Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Finding Comfort in Combat
Aired March 13, 2003 - 14:37 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: Well, if there is war with Iraq, there will no doubt be some U.S. casualties. And for many of the injured, their next stop will be one of the Navy's two hospital ships, the USNS Comfort.
CNN's Kyra Phillips reports from the floating medical center.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Finding comfort in combat. Its goal, to save lives, providing every and any kind of medical and surgical care in a combat theater.
CAPT. CHARLES BLAKENSHIP, U.S. NAVY: We have neurosurgeons on board. We have cardiothoracic surgeons. We have general surgeons like myself doing anything abdominal, a lot of orthopedics. We have all the sub-specialties in surgery, ear, nose and throat. Oral maxillofacial, plastic and burn surgery. You name it, we've got it on board.
PHILLIPS: One of the specialized doctors is Commander Claude Anderson. With only a 48 hours heads up, this doctor orthopedic surgeon was hands on in the Gulf.
CMDR. CLAUDE ANDERSON, U.S. NAVY: Approximately 30 percent of casualties that occur are going to be orthopedic in nature. I'm actually specially trained in foot and ankle surgery, and foot and ankle trauma. Unfortunately, land mine injury which potentially can occur. I would -- that was something that I could probably help quite a bit out in.
PHILLIPS: This floating hospital has 12 operating rooms, 1,000 beds and brand new equipment, as much as a big city hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an interventional radiology machine.
PHILLIPS: In other words, surgical radiology at sea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if somebody had a gunshot wound, say, to the kidney or to the spleen or to the liver and they were bleeding and we were unable to do surgery on them right away or they were unstable, we could actually put this catheter in this artery and show the surgeons where the bleeders are so they can go and do the surgery to fix the problem.
PHILLIPS: And with the wounded also comes the reality of weapons of mass destruction. Every patient will be decontaminated. Every contagious patient will be isolated. Every doctor, like Commander Claude Anderson, is hoping to be prepared.
ANDERSON: There's only a few times in history where it's been used. And, you know, there is no studies. No one knows what the effects are or if we really have, you know, stuff that's going to prevent it and keep us from being injured from it. And, you know, god help us if that doesn't happen.
PHILLIPS: Aboard the USNS Comfort, Kyra Phillips, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 March 13, 2003 - 14:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, if there is war with Iraq, there will no doubt be some U.S. casualties. And for many of the injured, their next stop will be one of the Navy's two hospital ships, the USNS Comfort.
CNN's Kyra Phillips reports from the floating medical center.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Finding comfort in combat. Its goal, to save lives, providing every and any kind of medical and surgical care in a combat theater.
CAPT. CHARLES BLAKENSHIP, U.S. NAVY: We have neurosurgeons on board. We have cardiothoracic surgeons. We have general surgeons like myself doing anything abdominal, a lot of orthopedics. We have all the sub-specialties in surgery, ear, nose and throat. Oral maxillofacial, plastic and burn surgery. You name it, we've got it on board.
PHILLIPS: One of the specialized doctors is Commander Claude Anderson. With only a 48 hours heads up, this doctor orthopedic surgeon was hands on in the Gulf.
CMDR. CLAUDE ANDERSON, U.S. NAVY: Approximately 30 percent of casualties that occur are going to be orthopedic in nature. I'm actually specially trained in foot and ankle surgery, and foot and ankle trauma. Unfortunately, land mine injury which potentially can occur. I would -- that was something that I could probably help quite a bit out in.
PHILLIPS: This floating hospital has 12 operating rooms, 1,000 beds and brand new equipment, as much as a big city hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is an interventional radiology machine.
PHILLIPS: In other words, surgical radiology at sea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And if somebody had a gunshot wound, say, to the kidney or to the spleen or to the liver and they were bleeding and we were unable to do surgery on them right away or they were unstable, we could actually put this catheter in this artery and show the surgeons where the bleeders are so they can go and do the surgery to fix the problem.
PHILLIPS: And with the wounded also comes the reality of weapons of mass destruction. Every patient will be decontaminated. Every contagious patient will be isolated. Every doctor, like Commander Claude Anderson, is hoping to be prepared.
ANDERSON: There's only a few times in history where it's been used. And, you know, there is no studies. No one knows what the effects are or if we really have, you know, stuff that's going to prevent it and keep us from being injured from it. And, you know, god help us if that doesn't happen.
PHILLIPS: Aboard the USNS Comfort, Kyra Phillips, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
