Aeromedical Evacuations In The Korean War

The lack of space required many places to be converted into temporary triage locations. Triage is a quick way to streamline examination and get serious cases handled first. Another issue was moving bedridden patients after their surgeries because of the narrow hatchways and doorways. The amount of patients required another ship to be dispatched to accommodate the patients. The lack of supplies and the variations of injuries caused continuous problems for surgeons, especially those who were becoming extremely fatigued. A common issue was that the extent of injuries could not have been determined completely until the patient was on the operating table. For example patients who were referred to as D and B in the report took the constant attention and the former succumbed to his injuries after two hours. the latter survived after given saline, but still needed constant attention. Another example is an unnamed patient who was not examined for over forty hours, had developed large maggots in his wounds. Unlike modern operating rooms, supplies could not be set up according to procedure. Because of the time required to properly sanitize blankets, many soldiers were without one. (Darby)

Centuries before the Korean War, wars were long and painful events that any man could ever go through. Troops would match from countries to countries, crossing mountains, trial through the forest, and wander the desert to meet with their enemy in battle. The only problem with the troops traveling so far for so long is that before the war ever starts, the men were fatigued and casualty rates were higher than they should be. By the Korean War, an amazing machine was introduced to the military ranks, turning the tide in warfighting and troop survivability. UH-1 Huey Helicopter, or Utility Helicopter, was the one machine that was created by Bell that change the concept in warfighting and giving the United States the upper hand in war. On several

There was limited supply of medical equipment as a result they were using saws, scalpels, and knives to operate surgery in the field. It was long ago before the introduction of sterility of medical instrument and so the instrument became bridge of contamination of disease between soldiers. “Recalled on surgeon; ‘we operated in old blood-stained coats with infected hand” (Oates, 362). It was a head of discovery of antibiotic, wounds and scars could easily develop to infection and therefore limited their survival. Doctors and nurses were limited in number as well their distribution center around the battle. Soldiers were wounded so badly and doctors knew nothing except to devise amputations. They did all they can to alleviate the pain of the wounds by amputation but they were too surpassed by patients. There were no ambulances to carry victims to the medical centers nor had the doctors to see every patient with special

Memorial Hospital did not have suffice evacuation guidelines for a disaster, let alone one of this magnitude. The hospital staff developed their own triage system to evacuate patients, and as a result the LifeCare and other critically ill patients were neglected. Memorial Hospital had a vast variety of departments at the hospital including: neonatal intensive care, dialysis, oncology,

This allows the soldiers to apply pressure without having someone else to assist them. The tourniquets could only be used on wounds that occur on the arms or legs. Fibrin bandages are now used to decrease the loss of blood and the number of deaths. The treatment for a damaged limb at times, for some soldiers, was to amputate at an earlier time because it could later result in a good outcome. Anesthesia was created to prevent a lot of people from suffering pain during the operation. Military and civilian anesthesiology has connections in the treatment of trauma for critical care medicine. A vaccine was created to prevent Smallpox, it helps your body develop an immunity towards

They carry three lightweight, Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter (“drash”) tents that can be attached to one another to form a 900-ft2 facility. Supplies to immediately resuscitate and operate on the wounded arrive in five backpacks: an ICU pack, a surgical-technician pack, an anesthesia pack, a general-surgery pack, and an orthopedic pack.” They have come up with new ways to check for certain problems without big, expensive, and heavy equipment. Instead of using radiography or angiography equipment, surgeons feel for fractures and if necessary use braces in an attempt to fixate the bones.

