Changes In Surgery Ww1 Flashcards
(25 cards)
Who discovered blood groups and when
- Karl landsteiner
- 1901, groups A, B, O
- 1902, group AB
(He also discovered that transfusions only work if donor + patient have same blood type)
Who discovered that O was universal and when
- Ottenberg
- 1907
Who discovered that the addition of sodium citrate to blood would stop it clotting and when
- Lewisohn
- 1915
(Meant blood could be stored for a few days)
Who discovered that refrigerating blood kept it usable for 48 hours and when
Richard Weil
- 1915
Who discovered that adding glucose citrate increased the time blood could be stored for up to 4 weeks and when
Rous + turner
- 1916
At what 1917 battle were there depots of O blood
Battle of Cambrai
(Increased survival rate of those not transferred back to CCS)
- Dr Robinson
Which doctor pioneered the use of indirect transfusion and when
- Robertson (Canadian)
- blood was transferred into patient before surgery
(Using syringe + tube) - increased survival rate for patients
- 1915
What was wound excision / debridement
- cutting away dead, damaged + infected tissue from wound site
- (then stitched up the excision)
- stopped infection spreading if done in time
How many men had amputations by 1918
240,000 men
- Mostly to stop spread of infection
What was Carrel-Dakin method
- used a sterilized salt solution through a tube
Limitation of Carrel-Dakin method
- solution only lasted 6 hours
- so solution had to be made simultaneously as the operations
- difficult when lots of wounded men needed treatment simultaneously
What was the point of the Thomas splint
- it immobilized the soldier’s broken leg
Helpful because:
- limbs should be kept still + straight until operation
- injuries were made worse when leg moved
Why was Thomas splint helpful
- limbs should be kept still + straight until operation
- injuries were made worse when leg moved
When was Thomas splint introduced on the western front
End of 1915
What was the survival rate before and after Thomas splint was introduced for a leg wound
20% to 82% survival
What did Harvey Cushing do
- Experimented with the use of magnets
- to pull pieces of metal from a wound
- found that local anaesthetic > general anesthetic when it comes to brain surgery
- since general anesthesia causes brain to swell
Prosthetics were now made of lighter alloys + more advanced mechanisms
//
Why did Cushing say local anaesthetic is better than general anesthetic in brain surgery
- general caused brain to swell
Limitations of prosthetics
- took a long time to make
- so a long waiting list
- patient had to be taught to use it
What did Harold Gillies do
- experimented with new plastic surgery techniques
(Like using pieces of bone/cartilage to make new features) - skin grafts
- technique called pedicle tube
What was the pedicle tube
- A flap of skin was ‘grown’
- until it could be attached to a new part of the body
When and where did Gillies set up a plastic surgery unit
- 1917
- Queen’s Hospital, Sidcup
How many plastic surgery operations were carried out by the end of the war
12,000 operations
What was the pedicle tube technique
- narrow layer of skin was lifted up from body
- stitched into a tube at one end
- other end still attached to body
- so blood continued to circulate
- and healthy skin developed
- once tube was long enough:
- free end would be attached to new site
- once skin graft in place:
- tube would be cut free at the base
