Solutions to win: Ukraine introduces blood transfusion training for combat medics
Photo: Illustrative
Combat medics without medical education can perform blood transfusions on the front line.
The Ministry of Health set the condition for medics to complete appropriate training, Rubryka reports.
What is the problem?
According to Ukraine's Ministry of Health, more than 60% of deaths on the battlefield are related to blood loss. Timely transfusion of whole blood or its components can significantly reduce this percentage, as it allows you to save time in transporting the injured person to the nearest hospital.
However, according to the government's decree, only medical workers who, due to their qualifications, know transfusion methods, medical workers, or military personnel with medical education who have learned to transfuse blood according to the program determined by the Transplant Coordination Center, can perform the procedure on the front line.
Combat medics, who are the first to be near wounded soldiers and could do so immediately after the bleeding has stopped, were excluded from the list of persons who can transfuse blood. In July, volunteers wrote an appeal to the military leadership, asking them to solve the problems of tactical medicine in Ukraine.
What is the solution?
Combat medics rescue the wounded. Photo: Illustrative
The Ministry of Health responded to the public's request and prepared changes to the Government's resolution on regulating the blood transfusion process by combat medics at the pre-hospital stage.
How does it work?
In the case of serious injuries, timely stopping bleeding is only the first stage of providing aid. The second stage is no less important, which involves restoring the blood that a person has lost.
Timely transfusion of whole donor blood at the pre-hospital stage can save more than one life. The experience of NATO countries proves that hemotransfusion under challenging cases should be started immediately after the bleeding has stopped before the injured person is taken to the hospital. This significantly increases the chance of a soldier surviving and prevents their condition from worsening in transportation to the nearest hospital providing professional care.
"Combat medics who do not have a medical education will be able to officially carry out blood transfusions after receiving appropriate training from the Ministry of Health," Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar announced. We are talking about the blood of the first group with negative Rh, which can be transfused to everyone at the pre-hospital stage without additional testing.
"I hope we have put an end to this issue for now. Combat medics will have the right to blood transfusions. The issue is that these people need to have appropriate training. The essence of the discussion came down to this," said Hanna Maliar.
As the deputy minister pointed out, the Command of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Health found a compromise: combat medics must undergo special courses from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to carry out blood transfusions.
Combat medic Maria Nazarova.
Combat medics welcomed the news of changes to the Government's resolution:
"The decision of the Ministry of Health brings life-saving blood closer to the wounded," says Maria Nazarova, combat medic and tactical medicine instructor. "Evacuation of the wounded takes place in difficult conditions for hours, and the combat medic or the evacuation medic is with the wounded during these hours. Allowing them to transfuse collected blood from a 'universal donor' or even dry plasma that does not need a refrigerator increases survival here and now and at the stage of hospital treatment. The US army had this experience in Iraq and Afghanistan; now, it is available in Ukraine. I call on all Ukrainians to donate blood, especially carriers of the 'golden' universal blood O(I) (-)."
Tetiana Vorontsova, head of the NGO Rivne-Takmed, adds:
"The major thing next is the systematic training of these combat medics because blood transfusion is not a simple manipulation. There are nuances in implementing the procedure and possible complications. The Ministry of Health should develop a training system for combat medics and equip them with everything necessary for blood transfusions outside the hospital. And then it will work and will be able to save more than one life of the seriously injured."
Rostyslav Zauralskyi is the only military transfusion doctor in Ukraine
Rostyslav Zauralskyi, a transfusion doctor with 30 years of experience, said that the decision of the Ministry of Health opens up new ways to save the lives of seriously wounded Ukrainian soldiers.
"I hope this decision will give us more opportunities to save the wounded. But at the same time, it raises many questions that must be resolved. It is clear that you have to act very quickly on the battlefield, but the transfusion of blood and its components is not just an injection. That is why training and quality training is necessary. I hope that I will also have the opportunity to join the group of teachers of courses for combat medics organized by the Ministry of Health", said the captain of the medical service, transfusion doctor, and candidate of medical sciences, Rostyslav Zauralskyi.
Even more helpful solutions!
Vasyl Strilka, Director of the High-tech Medical Care and Innovation department of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, warned on the air of the telethon that the permission to transfuse blood to wounded soldiers by combat medics at the pre-hospital stage may increase the need for blood of the I group with negative rhesus and called on Ukrainians who have blood of the corresponding group and rhesus, become donors.
Donating blood is simple:
- If you live in a big city, call the blood center of your city and make an appointment for a specific day and time;
- If you live in a village or a small town, and blood service centers are far from you, call the blood center or the district hospital closest to you. You can find out when the field team that collects blood will work in your area.
Current phone numbers of blood centers can be found on the Ukrainian Center for Transplant Coordination (UCTC) website.
Rubryka reported that the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Italy had launched a project to support treatment centers for soldiers and civilians who were injured due to military operations in Ukraine.