They were moved by a combination of people , which were later collected by stretcher bearers and were brought far enough beyond the lines of battle. They were then transported by horse or cart, and sometimes by motorized ambulance, when available.[2] These men would be moved until they reached a location where they could receive treatment for their injury. Just like today, there were hospitals available, but back then, they were mostly set up in abandoned buildings or any available unoccupied buildings. However, for more serious injuries requiring emergency care, Casualty Clearing Stations were set up in tents. Here surgeries were often performed. In the early 20th century, medical utensils were limited, resulting in the use of guilotines for the amputation of limbs.[3] Today not every injury is an emergency, thus the emergency room. But back then almost every case was an emergency. While now we have a very structured emergency procedure, requiring triages, during the early 20th century, triages were

Ambulances were further developed from the base model which already existed. The ambulance’s main purpose was to speedily take injured soldiers from the battlefield to the medicine and doctors in order to receive appropriate care. Jonathan Lettermen created the ambulance that was used for the Civil War; this ambulance could carry three injured people at a time along with all the supplies necessary. This ambulance was not the ideal ambulance, but worked for the occasion. The ride was extremely bumpy and unstable, but they accomplished their job of taking people from the battlefield to the hospital area. Incredibly, during the Civil War there was multiple “trains” of ambulances, each train consisted of forty ambulances, and there was always forty ambulances on call at a time (Frederick). They were stocked with supplies and stretchers for those unable to get in unaccompanied. The Ambulances were exceptionally helpful during the Civil War, the battle of Antietam was considered the bloodiest day of the Civil War. There were over twenty three thousand casualties during the Antietam War, and in twenty four hours the ambulance corps had all the dead men off the field. At the end of the war, the ambulance was widely recognized as a large lifesaver (Oshinsky

Military medicine had not changed much in the fifty years since the American Civil War. Nurses only had salt water to rinse wounds and there was no medication to stop infections once they started.Thousands lost arms, legs, and even their lives. Overtime, doctors developed new ways to treat burns, tissue damage, and contagious diseases. Doctors soon learned how to conduct blood transfusions

Things started to go bad for the rescue mission when two helicopters had to turn back due to mechanical problems. The rescue required at least six helicopters that is all the team now had. Upon landing at Desert One another helicopter damaged its landing gear. The mission now had to be called off. As one of the helicopters attempted to lift off it banked towards one of the C-130s on the ground striking the plane and both burst into flames. Eight military personnel were killed in the incident. Another rescue plan was started but quickly scrapped. The picture below shows the crash. The helicopters were left behind for fear they might also kick up a dust storm and topple onto the C-130s. (9)

The jet fighter planes ended up playing a large role throughout the war. The use of helicopters was used throughout the war for resupply missions and they started using the helicopters as a medevac for wounded personnel. Since time is of the essence these new helicopter medevac’s saved a lot of people by getting them to a location for medical help significantly faster than previous methods. This method also became incredibly crucial during the Vietnam War along with the helicopters being armed with missiles and machine guns to cause damage and be able to evacuate the

Nearly ten years ago I entered the Army service. Through these years my work in the medical service as a medical laboratory technician, biomedical research, and most recently as a registered nurse has challenged me to examine my own practice and technical skills. I have learned about compassion, respect, empathy, equity, understanding, benevolence, and other attributes that contribute to being a proficient nurse. Our service members, families, and military culture present unique challenges that demand diversification, flexibility, and adaptation to sometimes overwhelming circumstances. My love for our military men and women and the families that stand behind them causes me to seek best practices, and innovation. The military has done a tremendous job at advancing battlefield trauma care, and statistics indicate that we have standard setting rates of battlefield lifesaving.

An additional holistic element is the person-to-person relationship you will experience with our in-flight medical staff. Our flight nurses and paramedics, while thoroughly trained in medical interventions for the critically ill, also possess skills like empathy and active listening that can help put your mind at ease during a stressful time.

Military medicine has a rich and long history. The medical and health care delivery lessons gained through multiple wars fought in the past decades are applied to improve the care for military personnel and their families. It continually evolves and adapts to the current mandates of the government.

I chose this book for my first book review for a few reasons. First, to bring to light and to honor the memory of Command Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley, who recently passed away on October 10, 2012. He is a true inspiration to be followed; a career U.S. Army Infantry Soldier, a Sergeant Major, and key leader during the Battle of Ia Drang. He fought in every major Airborne Operation of World War II, including Operation Husky, D-Day, and Operation Market Garden. He