Western Front: new developments Flashcards
What was the Carrel-Dakin method used to treat?
Infection (gas gangrene)
Describe the Carrel-Dakin method
A chemical solution flowed continuously through the wound through a system of tubes to stop infection from developing
Describe the three steps involved in a surgery to deal with infection from 1915
- All shell and bullet fragments were removed from the wound, no matter how small
- All tissue and dead muscles surrounding the wound would be removed before it became infected
- Wounds were kept open for the use of antiseptics so bacteria could not be trapped inside
What is the process of cutting away tissue and dead muscle from a wound better known as?
Debridement
What injury was the Thomas Splint designed to deal with?
Broken legs
How did the Thomas Splint change the death rate from broken legs?
Reduced from 80% to 20%
How did the Thomas Splint work?
It pulled the bones lengthways to stop them rubbing on each other, preventing blood loss
How many mobile X-ray units were there on the Western Front in January 1915?
Two
Give THREE problems with mobile X-ray machines on the Western Front
X-ray tubes would overheat and needed an hour to cool down before use
The machines themselves overheated, so three machines were used in rotation
The picture quality was worse than with the static X-ray machines in the base hospitals
What was added to blood to stop it from clotting in 1914?
Sodium citrate
What two solutions allowed blood to be stored for several days?
Refrigerating blood
Adding a citrate glucose solution
What did Geoffrey Keynes create to take blood closer to the front line?
A portable machine for storing blood
Why was it important for soldiers to receive blood as soon as possible?
It stopped their bodies from going into shock
What blood group was chosen for the blood depot before the Battle of Cambrai?
Group O
How many wounded soldiers did Oswald Hope Robertson treat with donated blood at the Battle of Cambrai? How many survived?
20 treated - 11 survived
What percentage of injuries on the Western Front were to the head, neck and face?
20%
Why were injuries to the brain such a big problem in World War I?
Doctors lacked experience of neurosurgery and little was known about how the brain worked
What did Harvey Cushing invent to extract bullets from head wounds?
A surgical magnet
Why did Harvey Cushing use a local anaesthetic during brain surgery instead of a general anaesthetic?
He found that a general anaesthetic swelled the brain which increased risks for the patient
What was Harvey Cushing’s operation survival rate for brain surgery?
71%
What helped to reduce bleeding during brain surgery?
A rubber band around the head
For how long would a patient remain at a CCS after brain surgery?
3 weeks
Who was the leading plastic surgeon on the Western Front?
Dr Harold Gillies
How many plastic surgery operations did Harold Gillies and his team perform during World War I?
100,000
How did Harold Gillies overcome the problem of infection during plastic surgery?
He moved living tissue from one part of the body whilst keeping it connected to the bloodstream and immune system
What was the tube pedicle in plastic surgery?
Forming human tissue into tubes and ‘walking the tube’ to the face, connecting it closer and closer to the face
