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Lessons from the frontline: why the experiences of soldiers in the Falklands War made doctors rethink how they treat severe trauma wounds.Key facts
- During the Falklands conflict, wounded soldiers in the field often waited hours for medical assistance - remarkably, many survived.
- Following the Falklands conflict, the procedure of giving trauma victims immediate transfusions was called into question.
- In previous conflicts, soldiers had bled to death as high blood pressure prevented wounds from clotting naturally.
- Modern medics now watch and wait for the body's repair system to start working and only act if blood pressure does not rise naturally.
Transcript
In the Falklands conflict between Argentina and Britain, night battles and bad weather meant getting in medical support quickly was impossible.
Injured soldiers were sometimes left alone for hours.
It's thought that the long wait before blood transfusions were administered may actually have saved these men's lives.
Prof Jim Ryan, Trauma Surgeon …
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