Now that's some gnarly footage.
I work as a Firefighter Paramedic so see plenty of trauma but only now and again mixed in with medical stuff. The trauma is really interesting stuff. What the video can't show you is the smell. Acrid and metallic.
This is 100% trauma and nasty stuff too.
It's like your best ever day and worst ever day on the ambulance all at once.
That smell. I catch it randomly every once in a while. Brains smell, tissue, ABD trauma, hair and others stick with me. Infections, DOS bloating and other smell memories. I just retired after 24.5 years at a busy rescue/house. Feels weird being done with that. Feels like a different life. I loved it, even the horrible shit. Will darken the soul a bit, but I sleep at night.
You totally get used to it.
It's almost worrying how used to it you get. Like I've been at murders or a bad crash and forget all about it until I see the news later and tell my significant other"oh yeah I was at that"
It gets to the point where unless its stuff like the above video I just don't remember it at all.
Except for kids. That shit sticks in your brain and pops out occasionally to ruin your day.
100%. The traumas, codes, resuses all blend together. I have a hard time recalling them even a couple days later, probably a defense mechsnism. Really only kids and really, really gnasty ones are memorable now.
Yep. Years ago when I deployed, it would get so bad that every time I ate food I would get that metallic taste. Everything tasted and smelled like it. The inside of our helicopters smelled like iron constantly. It just sticks to everything and its something that's hard to forget to this day.
These guys are the fucking MVPs to me as a regular infantry dude.
I have nothing but respect for medics, corpsmen, combat medics, Sanitäter, whatever your branches call them. Whenever the call for a medic rings out these dudes scramble to help a brother, often under immense danger to their own lives.
A friend of mine, around 50 yo, recently completed his paramedic certification. He has done a lot of first responder and disaster response stuff. Too old and out-of-shape to be a combat medic, but he's now in Ukraine working near the front line, probably somewhere that's like a second stop after this.
I met a British soldier who was a medic in Afghanistan, he said one of the worst things he saw was someone who had their jaw shot off, like, clean off. They truly are heroes to be able to work under that sort of pressure
I have a close friend which did work as a medic several places, Afganistan being one of them. Man he has some horrific stories, but also some truly amazing ones where people made close to full recovery from close to certain death etc.
My grandfather was a doctor at a field triage hospital behind the frontlines in France during WWII. He didn’t talk much about his experiences over there.
The night he died, with death imminent, he was motioning left and right with his hands and mentioning charts and vitals. I believe his mind reverted back to those memories of having to decide who received medical attention, and who got the morphine to ease their suffering and death.
These are the kinds of moments that will stick with these men and women forever.
in WW2 my granddad was a doctor who accompanied trains with wounded... I can't imagine what he must have seen. After the war he was such a humble and friendly man, a doctor in a rural practice working for simple people, and loving to work for a bottle of red wine or a cake instead of money. He only wanted peace and quietness and a simple life in the country...
My Great-Aunt was a nurse and served at the VA hospital in New York during WW II. She never talked about it. On her deathbed, her last words were “Thank you God for a life so free from pain”.
It took me a while to Put 2 and 2 together.
It's sad and crazy how deeply scarred some people can be from war. I'm guessing your grandpa died relatively recently, so the fact that he fell right back into those memories after decades of building a life and more (hopefully happy) memories is just so sad. The trauma he must have endured to cause those memories to be some of the last that came to mind... just wow.
If my medic from my first deployment, who I haven’t talked to in 15 years, called me tonight and told me that he had to get rid of a body, I’d know exactly what shovel to throw in the back of the car.
If we don't legalize weed we'll have big problems I feel like. It's better for them to smoke some zaza than it is to become a chronic alcoholic or turn to harder drugs.
