Surgery aboard ship: is it safe?

A retrospective review was performed on 684 surgical procedures done aboard U.S. Atlantic Fleet ships during a 3-year period from 1994 to 1996. These procedures were compared with similar procedures performed at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. Morbidity and mortality rates were calculated and compared. A very low morbidity rate (0.43%) was reported for surgical procedures performed while deployed compared with 1.69% for procedures at the Naval Medical Center. One mortality was reported. These extremely low rates are felt to be attributable to multiple causes, including a highly selected, healthy patient population, performance of only low-risk procedures, early presentation of surgical problems, and early medical evacuation of patients with complex medical and surgical problems. We feel that elective surgical procedures such as vasectomy, circumcision, inguinal hernia repair, and hemorrhoidectomy can be performed safely aboard ship. This would increase the training opportunity for all members of the medical department and at the same time decrease the costs and risks associated with medical evacuation.