Neurologist Brings Important Skills to Iraq
(July 28, 2008) | 
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER,
Iraq, July 24, 2008
Medics and doctors play a
key role in maintaining the health and safety of
U.S. soldiers throughout Iraq. A doctor from
Montgomery Village, Md., brings especially
important skills to the combat theater.
Lt. Col. (Dr.) Margaret Swanberg is the only
Army neurologist deployed to Iraq.
Roadside-bomb explosions have been a leading
cause of traumatic brain injuries that can vary
from compression and bruising of the brain to
damage to the nerves that send signals from the
brain to the rest of the body.
“The fact that [the 1st Armored Division's 2nd
Brigade Combat Team] ended up with a neurologist
was really just a matter of luck,” Swanberg
said, “but it has given me the chance to
evaluate soldiers in person and give the other
medics and doctors guidance and training.”
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Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Margaret
Swanberg, of Montgomery Village, Md., checks the
pupils of Army Spc. Michael Woywood, of San
Antonio, for dilation during a military acute
concussion evaluation demonstration at Forward
Operating Base Hammer, Iraq, July 18, 2008.
(Photo by Pfc. Michael Schuch, 2nd Brigade
Combat Team, 1st Armored Division) |
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Swanberg serves as the officer in charge
of the Sgt. Robertson Aid Station here. Her dedication to
the job benefits soldiers throughout Iraq, as she trains
medics throughout the country on military acute concussion
evaluation, or MACE.
For six years before her deployment, Swanberg worked at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., as a
behavioral neurologist with patients who have Alzheimer's
disease and dementia. The decision to deploy her came when
Walter Reed leaders received a request for a doctor and
reviewed their list of soldiers on deployable status. The
professional filler system, which holds the names of all
primary care military doctors, chose to send Swanberg
because of her experience in a field that would help
soldiers in Iraq.
The MACE technique allows medics and doctors to tell whether
soldiers show signs of traumatic brain injuries by asking a
series of questions. The questions test long-term and
short-term memory, as well as basic motor functions.
“The symptoms [of traumatic brain injuries] include
headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears and the ‘thousand
yard stare,'” Swanberg said. “These are all indicators that
the soldier could be the victim of a traumatic brain injury,
and that person should be screened.”
Being the only Army neurologist in the country is a huge
responsibility, but Swanberg said she feels more than up to
the task.
“I provide consultation [to unit medics and doctors] through
e-mail and in person, and if need be, I am able to fly to
Baghdad and even to the [forward operating bases] to
evaluate and treat the soldiers,” Swanberg said. “Without
having a neurologist in country, the soldiers would have to
be sent back to our medical facilities in Kuwait or even
Germany for treatment. That can take a month or longer to
get the soldier back in his unit.” | |
By Army Pfc. Michael Schuch
Special to American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2008
Note... Army
Pfc. Michael Schuch serves with the 1st Armored Division's
2nd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.
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