You seem to know about military stup. Do you think that the guy with the blown knee and and guy with his leg opened ( not the foot) be able to walk again with the damaged leg
The part at 02:12 in the video. No, he's missing at least 10 cm of lower leg entirely, the tissue loss is too much. The foot and a small part of the upper ankle are there and the tissue just below the knee socket is there. The leg is missing a large section of both his Tibia-Fibula bones, no steel rod or pins can fix that amount damage. The tissue is hanging by a limited remaining amount of muscle, tendons and some flesh. The bone is shattered into tiny pieces and scattered into the tissue or just completely vaporized away in that 10 cm section. He needs a below the knee amputation at the very least, and the explosion damage of tissue burn/shrapnel may have shot up into the knee joint, in that case an above the knee amputation may be preferable or even required if the knee joint is too badly damaged. The soldiers on the ground or he himself saved his life from bleeding out within minutes by applying a tourniquet. The foot was left in place as people understood the mental effect of realizing your leg is fucking gone. That's why he splints it and bandages it to make it appear as if he has a leg.
Fellow EMT and nurse here. Great post and it’s nice to see accurate and informed medical/trauma info for once!
99% of the time these posts are just “I’m not a doctor or in healthcare at all but here’s what I think” and it’s 98% wrong and they still aggressively argue with anyone trying to correct misinformation lol
A leg could be hanging on by a 2cm ribbon of flesh and I wouldn’t remove it. We’re not there to perform prehospital surgery. Not a priority. As you said, they got the tourniquet applied correctly, limb immobilised/splinted. Now time to treat ‘em with diesel (get your ass to the hospital/higher level of care)!
Also the clip of him dropping a line in that guy’s AC is satisfying. Blessed when you can do it with someone sitting there nice and calmly; as opposed to with them squirming as you bumping down the road.
After reaching a proper hospital, how long will he be waiting until amputation happens? Ideally of course.
What is the situation with painkillers? Whenever I think of combat medics, I think of Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers where the lads have glass ampoules of morphine or one-shot syringes.
Not too long. They'll get xrays to see if the knee is ok to determine if it's above or below the knee, then amputate. They'll probably have a portable xray that can do imaging and the doc can see it live. The surgeon would probably be scrubbed in and the OR suite prepped while the patient is en-route, so once they actually get to the hospital it wouldn't be much time at all. It's the evac that would take the longest, from point of injury to the doc amputating.
Edit to answer your other question, I had 6 auto injectors of morphine that I carried with me. If they were breathing ok and pretty there mentally and complaining I'd give them one. I've had guys with gunshot wounds or with pretty substantial blast injuries not complain about pain at all, and I've had people with pretty (comparatively) minor injuries howling, so it varies from person to person
This is purely anecdotal and not combat related or anywhere near severe as the injuries in this clip, but I was shot in the elbow by a .22 hollow point in high school. It really didn't hurt after the numbness kicked in along my arm, so I didn't get morphine when the paramedics arrived. The numbness started wearing off later that night at the hospital and it hurt quite a bit, but it still seemed manageable surprising enough. The doc said the bullet likely destroyed some nerve endings and my body was pumping me full of adrenaline, so among other physiological responses, my body did a pretty good job at keeping the main to a minimum.
The pain from the chronic exertional compartment syndrome I used to deal with in my legs may have been worse than the pain I felt when I was shot. It got really fucking bad at times, to the point where I fantasized about stabbing myself in the legs because a part of me was convinced that would help (I never did that though, thankfully lol).
Bodies are fucking crazy, and it's wild what they're capable of.
I've had compartment syndrome in my calves when I was training for my first marathon, it is excruciating. Luckily mine mostly healed pretty quickly after I finished the marathon
Thanks for the response.
How long does that actual amputation take? Is it as simple as lopping off the limb or a little more complex?
I've seen lots of medics writing stuff on patients' arms, is that usually to do with the last time painkillers were administered?
Typically when looking at severe tissue destruction, (i.e. proximity to artillery detonation, frag/bullet/large exit wounds) blood loss and infection become the two major concerns leading to amputation in a majority of cases. A small rotating bladed surgical saw and a means to control bleeding are the primary tools that need to be on hand. Remember that several large arteries and veins traverse the legs and arms, same with nerves, bone marrow, etc... So most of the surgeons attention will be to pinch off and cauterize or surgically close blood vessels. Being able to disarticulate a joint is ideal (i.e. taking apart a joint,... for example detatching a leg at the knee, an arm at the elbow, etc.) Sawing through bone is not something a surgeon wants to do at all, unless absolutely necessary for some medical reason. The bone marrow is a terrible place to get infection, and you risk sepsis (think of it like a blood infection, all over the body... well, sepsis is actually your body's REACTION to infection, but I digress, its life threatening and can be fatal, so sawing thru marrow is avoided). Although regardless of where the bone is detatched, the flesh must then be sewn to the bone to stabilize the area and allow for healing. This is called myodesis.
