Medical Advances from the Vietnam War

VVAVet Medical Advances

Injured veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars can give credit to the medical personnel of earlier wars, including the Vietnam War, for their care and recovery.

Surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and other staff advanced medical practices for soldiers receiving care in the areas of trauma care and blood supply, repair of blood vessels to save limbs, and studying the effects of a range of weapons.

The contributions of medical personnel improved the outcomes of those wounded not only in Vietnam, but also subsequent wars.

A technique in trauma care in the use of topical antimicrobial chemotherapy for the care of burns and other wounds was available for the first time in the theater of operations.

Another practice that evolved during the Vietnam War was the use of universal donor, or Type O, blood banks in various stations throughout Vietnam.

Techniques that were developed during World War II and the Korean War greatly reduced the need for amputations in the field by tying the major artery to the affected limb.

The improvements in emergency responses and trauma care techniques that were developed during the Vietnam War are still relevant now.

Read more: The VVA Veteran




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