Experience in Providing Ambulatory Surgery From an Expeditionary Fast Transport Mobile and Rapidly Deployable Expeditionary Medical Unit During Continuing Promise 2018.

CP-18 was the first CP mission to perform elective ambulatory surgery on foreign soil using a tent-based facility in a noncombat, nondisaster environment instead of a hospital or amphibious ship. This mission demonstrated that such a facility may be employed to safely perform low-risk ambulatory surgeries on carefully selected patients. The Expeditionary Medical Unit, coupled with the fast transport vessel enabled rapid expeditionary surgical facility setup with significant military and disaster relief applications. Expansion of surgical indications should be performed carefully and deliberately to avoid complications and damage to international relationships.