The anesthesiologist of the special purpose brigade "Azov" of the National Guard of Ukraine, with the call sign "Svitanok" , shared with TV viewers a serious problem that exists in the medical training of the Ukrainian military. He noted that in Ukraine doctors are still not prepared for an important and vitally necessary procedure - blood transfusion .
According to him, even for almost three years of war, the university programs of medical institutions have not been changed, and young doctors do not receive the necessary training for transfusion (blood transfusion), which is a common practice in the armies of NATO countries.
"Unfortunately, this is still far from obvious in our army," the doctor said, stressing that blood transfusions are not a widespread phenomenon even at stabilization points where there are doctors and medical equipment.
"It doesn't happen often, but my crew and a few others do," he added.
Blood storage and transfusion is a very expensive procedure, and "Svitanok" cannot claim that the army is fully equipped with the necessary resources. He also emphasized that the main cause of death on the battlefield is massive bleeding , and even when a wounded person can be saved on the battlefield, subsequent complications due to lack of adequate blood transfusion often lead to fatal outcomes.
In addition, the doctor mentioned the importance of cooperation between teams and blood transfusion centers , which exists, but in emergency situations, when a lot of blood needs to be transfused at the same time, there may not be enough time to transport it from the blood bank.
"We have blood components, but sometimes we need whole blood because it is very difficult to store platelets in the field," the doctor explained.
He also emphasized the need for deeper changes in the educational programs of medical universities so that doctors are prepared for blood transfusions and other complex procedures that are important to save lives on the battlefield.
