In the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, Medical Detachments (Forward Surgical), popularly known as Forward Surgical Teams (FST), are small, mobile surgical units. A functional operating room can be established within one and a half hours of being on scene and break down to move to a new location within two hours of ceasing operations.
The FST typically includes 20 staff members: 4
surgeons
In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
, 3
RNs, 2 certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), 1 administrative officer, 1 detachment sergeant, 3
licensed practical nurses (LPN)'s, 3
surgical techs and 3
medic
A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder.
Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgradu ...
s.
Surgeons perform damage control surgery on combat casualties within the "golden hour" of injury whenever possible. Casualties can then be packaged for medical evacuation to a higher level of care.
History and doctrine
First fielded during Operation Just Cause in December 1989. FSTs are utilized in a variety of ways, and can be fielded with support elements, including a
Forward Support Medical Company
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
(FSMC), Area Support Medical Company (ASMC), Brigade Medical Company also known as C-Med or in some cases stand alone (although The FST is not designed, staffed, or equipped for standalone
operations or for conducting sick-call operations.
Augmentation requirements are discussed in FM 4-02.25) to provide a surgical capability at Role 2 for those patients unable to survive MEDEVAC to Role 3 (hospital) care.
By doctrine, given in ATP 4-02.5 (May 2013) Chapter 3 section 10,
and ARTEP 8-518-10, the team is capable of continuous operations with a divisional or non-divisional medical company for up to 72 hours with a planned caseload of 30 critical patients. The FST can sustain surgery for 24 total operating table hours and has the ability to separate into two teams while jumping from one site to another. Sustained split operations are common in Iraq and Afghanistan, although not supported by current doctrine in FM 8-10-25.
FSTs are currently deployed in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Organization
The forward surgical team is organized into four functional areas:
* HEADQUARTERS – Communications, Command and Control, and administrative functions.
* ATLS (advanced trauma life support) – Triages and prepares multiple casualties for surgery or transport and has a total of up to 4 beds or treatment areas with litter stands.
* OR (operating room) – Sets up and begins surgery within one hour, can be at full functioning capacity within two hours of establishing an area of operations. The OR has two separate OR tables that can be used at the same time allowing treatment for a greater number of casualties in a given time.
* PACU/RECOVERY(post-anesthesia care unit) – Number of beds available varies based on mission up to 8 beds, deployment and available resources, for post-surgical care; Most beds will be for patients awaiting medical evacuation. FSTs forward deployed typically do not hold patients beyond recovery but are sometimes forced to due to long medevac times or weather.
Equipment
The Forward Surgical Team equipment and supplies are packed into four
HMMWV
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...
s each with an M1101 trailer and two LMTV 2.5 ton cargo trucks each with a M1082 cargo trailer. Units are normally augmented with two trailers mounting a power generator and an air conditioning system. These trailers are referred to as ECU
nvironmental Control Unitsor GET
enerator/ECU Trailers When so equipped, two of the M1101 trailers are removed.
The airborne Forward Surgical Team can be slingloaded onto cargo helicopters and moved by the headquarters unit.
References
See also
*
Field hospital
A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...
*
Combat Support Hospital
*
Battalion Aid Stations
{{no footnotes, date=February 2013
In the United States Army and Marine Corps, a battalion aid station is a medical section within a battalion's support company. As such, it is the forwardmost medically staffed treatment location.
During peaceti ...
*
Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals were U.S. Army field hospital units conceptualized in 1946 as replacements for the World War II-era Auxiliary Surgical Group hospital units, which had become obsolete. MASH Units were in operation from the Korean ...
*
Portable Surgical Hospital
During World War II, Portable Surgical Hospitals (PSH) were a type of field hospital within the United States Army. They were units of the United States Army Medical Department designed to be man-portable by the team staffing the hospital. Unique ...
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Medical units and formations of the United States Army
Trauma surgery