Enlisted medic team cares for burned Afghan toddler Published Feb. 18, 2009 By 1st Lt. Amber Balken Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team QALAT, Afghanistan -- In the remote mountains of the Deychopan district of Zabul, medical emergencies become more devastating. Air Force Staff Sgt. Warren Williamson and Army Spec. David Morris realized this first hand when the two enlisted medics led their first debridement on a baby girl. The small girl was carried to the gates of Forward Operating Base Baylough in the arms of her uncle, after local doctors could not help her. The girl was suffering from second and third degree burns to both of her feet that extended to her ankles. The child's right foot lacked reflexes, and was hard and cold, the two medics estimated that she had had no blood supply to the foot for 10-18 hours. They feared the worst; although her left foot was warm with good reflexes. After calling Wishard Burn Center in Indianapolis for clarification on proper treatment, Sergeant Williamson, with the help of Specialist Morris, began the debridement process. "The atmosphere in the room was frighteningly calm," said Sergeant Williamson. "We hadn't seen a burned victim this young since we arrived in Afghanistan, but we were trained appropriately to handle this kind of situation." Debridement, cleaning and dressing a burn victim is a very meticulous process. It involves a completely sterile field of work and patience. The medics proceeded to remove the dead skin from the little girl's feet one piece at a time. For over an hour the debridement process on her left foot continued to remove as much dead skin as possible, but also being careful not to remove any living tissue as this would hinder growth of new tissue. The human body has the capability to heal itself by replacing old or dead tissue with new tissue, but this process can only begin once the dead tissue is removed. The same process was applied to the right foot, but because of extensive damage and lack of blood flow the procedure would be less likely to take hold. After the debridement was complete the medics covered her wounds with burn cream and sterile cloths, to keep her feet protected. The little girl returned to the FOB Baylough for the next two days to go through the same procedure. "The treatment given to this little girl was no different than the treatment that would have been rendered to a U.S. Soldier," said Sergeant Williams. "Specialist Morris and I were able to give her care that she would not have received in the local clinics, and quite possibly saved her foot. That is a great feeling." Sergeant Williamson is deployed here from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.