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Kirkuk expands medical capabilities

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eric Schloeffel
  • KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq
506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs --  The 506th Expeditionary Medical Squadron expanded its medical capabilities with the recent acquisition of a computed tomography scanner.

Known as a CT scanner, the machine takes X-ray images of the body's internal areas in multi-plane slices - an improvement from typical X-ray techniques, said Maj. Elijio Venegas, 506th EMEDS administrator.

"The CT scanner enhances our ability to see internal structures," said Major Venegas, who is deployed from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. "Traditional X-rays take a superimposed image with everything viewed from either top-to-bottom or side-to-side.

"The CT scanner allows us to slice body parts different ways," he added. "It gives us the ability to look at individual slices of the body."

Operating a CT scanner at Kirkuk will save Air Force resources and allow for more effective care for the patient, said Maj. (Dr.) Loyal Stierlen, 506th EMEDS general surgeon.

"In the past, a patient needing a CT scan would be transported to Balad Air Base or Forward Operating Base Speicher," he said. "In some of these situations, the patient would have a negative scan with no injuries found. We can now perform the scan here to assess whether the patient will need to leave the base for a higher level of care, or if they can go back to work in a couple days."

Airmen from the medical squadron here provide care to the more than 5,000 coalition forces members stationed at the base - many of whom go outside the base perimeter to engage in combat operations.

In the end, the most important aspect of having the CT scanner at Kirkuk is its ability to help save the lives of not just combat Airmen - but servicemembers from a variety of coalition organizations, said Major Stierlen, who is deployed from Tinker AFB, Okla.

"The CT scanner can show us images of what's going on inside a patient's body, so it improves our ability to assess the situation without actually opening them up," he said.
"Sometimes we'll have a patient who is pretty stable, and we're not exactly sure they are bleeding. With the CT scanner, we'll be better able to observe if they're bleeding internally so we can perform the appropriate operations in a timely manner.

"The machine answers questions for us that could only be answered with surgery in the past," the major added. "The CT scanner will allow us to work more expediently and efficiently, and is a good addition to the support we provide to our injured Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, Sailors and other patients."

The machine, which costs approximately $700,000 was recently transported from Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.