Navy Lab Studying Whether Smaller Ships Could Host Surgical Facilities - USNI News: A Navy laboratory is investigating whether smaller U.S. Navy ships could host hospital facilities to support surgeries at sea.
Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division is looking into the possibility of conducting surgeries aboard the Littoral Combat Ship, Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPT) (formerly known as the Joint High Speed Vessel) and other “alternative platforms.” A Human Systems Integration Team, headed by NSWC PCD Biodynamics Laboratory engineer Eric Pierce, is hosting a proof-of-concept study from Aug. 31 to Oct. 9, 2015, to “deliver qualitative analysis to determine the feasibility of conducting select surgical procedures during high sea states,” according to a Navy statement.
“Once we have the study’s findings, we’ll take that information and give to leadership for further exploration to determine the feasibility on smaller navy vessels, using modeling and simulation of the high speed vessels and littoral combat ships,” chief of naval operations staff medical analyst Lt. Cmdr. Randy Dee said in the statement.
