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CNN Live Today

On the Frontlines: Dr. Gupta Returns to Atlanta

Aired April 21, 2003 - 10:55   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: More than 600 news reporters traveled shoulder to shoulder with coalition forces as the U.S.-led war toppled a regime and delivered war to Americans' doorsteps and living rooms.
CNN had unparalleled resources, but one correspondent had an especially unique perspective. Our medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, worked with the combat physician's group known as the Devil Docs. His skills were useful in their battle to save lives as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The story we were trying to get was really to understand how medical care is given in the field. We ended up in northern Kuwait in the desert for sometime, and then ended up on a convoy, a multiple-car convoy, multiple-vehicle convoy, 89 vehicles, three miles long. They told us it would take about five hours to get to the location where we were going to get. It took 17.

We are here behind just the front lines on in an FRSS, front line resuscitative surgical suite. Right behind me, for the first time ever, an operation has been done on the abdomen for a gunshot wound.

The condition since we've been in Iraq have not been exactly what you'd call five-star. We have slept under the stars in sleeping bags, have slept in the back of a huge truck traveling through sniper- infested areas of Iraq. We don't have bathrooms out here. We don't have showers. I haven't showered in seven days now, and it probably shows.

We had a missile fly over our heads. We had bomb shelter calls. We had bunker calls, gas alarm calls. We had to put on these gas masks 16 times in 12 hours, having to do that sometimes sitting there for an hour at a time. Those were all new things clearly to me, and something that I saw the troops actually going through.

You have to be scared if you're here. We are seeing Marines killed in action. We are hearing about possible chemical and biological stuff. Absolutely we're scared.

Reflex, right. On the left. He's brain dead.

Just a few hours ago, they came up to me and said a 2-year-old child has a gunshot wound or a shrapnel wound of great significance to the head, would I be willing to come take a look at the patient and take the patient to the operating room. Medically and morally, I thought that was the right thing to do. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Just a glimpse at Sanjay's trip through Iraq.

GUPTA: What I did with myself.

KAGAN: Back, showered, and shaven.

GUPTA: Yes.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, folks have questions for you about what you did on your vacation. Let's get right to them. First one up is from David in Glenn Ellen, Illinois. "I thought it was amazing when you were asked to scrub in and help out in the field hospital." Did this happen more than once, and did your being a doctor and having needed skills interfere with your ability to be a journalist?"

GUPTA: Well, I think that is an excellent question. It did happen more than once. It happened a few times. All of the situations were situations where these individuals -- both Iraqi and coalition force members had gunshot or -- shrapnel wounds to the head. I was asked to do these operations. These were operations that had to be done at that point if they were going to be effective. The particular patients wouldn't have survived a life flight back to Kuwait.

I didn't think it interfered with my ability to be a journalist. I think it's question a lot of people have asked me. I think it is important to decide what you're going to do ahead of time. In this sort of situation, I think there was a life, possibly, to be saved, and four times out of five they were. I think I made the right decision, and I was able to cover that story afterwards as well.

KAGAN: And for people who are critical of that, I would ask them if that was their son or daughter -- or themselves in that position, would they want you to say, Well, I'm a journalist, I don't think I will be conducting neurosurgery right now.

GUPTA: That is right. No, it is important to know what you are going to do ahead time, I think.

KAGAN: Very good. Another question, this is one is coming from Ken in Park Forest (ph), Illinois. "How about the hospital ship, the USS Comfort? How many Iraqi wounded were treated at that ship? How much capacity does the ship have, and can more wounded and sick be sent there?" I know you were fascinated with that ship...

GUPTA: Yes. This is an amazing ship. It is a huge ship, just like any that you'd see in a battlefield. It can take care of a lot of patients, thousands of patients. And both Iraq and coalition force members were taken there. Interesting point, about this is that Kuwait City -- Daryn, I know you were there -- was not accepting Iraqi -- what they called enemy prisoners of war or civilians. They were not taking any of those people for the most part. They were either going to Comfort, or they were going to Germany. Really remarkable ship. All the sorts of things that you think should be done in a hospital could be done on this ship. A lot of those things could not be done in the middle of the desert. We didn't have CAT scanners, we didn't have intensive care units, so sort of like try and save a life, and send them over to the Comfort, an excellent resource.

KAGAN: Now it is back to your regular life, neurosurgery on the docket for today. So we'll let you go.

HARRIS: Without the dust storms too.

KAGAN: Exactly. You don't need the goggles while you are operating.

GUPTA: Nice and clean. Yes. Take care.

