The Vietnam War presented an entirely new set of challenges for the soldiers fighting in it. The lack of support from Americans back home was felt to a very high degree. However, this did not stunt the further development of medical technology. Men were still getting injured, and the doctors and surgeons were still under pressure to find better, more efficient ways to heal them. Like Korea, helicopters were utilized to their full extent in light of the rough terrain. MASH units, though no longer "mobile" with the combined weight of one unit weighing upwards of 200,000 pounds, also served as an intergal part of the treatment of injured soldiers in Vietnam.
On-site Medicine
Though the implementation of helicopters proved immensley important to the survival of soldiers in Korea, even with the speed of helicopter rescues many men were still dying before they reached the MASH units. In order to prevent further deaths, men began training to provide life-saving treatments upon arrival to the scene, thus becoming the first paramedics. The point of these medics was not to provide all of the treatment to the injured on the spot but rather to perform the procedures necessary to keep them alive until their arrival to the hospital using new procedures such as surgical airways, thoracic needle decompressions, and aggresive shock recessiatation. The soldiers becoming EMT's in Vietnam would then come back to the states post war and establish the Physicians Assistant training programs.
On-site Medicine
Though the implementation of helicopters proved immensley important to the survival of soldiers in Korea, even with the speed of helicopter rescues many men were still dying before they reached the MASH units. In order to prevent further deaths, men began training to provide life-saving treatments upon arrival to the scene, thus becoming the first paramedics. The point of these medics was not to provide all of the treatment to the injured on the spot but rather to perform the procedures necessary to keep them alive until their arrival to the hospital using new procedures such as surgical airways, thoracic needle decompressions, and aggresive shock recessiatation. The soldiers becoming EMT's in Vietnam would then come back to the states post war and establish the Physicians Assistant training programs.
Vascular Surgery
Vietnam is most notably known, under medical terms, for the leaps and bounds made in vascular surgery. With the perfection of previously existing techniques, the rate of amputation dropped to just 8%. Norman Rich, an army surgeon fresh out of Stanford University when he entered the war, is credited with creating a vascular registry chronicling the cases he saw in Vietnam. This registry provided comparisons of the success and failure of various vascular prosedures and allowed for collaboration between surgeons regarding the best way to fix these errors. Rich's system led him to receive awards throughout the rest of his career and is still used by the United States Army today.
Vietnam is most notably known, under medical terms, for the leaps and bounds made in vascular surgery. With the perfection of previously existing techniques, the rate of amputation dropped to just 8%. Norman Rich, an army surgeon fresh out of Stanford University when he entered the war, is credited with creating a vascular registry chronicling the cases he saw in Vietnam. This registry provided comparisons of the success and failure of various vascular prosedures and allowed for collaboration between surgeons regarding the best way to fix these errors. Rich's system led him to receive awards throughout the rest of his career and is still used by the United States Army today.