Experiments in surgery and medicine Flashcards

All 9 cards in this deck

What was the Thomas splint used for, and when did it come into use on the Western Front?

To keep a broken leg rigid while a wounded man was moved; it came into use in 1916.

What effect did the Thomas splint have on survival rates for leg wounds?

Survival rose from about 20% in 1914–15 to about 80%.

What were mobile x-ray units used for on the Western Front?

They were set up close to the front to identify shrapnel fragments so they could be removed before the wound became infected.

What was the Carrel-Dakin solution?

A sterilised salt solution used to flush out infected wounds; it had to be reapplied every few hours.

What was wound excision (debridement)?

Cutting away dead and infected tissue around a wound before closing it, to stop infection spreading.

Why was a blood bank created before the Battle of Cambrai (1917)?

In anticipation of heavy casualties, so transfusions were available to stop soldiers dying from blood loss.

True or false? X-ray machines on the Western Front were only ever mobile units.

False. There were also fixed x-ray rooms at base hospitals and some casualty clearing stations, as well as mobile units.

Who set up the blood bank used at the Battle of Cambrai (1917)?

Oswald Hope Robertson, an American army doctor. He stored 22 units of blood in advance and used it to treat wounded men suffering from shock.

Who led advances in plastic surgery for soldiers with facial wounds?

Harold Gillies, at the Queen's Hospital in Sidcup, Kent, who used skin grafts to rebuild damaged faces.