KAGAN: Very good. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired April 21, 2003 - 10:55   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: More than 600 news reporters traveled shoulder to shoulder with coalition forces as the U.S.-led war toppled a regime and delivered war to Americans' doorsteps and living rooms.
CNN had unparalleled resources, but one correspondent had an especially unique perspective. Our medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, worked with the combat physician's group known as the Devil Docs. His skills were useful in their battle to save lives as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The story we were trying to get was really to understand how medical care is given in the field. We ended up in northern Kuwait in the desert for sometime, and then ended up on a convoy, a multiple-car convoy, multiple-vehicle convoy, 89 vehicles, three miles long. They told us it would take about five hours to get to the location where we were going to get. It took 17.

We are here behind just the front lines on in an FRSS, front line resuscitative surgical suite. Right behind me, for the first time ever, an operation has been done on the abdomen for a gunshot wound.

The condition since we've been in Iraq have not been exactly what you'd call five-star. We have slept under the stars in sleeping bags, have slept in the back of a huge truck traveling through sniper- infested areas of Iraq. We don't have bathrooms out here. We don't have showers. I haven't showered in seven days now, and it probably shows.

We had a missile fly over our heads. We had bomb shelter calls. We had bunker calls, gas alarm calls. We had to put on these gas masks 16 times in 12 hours, having to do that sometimes sitting there for an hour at a time. Those were all new things clearly to me, and something that I saw the troops actually going through.

You have to be scared if you're here. We are seeing Marines killed in action. We are hearing about possible chemical and biological stuff. Absolutely we're scared.

Reflex, right. On the left. He's brain dead.

Just a few hours ago, they came up to me and said a 2-year-old child has a gunshot wound or a shrapnel wound of great significance to the head, would I be willing to come take a look at the patient and take the patient to the operating room. Medically and morally, I thought that was the right thing to do. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Just a glimpse at Sanjay's trip through Iraq.

GUPTA: What I did with myself.

KAGAN: Back, showered, and shaven.

GUPTA: Yes.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, folks have questions for you about what you did on your vacation. Let's get right to them. First one up is from David in Glenn Ellen, Illinois. "I thought it was amazing when you were asked to scrub in and help out in the field hospital." Did this happen more than once, and did your being a doctor and having needed skills interfere with your ability to be a journalist?"

GUPTA: Well, I think that is an excellent question. It did happen more than once. It happened a few times. All of the situations were situations where these individuals -- both Iraqi and coalition force members had gunshot or -- shrapnel wounds to the head. I was asked to do these operations. These were operations that had to be done at that point if they were going to be effective. The particular patients wouldn't have survived a life flight back to Kuwait.

I didn't think it interfered with my ability to be a journalist. I think it's question a lot of people have asked me. I think it is important to decide what you're going to do ahead of time. In this sort of situation, I think there was a life, possibly, to be saved, and four times out of five they were. I think I made the right decision, and I was able to cover that story afterwards as well.

KAGAN: And for people who are critical of that, I would ask them if that was their son or daughter -- or themselves in that position, would they want you to say, Well, I'm a journalist, I don't think I will be conducting neurosurgery right now.

GUPTA: That is right. No, it is important to know what you are going to do ahead time, I think.

KAGAN: Very good. Another question, this is one is coming from Ken in Park Forest (ph), Illinois. "How about the hospital ship, the USS Comfort? How many Iraqi wounded were treated at that ship? How much capacity does the ship have, and can more wounded and sick be sent there?" I know you were fascinated with that ship...

GUPTA: Yes. This is an amazing ship. It is a huge ship, just like any that you'd see in a battlefield. It can take care of a lot of patients, thousands of patients. And both Iraq and coalition force members were taken there. Interesting point, about this is that Kuwait City -- Daryn, I know you were there -- was not accepting Iraqi -- what they called enemy prisoners of war or civilians. They were not taking any of those people for the most part. They were either going to Comfort, or they were going to Germany. Really remarkable ship. All the sorts of things that you think should be done in a hospital could be done on this ship. A lot of those things could not be done in the middle of the desert. We didn't have CAT scanners, we didn't have intensive care units, so sort of like try and save a life, and send them over to the Comfort, an excellent resource.

KAGAN: Now it is back to your regular life, neurosurgery on the docket for today. So we'll let you go.

HARRIS: Without the dust storms too.

KAGAN: Exactly. You don't need the goggles while you are operating.

GUPTA: Nice and clean. Yes. Take care.

KAGAN: Very good. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com