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MILITARY MILITARY
MEDICINE MEDICINE

World-Renowned Burn Care wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.

IN SAN ANTONIO The burn team has worked with a
multitude of nations on burn care,
training and disaster response. Most
notable was a collaboration with the
By Timothy L. Switaj, MD, MBA, MHA, FACHE, FAAFP Soviet Union in the midst of the

Cold War, following the 1989
D id you know there is an in- resource, as it is the only one of its
Bashkirian pipeline explosion.
The ISR Burn Center is a unique
ternationally renowned
burn center here in San
kind in the U.S. military. It is fully
Antonio? In the wake of World War
dedicated to the care of burn casual-
II, the United States Army deter-
ties, to training in burn care and to
mined that burn injuries would be of
advancing the science of burn care to
great concern in future conflicts. The
decrease mortality and morbidity.
atomic detonation at Hiroshima in-
The staff are fully committed to sup-
stantly created 59,500 burn casualties
porting not only the military, but also
with an equal number estimated at
the civilian community of South
Nagasaki, while the Soviet detona-
Texas and beyond. We are blessed in
tion of an atomic bomb in 1949
San Antonio to have this exceptional
raised the specter of nuclear war. At
resource readily available for all to ac-
the time, the science and practice of
cess and use.
burn care were rudimentary and

mortality was high. The U.S. Army membrane oxygenation. The staff of the Burn Center provide not only Acknowledgements:
Institute of Surgical Research (ISR) acute intervention and management for burn casualties, but also psy- Many thanks to Dr. Leopoldo Cancio, Director of the Burn Center,
had been established in 1947 to study chotherapy, rehabilitation, reconstructive surgery and long-term fol- for his review and edits to the manuscript and to Mr. Steven Galvan
wound infections. In 1949, the ISR’s low-up to mitigate the sequelae of injury. for the background information on the burn center and the photos.
focus turned to the treatment of The patients of the ISR Burn Center have the highest acuity level
burns, and it became the second ded- of the Military Health System. As such, the ISR Burn Center is a sig- Points-of-contact for further information on the
icated burn center in the U.S. Today, nificant training site for combat medics, nursing students, allied- Burn Center at BAMC include:
the ISR’s mission is “Optimizing Combat Casualty Care” − to include patients with burn-like necrotizing infections or skin diseases, and per- health professionals, medical students and graduate Mr. Steven Galvan at 210-739-4416 or
the relentless pursuit of excellence in the care of burn patients. forms 1,000 surgeries. The ISR Burn Center also fields the only U.S. physicians-in-training (interns, residents and fellows). Additionally, steven.galvan2.civ@mail.mil and
The ISR Burn Center is physically located at Brooke Army Medical Army Burn Flight Team to transport severe burn patients from any- they offer training for civilian health care personnel in the South Dr. Anthony Basel at 410-924-8330 or
Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, and consists of an outpatient clinic, where in the world. Since 2003, the Burn Flight Team has conducted Texas region in emergency burn care, to include the Advanced Burn anthony.p.basel.mil@mail.mil.
progressive care unit (24 beds), intensive care unit (16 beds), two op- 100 overseas missions (mainly for the aeromedical evacuation of com- Life Support (ABLS) course. A full-time outreach coordinator, Brent
erating rooms and two rehabilitation gyms. It occupies 103,661 sq. ft., bat casualties from the recent wars in the Middle East). It stands ready Sabatino RN, supports these efforts. Timothy L. Switaj, MD, MBA, MHA, FACHE, FAAFP
all tailored and dedicated to the care of burn patients. It is one of only to deploy worldwide within hours. ISR Burn Center staff are incredibly proud of the work they do and is a board-certified Family Medicine Physician currently serv-
70 burn centers in the world (four in the state of Texas) that are verified The ISR Burn Center staff takes a multidisciplinary approach to the of their role during major incidents in the U.S. and abroad. Some of ing on Active Duty in the U.S. Army at the rank of Colonel. He
by the American Burn Association. It serves as the regional burn center care of all patients through the entire spectrum of injury. All staff are the high-profile emergencies which they supported include the 1983 is the Chief Medical Officer and Director of Clinical Operations for the
for civilians in South Texas, while also supporting U.S. military person- fully dedicated to the Burn Center and specially trained to care for Beirut bombing, the failed Iran hostage rescue mission of 1980 and the newly established San Antonio Market under the Defense Health Agency.
nel, their families and U.S. veterans from around the world. burn patients. This includes the physicians, nurses, technicians, physical 1994 disaster at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina. They have Dr. Switaj is the Military Representative on the Board of Directors of the
Since the 1940s, through the advancement of the science in manag- and occupational therapists, nutritionists and many others. They spe- taken care of combat casualties from every U.S. military action since Bexar County Medical Society.
ing burn casualties, mortality from burns has been cut in half. On av- cialize in novel treatment modalities such as high-frequency ventila- the Korean War, including the Vietnam War, Operation Just Cause in
erage, the ISR Burn Center annually admits 450 burn patients and 100 tion, continuous renal replacement therapy and extracorporeal Panama, Operation Desert Shield (the first Gulf war) and the recent

14 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • February 2022 Visit us at www.bcms.org 15