Langley otolaryngologist experiences dream of helping others in Bagram

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade
  • 455th Expeditionary Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  "The reason I joined the Air Force is to serve my country while helping people in unique locations," said Maj. Jamie Swartz. "Being a surgeon allows me to change people's lives for the better."

Now on her first deployment at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, she is doing that and more.

A native of Osmond, Neb. and currently deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va., Swartz is an otolaryngologist who works in the Craig Joint Theater Hospital's ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinic with mouth surgeon, U. S. Army Lt. Col. David Thompson.

"This is the first time in my career I have been able to provide humanitarian support," said Swartz, 455th Expeditionary Medical Group, ear, nose and throat surgeon.
Major Jamie Swartz, second from right, examines a patient's stitches and incision during a follow-up appointment in the Korean humanitarian hospital on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, July 30, 2013. Swartz, who is an otolaryngology, or ear, nose and throat surgeon assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Medical Group, she recently removed a tumor from the patient's throat. She works in the Craig Joint Theater Hospital's ENT clinic with her assistant Staff Sgt. Robyn Wilcox and oral surgeon, Army Lt. Col. David Thompson. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade)

The ENT Team spends its weeks between three separate locations, treating a variety of patients.

"The patients travel far to see us, and one of our patients came from seven hours away," said their assistant, Staff Sgt. Robyn Wilcox, deployed from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. "The communication barrier, using an interpreter and limited amount of specialty tools make the appointments longer too. During that time, if we see someone who needs surgery and we think they are a good candidate, we schedule them for surgery at Craig Joint Theater Hospital."

While the primary mission of the ENT team is to take care of military and coalition trauma patients, when they are not in the emergency room, the team is in the operating room. Patients in need of elective surgery or a non-emergent procedure, on any part of the body above the neck, are referred to the Craig ENT clinic.

"Nearly 90 percent of our elective surgeries performed are on local nationals," said Swartz. "And, because they are elective, I schedule them when there is an open spot on the operating room's calendar."
Major Jamie Swartz, 455th Expeditionary Medical Group ear, nose and throat surgeon, examines a the cleft lip on 6-month-old Afghan girl prior to performing surgery on her in the Craig Joint Theater Hospital's operating room at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. She said this surgery was one the most memorable in her career thus far. Swartz is an otolaryngology deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va.(U.S. Air Force photo/ Maj. Jamie Swartz)
Major Jamie Swartz, 455th Expeditionary Medical Group ear, nose and throat surgeon, examines a the cleft lip on 6-month-old Afghan girl prior to performing surgery on her in the Craig Joint Theater Hospital's operating room at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. She said this surgery was one the most memorable in her career thus far. Swartz is an otolaryngology deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va.(U.S. Air Force photo/ Maj. Jamie Swartz)


In the past three months, Swartz, Thompson and Wilcox completed 105 surgeries, and their schedule for August is already full.

"I have had the opportunity to sharpen my surgical and clinical skills working on humanitarian cases [in Afghanistan] that I might never see in the states," said Swartz.

The cases the ENT staff sees here are far different or more advanced than what doctors would see in the U.S. The environmental factors, such as high elevation, lack of primary health care and nutritional vitamin deficiencies are contributing factors.

"Some of the adults have thyroid goiters larger than I have ever seen, and there are many children with cleft lips and palates," said Swartz. "The thyroid goiters [tumors] are significantly more prevalent here because of dietary iodine deficiency. The cleft lip and palate birth defects are more common from lack of prenatal care, vitamin deficiencies and genetic factors. Chronic ear disease is worse here because of the negative ear pressure from the high-mountain elevation and [also from] ear infections untreated at a young age which sometimes fester into chronic middle-ear problems."

Out of all the surgeries Swartz has performed thus far, there is one that stands out in her mind.

"I particularly enjoy the cleft-lip surgeries, because we [ENT surgeons] make a noticeable lifelong impact on that young patient's life - for appearance, eating and ability to blend in with the community and not face ostracism," said Swartz.

Her specialty has also been used in the Army's veterinarian clinic here. When a dog has a problem with its ears, nose or mouth, the vet calls Swartz. So far, she has treated one military working dog on multiple occasions for perforated ear drum, ear infections and multiple hematomas in the dog's ear as a result of trauma, allowing for the dog's ear to be drained to prevent infection and ear deformity.

Swartz also lectures to the Afghan doctors as part of the Afghan Trauma Mentorship Program on Bagram.

"I use the experience gained during this deployment to teach future Afghan physicians how to better care for facial trauma and perforated ear drum," she said.

Since Swartz arrived in theater, she has kept a log of all the surgeries she has performed. With two and a half months left on her deployment, she hopes to use the photographs and experience gained here to teach others once she returns to home station.