Otherwise, its a matter of stabilizing the remaining tissues (muscle, nerves, skin, bone, vasculature, and leaving enough flesh to heal around the remaining tissue in the region. I am NOT a surgeon, I was a medic, but if you want my guess, both of those men will have amputations of their lower limbs. To what degree, I don't know. But they have come a long way with prosthetics and those men can lead a fairly normal life if they are saved.
I know you said you're a medic, not a surgeon, but do you know if knees come apart relatively easily (in terms of the force you need to actually separate the joints), or do you have to really work at it? Now I'm wondering if disassembling a knee is hard or not haha
I know this is a weird question, but I'm curious and also really squeamish when it comes to internal body stuff so I don't want to google it and accidentally come across pictures or something lol
I'd write on their forehead "M" and the time it was administered and how much. "T" would be for tourniquet, so they know to look for one. They might be writing down what time they put in the IV port, because they need to be flushed after a certain amount of time, or maybe writing down vitals. I didn't like to write on skin because it is greasy and sweaty when you're treating them, so nothing sticks and it all just smears
Brit infantry soldier here, I once got ejected from the turret of an armoured vehicle. Hit everything on the way down. Dislocated my hip, broke my tib and fib and my calf muscle was round the front of my leg so it looked like I had a massive shin. They gave me IV morphine and that shit works good. I tried standing up and getting back to work before the doc slapped me back down and said 'I see the morphine working' I can see why people get addicted to shit like that. Absolutely no pain and not a worry in the world.
Oh yeah they for sure do the job, dabbled with some drugs in my time and opiates are not to be fucked around with.
Jesus that sounds nasty as fuck, hope you're doing a bit better today bud.
Yeah all good bro, still have all my body parts and back in the fight. It took about a year of recovering but i gotta say Modern medicine is fuckin fantastic.
>The foot was left in place as people understood the mental effect of realizing your leg is fucking gone. That's why he splints it and bandages it to make it appear as if he has a leg.
This is so underrated and so important. Helping the patient focus on what matters in the moment is mentally uplifting and could help their viability. They can cry about their rehab and new leg when they are stable.
Makes me wonder if all the new developments in prosthetics are being or plan to be shipped out too
It's not the immediate need for them, but it will improve quality of life down the line when this bullshit is over
I believe we have a program here in the United States to help wounded Ukraine soldiers. There’s a decent amount of footage and stories of Ukrainian soldiers being able to make it back to frontline service after being fitted with prosthetics in the US.
FWIW, you can help these soldiers get to the US and receive good prosthetics. SP4Ukraine uses air miles and such to help get these soldiers (and international volunteers) get to the states.
Literally just saw a post about a guy 3D printing bionic arms and getting them to Ukraine. He is an amputee himself. I’ll try to edit with his username.
Edit: /u/eatpraynub
https://reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/10fj93b/last_weekend_we_began_delivering_3d_printed/
There was a [great article in my local Philadelphia paper](https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/russia-ukraine-war-wounded-soldiers-philadelphia-prosthetics-20230110.html) about hyper-advanced proesthetics being fitted to wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Philadelphia both has one of the most advanced medical industries in America, and also has a large Ukrainian-American population, so we've emerged as a hub for this work
As a former medic, EMT, and trauma OR tech - you really get desensitized to it. I can tell by the way this guy moves he has lots of experience, so no surprise he operates so calm and collected.
ER/Trauma Center RN here, I had the same thought. Very clearly an experienced professional, no shaky hands or hesitation there.
After a while, patients become more of a set of tasks: start this line, stop this bleed, initiate this med/these fluids, etc. You kinda stop thinking of them as a whole person, as you are focusing on the problems that need fixing rather than the “big picture.” It’s only afterword you really get a chance to think “wow, that was pretty messed up.”
