The impact of war and technology on surgery Flashcards
How did the first world war lead to x-rays became widely used and therefore improving surgery ?
X -rays became widely used in the First world War. Many soldiers had billets or shrapnel embedded deep in the body and X-rays helped doctors find them quickly before they caused infection. By 1916, all British army hospitals and ambulances were using X-rays.
How did the first world war lead to antiseptics being improved and therefore improving surgery ?
Antiseptics improved as surgeons in the war bagan to experiment
with new ways of treating infection in wounds. For example, the Carrell-Darkin method (named after two doctors) kept a chemical solution flowing through the wound to fight infection.
How did the first world war lead to new ways storing blood and therefore improving surgery ?
In 1902, Karl Landsteiner has discovered blood groups. This showed why, in the 1800s, some blood transfusions did not work (the blood of some groups cannot be mixed with blood of a different group)
What was the problem the scientists had when storing blood at the start of the first world war ?
When the doctors tried to store or transport the blood it clotted and could not be used. This is solved by adding sodium citrate to prevent the blood from clotting
What did scientists learn to do when storing blood at the end of the first world war ?
Later in the war, scientists discovered how to separate and store the blood cells from plasma and keep them in a blood bank for future use.
How did plastic surgery develop in the first world War ?
- Plastic surgery improved as surgeons experimented with new ways to repair the damage caused by bullets and shrapnel, particularly to the face and the head
How did Harold Gilles help develop plastic surgery in the first world war ?
Harold Gilles set up a specialist facial injury care unit for wounded soldiers in Kent.
What new techniques were developed during the first world War?
Surgeons developed new techniques using jaw splints, wiring and metal plates as ‘replacement’ cheeks.
What new methods were developed in the second world war ?
Plastic surgeons
developed
new methods to treat burns victims (mainly those who fought in planes or tanks)
What did Archie Mclndoe (a consultant in plastic surgery in the RAF) do ?
He carried out 4000 operations on burn victims. He used skin grafts to reconstruct airmen’s faces and hands
How did radiation therapy and chemotherapy improve the treatment of cancer ?
- Radiation therapy was developed soon after the discovery of X-rays. It uses high energy rays, such as X-rays, to destroy cancer cells
- Since the 1970s, chemotherapy has been used if cancer has developed so far that radiotherapy is not successful. Powerful chemicals are used to attack cancer cells
What is the acronym to remember how has better science and technology improve modern medicine?
PLASTIC:
P - Plastic
L - Loss of blood
A - Anaesthetic
S - Scanners
T - Transplants
I - Infection
C - Computers
Who was plastic surgery developer by ?
Developed by surgeons in the First and Second world war
How did better science and technology improve the loss of blood ?
The loss of blood was tackled by effective blood transfusions, which were made possible by the discovery of blood groups and methods of storing blood (blood banks)
How did better science and technology improve anaesthetics ?
Anaesthetics improved by Helmuth Wesse who, in the 1930s, developed anaesthetics that could be injected into the blood stream. Later in the twentieth century, local anaesthetic were developed, meaning that operations could take place without the patient being put to sleep.
How did better science and technology improve Scanners ?
Scanner developed, for example, x-rays that made it possible to see inside the body without surgery. Today, CT (computerise tomography) scanners can take thousands of X-rays readings in a second. MRI uses magnet and radio waves and can detect cancer cells. Ultrasound scanners can assess the blood flow in veins and arteries
How has better science and technology improved transplants ?
Transplants developed, for example, in 1987, the first hear
t transplant was carried out; kidney and and liver transplants had already been carried out. The early 1980s saw the first bone marrow transplant and the first heart and lung transplants
How has better science and technology improved infections ?
Infections were reduced by improved antiseptic techniques such as the Carrel-Dakin method
How has better science and technology improve computers ?
Computers helped, for example, keyhole surgery, which allowed surgeons to work through a tiny hole to carry out complex operations. This is possible because if miniaturisation - all the surgeons’s tools are inside an endoscope which is controlled by the surgeons from the outside using miniature cameras, fibre-optic cables and computers. Surgeons can also use robots to carry out some operations. Nanoroberts can perform tasks such as cleaning arteries
