 This patient will never know that his destiny lies in the expertise of a man 9,400 kilometers away. The 19-year-old took a bullet to the leg. Neither the surgeon nor a visiting British doctor in Syria has expertise in peripheral nerve damage. So in the midst of war, they are consulting via Skype with Dr. Abdamajid Khatranji, a hand surgeon in Michigan. Dr. Khatranji volunteered at the same hospital during his visits to Syria. I've operated in a kitchen, I've operated in a warehouse, a granary, converted school. The northern Syria hospital has been bombed three times including this near hit, caught on tape. The doctors want a no-fly zone over all hospitals. They say the death of one doctor knocks out an entire health care system. Dr. Jomah is the director. His operating room works around the clock, 10 surgeries a day, many with assistance from overseas. Sometimes we get sophisticated cases so we consult with doctors in the West and soon we will have an intensive care unit and radiology. Khatranji and other U.S. doctors monitor as many as five surgeries a day in different field hospitals. Next he consults on a baby with shrapnel wounds. Doctors find themselves playing God, deciding who should die and who should live based solely on the lack of supplies. Khatranji thinks people should see the Syrian conflict through a surgeon's eyes. As people hear all the political noise, they really have to eliminate it and start looking at the human equation, you know, what's the human equation here. You just heard a doctor who said he doesn't look at people's ID badges. He just needs to be able to deliver care and to be able to deliver care safely. In his office, Khatranji runs a hectic hand practice and he weaves in Syrian assistance when he can. This woman caught her finger in a chain. Is that painful? Just a little bit. Doctor Khatranji has the staff tape the quick procedure, then they upload it to Syria. He says field doctors typically cut off fingertips to save time. He wants to show them they don't have to. The benefit of having all your fingers, even fingertips, as far exceeds the challenges with an amputation. In between patients, he joins a Syrian Facebook discussion. This is Turkey inside Syria, Jordan, Lebanon. What are they telling you? They're discussing the chemical weapons. Then he joins a conference call to lobby U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison, urging him to vote for U.S. intervention. I'm doing what you can just say, man, that you get on the front lines, you're my idea of a credible witness. His practice is running late. So it was stiff most of the day, but it's feeling much better right now. Another check of his iPhone. His medical assistance is needed again. Syria is calling. In East Lansing, Michigan, Carolyn Presuti, VOA News.