New Techniques In The Treatment Of Wounds Flashcards
How many amputations took place to prevent death by 1918
240,000
What was wound excision/ debridement
Cutting away the dead or infected tissue to reduce infection.
Need to be done quickly
All shell/ bulked fragments removed
What needed to be done after the wound excision
The wound needed to be closed with stitches
Often antiseptics were used to kill infection
What was the Carrel-Darkin method
carbolic acid was inefficient when treating gas gangrene
Putting sterilised sat solution in a wound through a tube
What was the problem wit the Carrel-Dakin method
Solution only lasted 6 hours and had to be made as soon as it was needed
When did the cartel-Dakin method become the most efficient solution
1917
what was the chance of survival of a man had a gunshot wound in his leg and in what years?
I’m 1914/1915, survival rate was 20%
What was the current splint like
It didn’t keep the leg straight so by the time the soldier reached CCS, the man had suffered blood loss, shock, gangrene and would need amputation
Who invented the Thomas splint
Hugh Thomas
What was the Thomas splint like
It kept the leg straight so the bone healed in the correct position
When were medical practitioners on the front trained on how to use the Thomas splint
December 1915
Survival rates from this type of wound increased to 80%
How would x-rays be done
2 X-rays would be taken from different angles and this helped the surgeon identify the locatio and shape of shrapnel
What were the weaknesses of xrays
The length of time it took
Tubes in the X-ray overheat quickly meaning it could only be used for an hour, so 3 machines were used in rotation
When were blood transfusions introduced to the British sector, by who and where?
Lawrence Robertson
Base hospital at Boulogne
1915
What method did Lawrence Robertson use
The human to human method to prevent shock or loss of blood in casualties