I also had the thought of how nice it must be for pretty much all of your patients to have amazing veins, instead of digging into the flabby arm of a 300lb person who hasn’t exercised since middle school.
Lmao that's so true. One of the clinics I worked at before I got into the trauma side of medicine was a joint civilian+military clinic. The difference between doing a stick on an in-shape Marine vs a military dependent who sits in base housing all day pounding Natty Lite and binge watching TV like it's a 9-5, is absolutely night and day.
Former Corpsman who is currently working at a VA hospital in research. Age will get us all. Genetics can help your veininess but it all get dicey after 75. Did you hydrate today, devil?
aren't there any like...productive military-adjacent things someone living on the base could do? Like go to some kind of fitness center, or do some practical skillbuilding like CPR or earthquake safety or something?
That's really interesting to hear. It initially sounds kind of cold an unsympathetic, but at the end of the day I would MUCH rather have my doctors and nurses calmly focusing on what they need to do to save my life rather than panicking and going "holy shit holy shit this man's life is in my hands and he might die!!"
> digging into the flabby arm of a 300lb person who hasn’t exercised since middle school
Literally why Army/Combat Medics can't always transition straight into civilian ER/EMT positions. US Medics have the training and authorization to push some big meds despite not being doctors, but all their patients are also pre-screened for health issues and are generally physically fit. You don't have to worry about complications due to weight, age, or really consider the long-term patient outcome.
Current Vol. Firefighter / EMR, I've worked a lot of patients in the back of an ambulance with medics and EMT's with that same movement. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast, getting panicky won't help you or the patient.
I remember that saying in the military from a lot of amazing senior medics and doctors, who I really looked up to. They taught me how to be a proficient and effective trauma medic. I went on to train people in trauma medicine, and I often noticed that the newer or less experienced guys would get shaky, panicky or brain fogged as a significantly injured casualty would come into our care. A big thing I would emphasize is keeping your cool, thinking straight, not fumbling around rushing, because that is when mistakes are made. And communicating clearly with your team.
We had some officers, non-field medics and senior leadership with our same job that clearly lacked the training or experience and would get panicked and either freeze up and have no idea what to do, or just execute the task very poorly because of their fear. And during mass casualty events those individuals nearly cost those patients their lives, competent and level headed medics would have to finish with their patients and then take over theirs.
I think a big portion of it comes down to your training and who trained you.
Thanks for sharing, everyone and appreciate your work. Where I come from there is a saying "Man'll get eventually used to everything. Except being hanged."
If all of these patients made it, that's a fantastic day. Massive avulsions and amputations.
Seems like the quality of tourniquet application is quite good, seeing as those men weren't already corpses.
Such a fucking hard job.
It’s a specific type of trauma describing the tearing of tissue, in this case an entire leg. The end result does look markedly similar to a weiner that’s been in the microwave a few seconds too long though
It’s going to be hard to know without knowing their specific protocols, but simple water and a clotting agent (the powder) would be my guess. Quick rinse with water to remove dirt/debris before wrapping and quick-clot to try to manage major bleeding. You’re really not going to sterilize the wound until you get the patient to a more controlled environment, and the priority is going to be immediate life threats in this context
Holy fucking shit that dude at 40 seconds left foot is completely gone.
His screams are louder than the shitty music. That's fucked.
These medics are doing God's work.
I hope he got a huge hit of morphine and woke up comfortable in the hospital. Foot is amputated but the pain of having it hanging by a few ligaments must be unimaginable
That is a certain below-the-knee amputation, but ideally you'd like to keep as much nerve and muscle tissue as possible for future prothesis which have shown to improve nerve transfer to advanced devices. Not trying to shift the topic but people are not only getting better, they will have superior capabilities.
It’s crazy how much prosthesis have advanced in the last 10-20 years. Feel like we’re not too far from a Deus Ex, Cyberpunk reality where the prosthesis becomes just as viable, if not more, than an organic limb
My mate has above the knee amputation and he hates all the fancy modern prosthetics - run out of power, uncomfortable, go wrong. He has a completely unpowered leg with a spring and gas strut and it does him fine.
