BackTable Vascular & Interventional Ep. 612 Interventional Radiology in Military Medicine with Dr. John York
Jan 30, 2026
Dr. John York, interventional radiologist and career U.S. Navy officer with decades of deployments and shipboard service. He shares vivid stories from combat zones, improvised procedures in resource-limited settings, leadership running expeditionary medical units, and managing the COVID crisis aboard an aircraft carrier. Short, tense clinical tales and reflections on adaptability and training.
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No RVU Pressure Encourages Teamwork
- Military hospitals lack RVU pressure so clinicians collaborate freely across specialties.
- York noted this removes financial competition and focuses care decisions on patient need.
Field Vertebral Artery Rescue
- John York described treating a soldier with vertebral artery injury using a C-arm in a tent and pushable coils.
- He called a neurointerventionalist for advice, coiled the pseudoaneurysm, and the patient recovered home weeks later.
Multi‑Specialty Trauma In One OR
- York recounted multi-team OR collaboration fixing different injuries simultaneously under austere conditions.
- He described direct arterial access, coiling through micropuncture, and improvising when standard gear wasn't available.