{"id":537,"date":"2015-04-26T09:26:12","date_gmt":"2015-04-26T09:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eject.com.au\/trailblazers\/?page_id=537"},"modified":"2025-08-28T04:22:59","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T04:22:59","slug":"afghansoviet-war","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.geoffreykayemuseum.org.au\/trailblazers\/afghansoviet-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Afghan\/Soviet War"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Geoff Long administering ketamine anaesthesia \u2013 courtesy Dr G Long<\/p>\n

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International Red Cross image at Peshawar \u2013 International Red Cross via Flickr<\/p>\n

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GEOFF LONG\u00a0<\/strong>MB, ChB, FFARCS, FANZCA
\nAFGHAN\/SOVIET\u00a0WAR<\/p>\n

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The decade-long conflict claimed tens of thousands of civilian lives.<\/p>\n

Dr Geoff Long took leave from Waikato Hospital, New Zealand, for two missions with the International Committee of the Red Cross. He was part of a team providing surgical service for combatants and civilians.<\/p>\n

Hospitals were often makeshift structures, with basic operating theatres and anaesthetic equipment. Oxygen, nitrous oxide and halothane were available. Monitoring was a BP cuff and a finger on the pulse.<\/p>\n

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General anaesthesia was reserved for laparotomies and some paediatric cases, otherwise it was mostly ketamine and spinals. Mine injuries were common and amputations were frequent.<\/p>\n

“Work was sometimes tough and frustrating with long hours and limited facilities. But it was often rewarding, providing assistance to patients who would otherwise get limited or no treatment.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The Soviet Union withdrew in 1989 but the country plunged into civil war, taking the conflict, and the death toll, into the next decade.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#595959″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Afghan Soviet Image 3″ src=”https:\/\/www.geoffreykayemuseum.org.au\/trailblazers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/afghan-girl.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”on” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Afghan Soviet Image 4″ src=”https:\/\/www.geoffreykayemuseum.org.au\/trailblazers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Halothane.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”on” alt=”Medicine bottle and packaging” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”left”]<\/p>\n

Little Afghani girl \u2013 courtesy Dr G Long<\/p>\n

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Halothane (Fluothane) \u2013 Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History<\/p>\n

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Weapons at Gate –\u00a0courtesy\u00a0Dr G Long<\/p>\n

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