Tej M. Singh, M.D., chief of Vascular Surgery for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, recently returned from two weeks at the U.S. Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Germany, where he performed life- and limb-saving surgeries for U.S. soldiers wounded while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan in November 2011. America’s largest hospital outside its borders, LRMC is a state-of-the-art Level I Trauma Center that provides medical care for coalition forces from 48 countries.
In this video, Dr. Singh talks about his experiences and how it has affected his perspective on his medical practice at home.
Dr. Singh was the first surgeon from Northern California to volunteer his time and expertise in vascular care and surgery. Dr. Singh was selected by the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) to be the lead volunteer vascular surgeon, providing emergency vascular and endovascular care for wounded military personnel. He performed rounds and surgeries for traumatic injuries from explosives, requiring reconstruction surgery or amputation. Dr. Singh also did “best practices” trainings for the medical staff.
“This was a very special opportunity for me,” said Dr. Singh. “Caring for our soldiers was so special. To see first hand how our largest international military hospital functions and cares for our soldiers was so impressive. The dedication, gratitude and teamwork concept is second to none. I think they taught me more about myself as a doctor than I taught at LRMC. The whole experience from immediate injury to transport to definitive care and return back to the United States is streamlined and provides the best care for our military. We should be very proud of our dedicated military doctors and staff.”
This is the fifth year that the Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) has orchestrated continuous two-week rotations of volunteer vascular surgeons at the LRMC.
The Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine and civilian medical staff at LRMC has treated more than 64,000 wounded soldiers since 2001. Most patients remain at LRMC for three to five days before being transported to other military medical facilities. The survival rate at LRMC is 99.5 percent.
The Army has only 24 active duty vascular surgeons. These medical officers are stationed at combat hospitals and stateside US military facilities. LRMC does not have permanently assigned military vascular or cardiothoracic surgeons although there is often a need for these specialties. The unique military / civilian medical collaboration is a “win-win” for the surgeons and their patients.
About the Society for Vascular Surgery®
The Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) is a not-for-profit professional medical society, composed primarily of vascular surgeons, that seeks to advance excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research, and public awareness. SVS is the United States advocate for 3,550 specialty-trained vascular surgeons and other medical professionals who are dedicated to the prevention and cure of vascular disease.
About the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Sutter Health
The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in the multispecialty group practice of medicine. Founded in 1930, PAMF is part of the Peninsula Coastal Region of Sutter Health, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit networks of community-based health care providers. PAMF’s 1,000 affiliated physicians and 4,900 employees serve nearly 730,000 patients at its medical centers and clinics in Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. For more information, follow PAMF on Twitter, join us on Facebook or visit pamf.org
Media Contact:
Cynthia Greaves
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
greavec@pamf.org
650-934-8614
Sue Crosson-Knutson
Society for Vascular Surgery
scknutson@vascularsociety.org
312-334-2311
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