Spurgeon Neel, a US army physician, developed the aeromedical evacuation (medevac) of battlefield casualties. As he introduced his discovery, the Vietnam war increased the technology and use of the Medevac.
Napalm was a strong chemical used to burn down forests by the US during the Vietnam War. The 106th General Hospital in Japan established a specialized burn unit. This medical advancement helped save more lives and decrease the death rate from burns to 7 percent.
Excerpts from Major General Spurgeon Neel during the Vietnam War
[MEDICAL SUPPORT OF THE U.S. ARMY IN VIETNAM 1965-1970 by Major General Spurgeon Neel]
Anesthesia
"New concepts for assisting the breathing of the critically injured were also developed to meet Vietnam requirements,......while respirators were ordinarily used, the possibility existed that harmful bacteria might be introduced since proper sterilization was not always feasible under combat conditions. New respiratory assistance devices, eliminating or reducing that potentiality, were tested. ~Major General Spurgeon Neel New respiratory machines were created during the Vietnam War in order to lower the amount of bacteria that could enter the patient while in use, this was due to new sterilization techniques.
Massive transfusions (one surviving patient had received 92 units), although lifesaving, presented problems of their own. A tendency toward bleeding appeared after multiple transfusions, but it was found that fresh frozen plasma or, if possible, freshly drawn blood could control the condition. Also, the patient whose body temperature dropped as a result of extensive transfusion became a serious problem. Two evacuation hospitals, utilized microwave ovens to warm, the whole unit of blood, in seconds to counter this condition" ~Major General Spurgeon Neel The Hospitals developed an new technique to save patients who had multiple transfusions or excessive bleeding. By heating up the blood in a microwave they were able to encounter this issue and keep the soldiers alive. Burns
"Burn cases were stabilized in-country and then evacuated to the 106th General Hospital in Japan, where, a special burn unit had been established."Of the burns treated by the 106th, 27 percent returned to duty, 66 percent were evacuated to the burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Tex., and 7 percent died." Due to the multiple burn casualties, Japan established a special burn unit to treat the victims. The specialized doctors were able to reduce the death percentage from burns to 7 percent.
Wound Healing
"The Surgical Research Team, WRAIR (Walter Reed Army Institute of Research), tested in Vietnam several experimental items, developed to aid wound healing. An antibiotic preparation, packaged as an aerosol, was distributed to aidmen in various tactical units. Immediate use on an open wound acted to retard bacteria growth, and resulted in decreased morbidity, Tissue adhesives which had low toxicity, degraded relatively rapidly, and spread well proved valuable in surgery on the lung, kidneys, and liver. The Surgical Research Team utilized them with excellent results as early as 1968."
The Surgical Research Team WRAIR, discovered an antibiotic to help aid the soldiers with wounds, they packed it as an aerosol and gave the soldiers each a package. The soldiers would have to put it on the wound and it would stop bacteria growth in order to prevent infection. Shock "Yet even so, mortality rates were increased by a postoperative pulmonary complication known as shock lung or wet lung where the lung or thorax had been traumatized. By the time the condition could be detected by X-ray, it was usually too advanced to respond to treatment. However, after extensive investigation, Colonel James P. Geiger, MC, surgical consultant from, June 1969 to June 1970, identified the mechanics of the problem and demonstrated that the complication could be forestalled by the use of diuretics in those likely to be so afflicted. This treatment significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality in the syndrome."
Colonel James P. Geiger discovered that with the use of diuretics, he could prevent the increase in morbidity and mortality form the complication known as "Shock". This is a pulmonary complication, which means the lung is shocked or wet.
Surgical Routine
"in a few instances, limb salvage was possible by constructing an extra anatomic bypass, tunneling a graft through a new route around the area, until the wound healed and a permanent vascular graft could be inserted. The expert surgeon, supported by a skilled medical team and well-equipped facilities, provided a quality of care superior to that in any previous conflict."
Doctors were able to save the soldier's limbs by constructing an extra anatomic bypass, which created a new route until it healed and they were able to put in a permanent vascular graft.