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22 Jun 2021, 14:51

Fatalities from combat wounds decline sharply over decade, says Russian expert

This breakthrough can be explained by several factors, primarily, by pre-hospital assistance, the expert said

MOSCOW, June 22. /TASS/. Fatalities from wounds sustained on the battlefield have dwindled substantially over the past decade due to better pre-hospital assistance, Surgeon-Lecturer of the Field Surgery Department at the Kirov Military Medical Academy Viktor Reva told TASS on Tuesday.

"A breakthrough has occurred in military medicine and especially in military surgery in the past 10-15 years. The number of fatalities from battlefield wounds has decreased substantially over the past decade," Reva said.

This breakthrough can be explained by several factors, primarily, by pre-hospital assistance, the expert said.

"It has improved substantially. Generally speaking, combat casualty care primarily benefits from quick first aid provision and the amount of this aid has considerably expanded lately," the surgeon stressed.

Russian medics have received new domestic devices and equipment, he said.

"In other words, it has been possible to deliver more wounded personnel to surgeons. In present-day conditions, the probability for a wounded serviceman to survive is about 97-98%, if he is delivered to a surgeon. Also, evacuation means have improved, the delivery has become quicker and the time factor plays a crucial role," Reva said.

The Kirov Military Medical Academy has invented a number of blood-stopping methods, including special binders and hemostatic agents and developed a technique for arresting the blood flow of heavily wounded personnel. Some innovations are being introduced into the civilian sector, the surgeon said.