| If there is such a thing as a positive outcome of war, | | | | amount of "work to get by" before patient transport. |
| it is the advancement of medicine and medical | | | | While the focus until now has been on meeting |
| devices. Historically, we have learned much in the | | | | military needs, it's easy to see how innovative wound |
| areas of surgery, trauma, orthopedics, and wound | | | | care products will eventually enhance emergency |
| management as a result of wars. | | | | trauma treatment in among the civilian population. |
| Some of the innovations that emerged during the | | | | High volumes of orthopedic injuries have stimulated |
| Civil War include the development of field hospitals, | | | | rapid development of devices such as the |
| the discovery of the link between immediate | | | | Disc-O-Tech. Inventors Lewis Pell, Motti Beyar and |
| treatment and survival rates, and establishment of | | | | Oren Globerman saw a need for expandable implants |
| the connection between sanitation and infection | | | | for traumatic injuries requiring minimally invasive |
| prevention. World War I brought recognition of | | | | orthopedic surgery in recent conflicts in Israel. |
| psychological damage resulting from war, along with | | | | With higher survival rates, particularly after roadside |
| the first blood banks and common use of blood | | | | bombings, comes a greater need for artificial limbs. |
| transfusions. During World War II field doctors | | | | Today's soldiers expect better prosthetics than those |
| implemented widespread use of penicillin in wound | | | | currently available. There has been increased activity |
| care, and advances in orthopedic devices and | | | | in the development of lighter, more flexible prosthetic |
| procedures were significant. And, who would have | | | | hands and arms; and these are expected to be |
| thought of the helicopter as a medical device? The | | | | military and civilian markets within four years. |
| Korean and Vietnam wars brought air ambulance | | | | Trauma Care Improves |
| services into use, decreasing mortality due to war | | | | Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death for |
| wounds, an application that has had a great impact in | | | | Americans under the age of 45, making the strides in |
| civilian emergency medicine. | | | | knowledge and procedures during the most recent |
| Recent wars in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and | | | | wars particularly relevant. The caseloads in today's |
| Iraq have brought advancements in orthopedics, | | | | field hospitals, where the development of diagnostic |
| trauma transport and surgery, and wound | | | | and therapeutic methods and devices is accelerated, |
| management. There have been - and continue to be | | | | exceed the busiest American trauma units. In this |
| - significant improvements in prosthetics and surgical | | | | environment, practitioners quickly gain extensive |
| instrumentation. As military and civilian doctors from | | | | experience and can effect rapid improvements. For |
| previous conflicts say, "Medical innovations are born in | | | | example, physicians in Afghanistan and Iraq have |
| days rather than in years." | | | | advanced the practical knowledge of sternal |
| Developments from Current Conflicts | | | | intraosseous devices, which are the most novel and |
| To treat extensive wounds on the front lines, | | | | effective method of fluid administration for trauma |
| innovative mobile units have been developed, and | | | | situations. |
| smaller, lighter medical devices of all types for these | | | | Highly efficient transport systems have been |
| mobile units are undergoing continual modification and | | | | extremely important for improving injured soldiers' |
| improvement. During Desert Storm I & II, for | | | | survival rates. Technological advancements ensure |
| example, Integrated Medical Systems, Inc., developed | | | | that the injured are not only transferred more |
| Life Support for Trauma and Transport, an | | | | quickly, but are also receive better monitoring and |
| integrated system of devices in a portable intensive | | | | treatment during transport. Improvements in medical |
| care unit. It includes a defibrillator, ventilator, and | | | | transportation have carried over to the civilian world: |
| patient-monitoring subsystems. With history as our | | | | the Air Force applied battlefield transportation lessons |
| guide, we can expect to see these new devices in | | | | during the evacuation after Hurricane Katrina. |
| civilian use in the future. | | | | Further Improvements in the Future |
| Novel bandages have been developed to stop even | | | | New medical devices will continue to emerge from |
| severe bleeding almost instantaneously. One, the | | | | the battlefield, from wound dressings to improved |
| Hem-Con bandage, is made from an extract of | | | | prostheses. Civilian emergency responders can |
| shrimp cells. It was developed by a retired U.S. Army | | | | expect to see innovations such as laptop-sized |
| colonel, Dr. Bill Weismann, with military trauma use in | | | | diagnostic equipment, dehydrated blood products for |
| mind. Also, devices facilitating the vacuum-sealing of | | | | longer-term storage and improved transportability, |
| open wounds have been perfected to minimize the | | | | and a host of new medical devices. |