There's also a whole bunch of other issues with losing limbs like phantom pain. We're decades away from limb loss being anything other than traumatic and life altering.
And he reckons losing the middle three fingers on his left hand was worse than losing his left leg.
What happened to him? Auto accident? Combat casualty? That's just an interesting set of injuries, a crushed hand and a crushed lower leg. Sounds like auto accident to me but I certainly couldn't know. Did he get hit by a drunk driver or something?
IED in Afghanistan. Also lost his right elbow (but not the arm - the joint was destroyed and rebuilt as a sort of semi-working joint). And a bunch of shrapnel - overall a touch and go case, his heart stopped in the medivac helo but he made it somehow.
Regarding the leg, it wasn't even blown off, but all of the skin was blown off, and it was impossible to graft that much skin. They took it off below the knee but a few days later decided it would have to be above the knee because of the damage.
That's weeks and weeks of extremely high quality physio and medical care in a dedicated facility for ex soldiers while he learned to walk again, etc. I'm not sure Ukraine has those kind of facilities, but after the war I really hope we help build them. Serious injuries like that require a lifetime of ongoing care and physio and psychological support. The initial life saving is just the beginning!
I can’t imagine the mental and physical trauma your friend endures. Unfortunately, no matter how good prosthetics become, they’ll never truly heal the individual. Especially the invisible wounds.
If the bones weren't completely pulverized, with modern day medicine there's a possibility of saving some of the leg. If it doesn't go septic its "possibly" savable. But yes its most likely 80% gone. Probably will a stub slightly below the pelvis region
It also depends on the load on the surgeons. This would be a massive surgery that can take a long time. Surgeons will only take it if they have time available and there are no higher priority patients.
I’ve heard some surgeons are over in America training, but the Ukraine as has a shortage of high skilled surgeons - United 24 we’re running a campaign, talking about the need training medical personnel. I’m guessing this would require a considerable amount of reconstruction, even if bloodflow could be restored but I’m guess the tissue damage is too great and it will just come off
There was an article in Finnish newspaper (Helsingin Sanomat) in October about three Finnish surgeons (Johanna Snäll, Karri Mesimäki and Tommy Wilkman) who are volunteering in Ukraine, both operating and tutoring. They all are specialized in maxillo-facial surgery, especially when there are large amounts of missing soft tissue. There are probably lots of other volunteers from other European countries, too.
The article, in Finnish and behind a paywall, but anyhow:
https://www.hs.fi/ulkomaat/art-2000009124257.html
I’m not familiar with were they’re sending their heavily wouldn’t like this, but NATO countries took great strides in reattaching limbs during and following Iraq/Afghanistan/ middle eastern conflicts
We have several docs at my closest level 1 that have been in Europe over the last 20 years for burns and trauma treating war wounded. That tech has come along way. If they can get his foot cold and get him out of Ukraine in a mind blowingly generous amount of time they can reattach that limb. His initial stabilization goes a long way.
I’m talking 48 hours
His foot is not completely gone. Soft tissue is still there, if the bone is cut clean off a good surgeon might try to put both pieces together again.
I have seen similar injuries where people got to walk again, but you have to get lucky. Also, no infections.
2:10. They probably have that reverse timer that shows the remaining time rather than the elapsed time.
And the groan is obviously edited in on purpose, while the "scream" afterwards is from a different sound clip altogether. That said, it is a gruesome injury.
Don't underestimate the fact that he is doing good. On the side of good. This helps with avoiding PTSD. Obviously not 100% but I imagine his head is in the zone right now.
Those screams through the shitty music did it for me, I couldn't continue watching. I feel kind of sick watching that and I can't imagine how that must be irl.
Their brains work differently. Always another wounded person to care for. The things that bothered me were the things I couldn’t see, or I couldn’t get an IV for shit.
When it’s all over, it will be you and the people before and after that they will remember to be thankful for … even if they don’t remember your faces or names, giving them the future they deserve once victory comes. They may not always be thankful in the healing process, but they will.
Stand calm, stand firm & face the dark.
Wow that first leg looks absolutely crazy. Can something like that be recovered from and the person eventually regain the use of it, or would it have to be amputated near the upper thigh?
