Medicine on the western front assesment Flashcards
Two ways blood transfusions developed on the western front?
blood can now be stored due to kambari blood bank
No longer given straight donor to patient
Name two WW1 battles and why they were important
Paschendale - extreme muddy conditions
Somme - mass number of casualties
Why was it difficult to transport the wounded?
Muddy conditions and still within firing range of the enemy
What did the RAMC and Field Ambulance do?
Transport the wounded and look after them such as giving surgery and blood transfusions
What was the problem with mobile X-ray units
Only 6 of them
They overheated
What was the draw back with the effective Carrel-Dakin method?
Had to be remade every 6 hours
What is Shrapnel?
Metal fragments from exploded shells
Who was Harvey Cushing
Neurosurgeon during the war who removed shrapnel using magnets. Had a 71% success rate
What impact did the Thomas splint have on leg injuries?
Increased survival rate from 20% to 80%
Why were infected wounds so common?
Muddy conditions and fabric stuck inside from clothing that x rays couldn’t detect
Who was Harold Gillies
Plastic surgeon for soldiers with face injuries from things such as shrapnel he used “swing method”
What was the difference between Geoffrey Keynes and Oswald Hope Robertson?
Plastic surgeon for soldiers with face injuries from things such as shrapnel he used “swing method”
What does RAMC stand for?
Royal army medical corp
What difficulties could surgeons face?
Work in the dark, high pressure, triage system, overcrowding
What were the stages of the chain of Evacuation?
Regimental aid posts
Dressing stations
casualty clearing stations with triage system to help those who needed it the most first and were less likely to die
base hospitals
Who provided nursing care on the western front?
RAMC FANY Red cross
