Fascinating article in today's Washington Post about how instructive, and even transformative, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the Somali debacle of '93 have been in the trauma care protocols of U.S. military medics. The article focus is on treating blood loss. They have actually gone back to some WW I and II strategies as well as implementing new technology.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/01/AR2010110104802.html?hpid=sec-healthThe single most important change was the endorsement of tourniquets, ancient devices that for the second half of the 20th century were considered too dangerous to use because extended use can cause tissue damage. The new ones optimize the force distributed across the strap and can be tightened and locked with one hand. Every soldier carries one, and medics carry a half-dozen.
A new generation of bandage, called Combat Gauze....
Medics are now taught not to worry if a person's blood pressure is as low as 85/40 (normal is 120/80) as long as the patient is alert.
Content of a military medics' bag:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/spe...ST2010110104926
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