medical advancements

• infection control:

  • tackled infection by gas gangrene and dirt of operating theatres
  • improvements:
  • wound excision - cutting away of infected tissue and treating with antiseptics to prevent spread of infection
  • Carrel-Dakin - washing wound with salt solution
  • amputation - cutting of limb
• Thomas Splint:

  • tackled:
  • men with gunshot wound had 20% rate of survival
  • 80% of soldiers with broken thigh bone died
  • improvements:
  • splint at start of war did not keep leg rigid
  • stopped joint from moving
  • prevented blood loss
  • increased survival rate from 20-82% - meant fewer amputations needed
• mobile x-ray unit:

  • tackled:
  • x-rays could not identify all things
  • long time to set up equipment and make x-ray
  • improvement:
  • located fragments quickly - removed more accurately
  • reduced chance of infection - used in mobile units
  • used in CCS and base hospitals
• blood transfusions:

  • tackled:
  • blood easily clotted so could not be stored - shortages in blood
  • improvements:
  • sodium citrate added to blood to prevent clotting
  • citrate glucose allowed for storing blood - blood banks prepared before major battle
  • Geoffrey Keynes developed portable blood transfusion kit - blood to be taken to frontline
  • blood before battle of Cambrai
  • tanks and machine guns increased severe injuries
• head injuries:

  • tackled:
  • 20% wounds were to head or face - most fatal
  • few doctors with neurosurgeon skills
  • improvements: Harvey Cushing
  • magnets used to remove metal from brain
  • switch to local anaesthetic from general - less swelling
  • CCS developed for brain surgery
  • survival rate - 71% compared to usual 50%
• plastic surgery:

  • tackled:
  • severe disfigurement
  • no surgeons specialised in facial reconstruction
  • improvements: Harold Gillies
  • made new facial reconstruction surgeries - to be carried out in base hospitals
  • surgery and recovery documented