that moved to Europe and is working there she does see more paitences but here is the zinger. See paitences all day long and works less hours and is paid more than here and worked for our government. In fact gets paid about the same as if it was a owned practice.

But the neo cons know better just like Iraq they said WMD''s how is that search going bye the way.

[emelder]

Do they have medical coverage?

[promaclaura]

promaclaura --

Golly gee, if only everyone were as "perfect" as you!

BTW, how much do YOU weigh? And what kind of job do you have -- in what industry/business? Is it related to healthcare in any way, say, the insurance-mafia biz? You wouldn''''t have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, would you?

And, what about your personal health habits? What health problems do you have? What drugs do you take? Who pays for them -- the government, a la Medicare? Who is your healthcare provider? How often do YOU eat out? What do you eat?

Yes, if there''''s one thing this country needs, it''''s even more restrictions on access to affordable healthcare! That way, it creates more opportunities for private enterprise to rip-off consumers with obscenely priced gimmicks to provide the shoddiest services available.

Is this a great country, or what??!!!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by imprisonrove at 08:50 AM : Oct 02, 2008

Taking care of yourself is not about being "perfect", it''s "taking care" of what you have. I''m not overweight, work out 3x a week, don''t smoke, drink occasionally. My husband is the same and my kid''s are healthy with good weight. In other household''s though, there is overindulgence in some things or everything. Obese adult''s often have obese children and diabetes/heart disease will be their lot. Should I pay for this when I don''t run my household this way?

[babooph]

93% saved & great medical care -no paperwork -immediate care-NO INSURANCE!!!!This is what the propaganda system has been lobbied to have us fear Stateside !!!!

[babooph]

We should attack ourselves-all that healthcare mess should clear right up & NO MISERABLE PAPERWORK TOO !!

[babooph]

INSANITY- almost 50 mil in the States ,without healthcare,& we blast & treat thousands of Iraqis!!"Who the gods destroy,they 1st make crazy"!!!

[petro49l]

Osama Bin Laden produces tar heroin in his narcotics lab for sales to Addicts throughout the world. He isomizes exotic poppies that become a lethal, injectable substance. Al Qada is a crime syndicate dedicated to illicit drug trade and terror activity. Street heroin deals are very profitable. Islamabad protects Waziristan. The Saudis ordered the Pakistani Army to bitterly fight the Coalition.