JBSA-FORT SAM HOUSTON –
Soldiers from the Medical Readiness and Training Command at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston participated in the 86th Training Division's Combat Support Training Exercise/Global Medic from April 26 to May 16.
It was also one of the largest Army Reserve joint training exercises to date.
During the joint exercise, MRTC Soldiers introduced a new approach to the concept of "train as you fight." The Human Worn Partial Task Surgical Simulator, or "cut suit," was introduced to the medical personnel participating in the exercise for the first time.
Master Sgt. Tinamarie Reese, combat medic, and Sgt. 1st Class Kristina Boettcher, licensed practical nurse, both of MRTC, were two of the six personnel that were trained and certified to work with the cut suits during the exercise.
"The neat thing about these cut suits is we can 'heal' them," Reese said. "It gives us the opportunity to have a 24-hour turnaround time on any one of the suits we have here.
"We prepare one to be worn on a live person with any type of simulated wounds we choose, creating different scenarios for the folks out on the base camps" Resse added. "When they have completed the scenario, we bring the cut suit back and begin the healing process by cleaning it and then closing the cuts with clear silicone."
"The cut suit allows them to be able to provide invaluable training to go beyond notional training and be able to actually go through the process of real surgery," Boettcher said.
The process with the cut suit is to plan out the scenarios to be given to the personnel at either the expeditionary medical facility operated by the Navy or the combat support hospital operated by the Army.
Once the scenarios and wounds are planned, then the Soldiers such as Reese and Boettcher get to work choosing which organs will be damaged by a roadside bomb, gunshot wound or even adding live parasites to the intestines.
"We try to make everything as real as possible. In one scenario, we added live earthworms to the intestines to act as parasites," Reese said. "A Soldier, Sailor or Airman could very easily drink parasitic water while deployed, so this just makes it more realistic. I like to see the reactions of the doctors when they cut into the organs and there are different materials and smells in there."
Spc. Devonne Woodruff, a dental assistant with the 912th Dental Company out of Twinsburg, Ohio, was one of three Soldiers that volunteered to wear the cut suit as he met the physical profiles needed to wear the suit.
"It was something different to do," Woodruff said.
Reese and her team are required to go along with the patient in the cut suit, since the combat medics, nurses, surgeons and other medical personnel haven't been certifiably trained on the suits. Reese and Boettcher act as observer controller/trainers to guide the surgeon where it is safe to cut and to also make sure the person inside the suit remains safe.
"There was one Soldier I had to get out of the suit half way through the scenario because he got claustrophobic," Reese said. "This suit weighs about 35 pounds and it's worn just like a backward flight suit because it zips up the back. His blood pressure increased and he started breathing heavily. We knew we had to get him out of the suit."
The cut suit is set for a male of approximately 150 to 200 pounds and 5 feet 10 inches tall. These requirements are due to the length and girth of the suit. It needs to be form fitting to the body, with no loose material. The volunteer is also only allowed to be in the suit for up to four hours, because of the weight and possible constriction of the material.
Along with the cut suit being fully operational for surgery, the observer controller/trainer also carries a blood pumping system attached to the patient.
"Our patient for the combat support hospital had a leg injury from a roadside bomb, as well as eviscerated organs from the blast," Boettcher said. "We will add the blood pumping system for the wound on his leg, so that the first responders will have to apply a tourniquet before he can even go into the emergency room. I have a remote that is linked to the blood pumping system and I can let more blood flow until I believe they have the tourniquet on correctly."
Spc. Kevin Strebler, a combat medic with the 912th Dental Company from Twinsburg, Ohio, was a volunteer for one of the cut suits. During the CSH exercise, Strebler was already on his third iteration of wearing the cut suit and seemed like a pro at what he was needed to do.
"I've done this two times before, this is my third time," Strebler said. "It's fun, I get to yell and scream about my injuries to play along. The mannequins don't yell and scream, so the doctors have to pretend more. When I'm in the operating room, I don't have to do anything ... the doctors do it all and I can take a nap."