Welcome To Vietnam with Bill Meffert, MD
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What disclaimer and introduction does the episode begin with?
At the Nocturinous, we are careful to ensure that all stories comply with healthcare privacy laws. Details may have been changed to ensure patient confidentiality. All views expressed are those of the person speaking and not their employer. First, do no harm. We all take the oath. But what does it mean to honor that oath in a time of war? I'm Emily Silverman and this is The Nocturne, stories from the world of medicine. In this episode, retired trauma surgeon Bill Meffert reflects on the time he spent caring for wounded soldiers in Vietnam alongside a priest. This story is graphic, so if you have children listening, I recommend you save it for later, although I hope you'll listen when you can. In the conversation afterward, Bill and I talk about practicing medicine in the middle of a war and what it's like to transition back to civilian life.
Have a listen to Bill Meffort.
I'm eighty two years old now. But I was only twenty eight when I finished my surgical training. I After the surgical training I entered the army. And was sent almost immediately to Tedang, Vietnam. And worked in a large evacuation hospital there. This is what I remember. It's August. It's hot as hell. I took off my regular army uniform and just wore shorts. T shirts and sandals. Bloodstained from soldiers and sweat soaked. I drank water from a canteen. While medics scooped blood from the floors with snow shovels. I spit sand into a sink. And smelled the odors of rot and And antiseptics. Helicopters landed nearby, blowing sand everywhere. And kerosene fumes. And the soldiers streamed in from The helicopters. And went to surgery.
Medics ran back and forth with blood supplies and and bandages. And it was very chaotic. I hadn't dreamed it would be like this. Well then all of a sudden there was nothing to do. The casualties were evacuated and the fighting seemed to let up for some whatever reason. And we slept, eight regular meals. And played volleyball. One of my friends, Lu Cusanata, an ENT surgeon. Leaped up for the ball. And came down on a rock and broke his foot. He was evacuated to Honolulu. We all wanted to break a foot. Well then all of a sudden chaos resumed. The helicopters came in. One after the other, sand blew through the Flimsy tense. Kerosene odors were everywhere. Patients were rushed to surgery. And it all started over again.
I Was with two other surgeons. We took the worst patient to surgery first. And he had a brain injury and was bleeding in the abdomen. in a traumatic amputation of one of his legs. We worked for several hours. And he kept bleeding up to at least twenty units of blood as I recall. And finally His temperature drop down to the point where he would not clot.
How did Bill Meffert’s early medical training lead him to Vietnam?
He suffered a cardiac arrest. And could not be resuscitated? I was so depressed and upset. And exhausted. Was dehydrated. I picked up a canteen of water. And it felt heavy as lead. Why had I ever chosen surgery? It was the last thing I would choose right then. And I thought of the patient's family. Спешли аз модер, пробу. Praying for him right now. For a safe return. They removed him from the table. And he was replaced By a curly head kid from Iowa. With an abdominal wound and several Fractures And his legs. I made the incision in the abdomen. And blood spilled out, splashing all of us before pooling on the floor. I looked in the abdomen, I could see that the right lobe of the liver was devitalized, being a dark gray instead of a normal pink.
What was daily life like for surgeons in the chaotic evacuation hospital?
It had stellate fractures and Obviously could not be repaired. I resected the that part of the liver. And the bleeding was stopped. I can't remember. The number of patients or their names that I operated on, they're just too many. But Father Perez remembered, he's a Catholic priest. He was always there in the hospital, even when rockets hit nearby, he would be there. Wearing his sweaty fatigues. With a bottle of tequila in one pocket. And a bottle of holy water in the other. His only sacrament was a narrow green stole which he ri wore looped over his shoulders. And then he would throw it back when he bent down. To talk to the soldiers, he took down their names.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What disclaimer and introduction does the episode begin with?
0:00–3:51
2
How did Bill Meffert’s early medical training lead him to Vietnam?
3:51–4:57
3
What was daily life like for surgeons in the chaotic evacuation hospital?
4:57–12:02
4
How did Bill handle the critical surgery on a patient with massive bleeding?
12:02–19:21
5
What role did Father Perez play in the field hospital and how did he help the soldiers?
19:21–28:13
6
Why did Bill decide to operate on the severely injured boy despite doubts about his survival?
28:13–35:30