Closing Chest Wounds
Chest wounds on the battlefield were very hard to survive, at about an 8%
survival rate. You had to worry about bleeding out and infections, but the
problem was not just the injury itself, it was the sucking. The negative
pressure in the thorax created by the chest wound. This effect caused the lungs
to collapse, leading to suffocation. With the thanks of the Ambulance-to-ER
system, soldiers were getting treatment fast than ever.
They found a way to close the wound in the chest so it wouldn’t suffocate the soldier. The doctor would take a metal suture and place in in the wound, which was followed by alternating layers of lint or linen bandages. To finish the procedure the doctor would add a few drops of collodion, which is a syrupy solution that forms an adhesive film when it dries.
Today, we use a very similar procedure, but not with the metal staying in the body. They would do the metal seal, but after recovering it will be removed. The stitching is what we use mostly today, because it works more easily and more effectively. It’s also not as big of a mess.
They found a way to close the wound in the chest so it wouldn’t suffocate the soldier. The doctor would take a metal suture and place in in the wound, which was followed by alternating layers of lint or linen bandages. To finish the procedure the doctor would add a few drops of collodion, which is a syrupy solution that forms an adhesive film when it dries.
Today, we use a very similar procedure, but not with the metal staying in the body. They would do the metal seal, but after recovering it will be removed. The stitching is what we use mostly today, because it works more easily and more effectively. It’s also not as big of a mess.