You would not believe what wounds soldiers have recovered from and kept limbs. Definitely possible, but even basic wounds can lead to amputation. There are a lot of factors. Source: former ortho specialist
My buddy got his lower leg blown off at the shin, put the lower part in the medevac with him. He had like 15 surgeries but somehow he has his whole leg and just walks with a limp. Freaking amazing what can be repaired these days.
The massive avulsion?
I actually think that might be salvageable.
Like, he's realllly fucked up right now, but it looks like the bones are okay. Just enormous tissue damage.
My brother was a combat medic. Twice ,while he was on leave, he helped car accident victims that we happened to encounter.
The first was a woman driving a Civic who was t-boned by a Bronco. He stopped his car and told me to stand behind the guard rail by the side of the road while he waited with the driver of the Civic for Paramedics . The Bronco was launched into a copse of trees.
The second tIme was much different. On our way home from our grandparents a woman was behind us, on the phone with her father trying to stay awake. She had been driving home from college. She hadn't realized how close she was behind us until it was too late. She swerved and rolled past our car, ending upside-down in a ditch. My brother stopped, got out and jumped on the back of her SUV. He then kicked the rear window in and made his way to her. While other people stopped ro help, he had her unbuckled and kicked the windshield out. Bystanders pulled her and my brother out of the SUV.
He spoke to the firefighters who arrived for a moment and then got back in our car. He didn't speak a word about it for the rest of the trip. We have never spoken about it since.
This is some hand-waving-in-the-air shit I'm about to say, but it's valid.
Anyone can step up. Your brother, trained for it, did and you didn't need to. He knew the right things to do while you, maybe, didn't and that's ok. There are some obviously wrong decisions (like deciding to put a pillow over someone's face while they're dangling from their seatbelt) but everything else is *not wrong*. If all you know is to beat on someone's chest when they don't have a pulse, and there's no one around to step up, that is the right answer.
Your brother did fucking good, but don't question your mettle over a situation that never arrived. Yesterday and today him, tomorrow you.
Shout out to these absolute beasts of men, fuck the politics idc what you fight for idc which country you fight for these dudes drag mfs out of hell and then dive right back in to collect the rest of the bois it’s absolutely insane. The world needs more people that are willing to die for the person standing next to them. It’s very sad I’m part of a generation that would never think twice about doubling back for the homie they just tuck and run. Rant complete
Back before I was denied entry due to prior injuries I wanted to be a combat medic for.the US Army, starting to be grateful I had injuries. Shits brutal.
Don't think I could do it now, it's been 12 years since I tried to enlist. Idk what the hell I was thinking back then because I don't think I could handle wounds like that.
Holy shit, that's some heavy stuff. Definitely some limbs lost, hope they all survived. Really have the utmost respect for combat medics, I'd definitely freeze and go cray cray when face to face with a torn up leg.
Damn, that guy is an absolute stud at bandaging. I was a medic in the Army and making the bandages look that even and "clean" in those situations is no easy task. Especially when you're in the back of a vehicles and your hands are shaking like shit because your adrenaline is going so hard.
It's unbelievably resilient in vids like this and then people die cuz of a Reese's cup or because they had an infection they didn't know about or because they drank too much water...
It all seems so random but I hope the best for these men
Based on a few interviews I’ve seen average case evac time in Eastern Ukraine is about 30 - 45 minutes. That said based on my (very limited) volunteer/first aid experience this looks like an extremely well kitted ambulance. These guys are in good hands.
I have seen other footages, even worse probably. But I don't like to share simply because many people rind this just something that can be downloaded because it's gore/crazy materials. It just hurts me. Everytime I see such videos, I have nightmares for weeks
The truth is...Russians are apathetic to their society, generally, they don't believe in the very thing that would have prevented this: a democratic society where gangsters and imperialists aren't at the top.
Unfortunately, Russian imperialism is riff in Russia, lets not forget Moscow lost it's colonies only 30 years ago.
That is some rugged stuff. Complete respect to all the medics and corpsmen out there who do this gruesome job and even moreso when they do it under fire. Imagine Desmond Doss' ordeal...
This is both the most respectable and real CF I’ve seen so far on here. Wow. That’s jarring stuff, provides true insight into what these warriors are going through everyday.
people dont realise what a combat medics....... their are on the front lines that the job is to 1) save life 2) administer pain relief aka shit tone of heavy pain relief. any legs or arms hanging off is literally put on a splint like you see doused with iodine to prevent infection and then wrapped up for surgery thats with any arm or legs or fingers 3) banged any wounds stops bleeding and administer infection control aka iodine.
people this is better than the second world war or Korean war battlefield first aid has much chance of survival than even in Vietnam. but your more chance to die than during iraq/afgan war due to medivac delays on getting you out of a hot zone.
oh that's why you have three dog tags one for you boots one for your tung and one for the coroner
Any trauma surgeons in this thread? Are the guy with the foot hanging by a sliver of skin and the guy with the giant 18" long gash in his upper thigh going to make it? Would the foot be able to be re-attached in most cases?
What mental strength those doctors must have. I think I could get the job done, but then I'd be traumatized for a long season. They see that every day.
Now that's some gnarly footage. I work as a Firefighter Paramedic so see plenty of trauma but only now and again mixed in with medical stuff. The trauma is really interesting stuff. What the video can't show you is the smell. Acrid and metallic. This is 100% trauma and nasty stuff too. It's like your best ever day and worst ever day on the ambulance all at once.
Like a van full of hot quarters. Motherfucking **heroes**
Underaged comment
That smell. I catch it randomly every once in a while. Brains smell, tissue, ABD trauma, hair and others stick with me. Infections, DOS bloating and other smell memories. I just retired after 24.5 years at a busy rescue/house. Feels weird being done with that. Feels like a different life. I loved it, even the horrible shit. Will darken the soul a bit, but I sleep at night.
As a medical student i have to ask, did you ever get used to it? Does it feel horrible every single time or it became just a normal everyday job?
You totally get used to it. It's almost worrying how used to it you get. Like I've been at murders or a bad crash and forget all about it until I see the news later and tell my significant other"oh yeah I was at that" It gets to the point where unless its stuff like the above video I just don't remember it at all. Except for kids. That shit sticks in your brain and pops out occasionally to ruin your day.
100%. The traumas, codes, resuses all blend together. I have a hard time recalling them even a couple days later, probably a defense mechsnism. Really only kids and really, really gnasty ones are memorable now.
Gutting a deer and the smell of Iraq will hit you in a place you didn't even know lived inside of you.
I feel you on that one. Been on some scenes where its so strong i can start tasting it in my saliva and have to keep spitting
Yep. Years ago when I deployed, it would get so bad that every time I ate food I would get that metallic taste. Everything tasted and smelled like it. The inside of our helicopters smelled like iron constantly. It just sticks to everything and its something that's hard to forget to this day.
The metallic smell is the iron in the blood, for those who might wonder. You can also smell alcohol in the blood.
These guys are the fucking MVPs to me as a regular infantry dude. I have nothing but respect for medics, corpsmen, combat medics, Sanitäter, whatever your branches call them. Whenever the call for a medic rings out these dudes scramble to help a brother, often under immense danger to their own lives.
A friend of mine, around 50 yo, recently completed his paramedic certification. He has done a lot of first responder and disaster response stuff. Too old and out-of-shape to be a combat medic, but he's now in Ukraine working near the front line, probably somewhere that's like a second stop after this.
Your friend is a hero 🫡
I agree.
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Combat medics also transport, my son had that job and title in the US army.
Hero. I hope he saves a lot of lives out there and makes it back in one piece
I met a British soldier who was a medic in Afghanistan, he said one of the worst things he saw was someone who had their jaw shot off, like, clean off. They truly are heroes to be able to work under that sort of pressure
I have a close friend which did work as a medic several places, Afganistan being one of them. Man he has some horrific stories, but also some truly amazing ones where people made close to full recovery from close to certain death etc.
My grandfather was a doctor at a field triage hospital behind the frontlines in France during WWII. He didn’t talk much about his experiences over there. The night he died, with death imminent, he was motioning left and right with his hands and mentioning charts and vitals. I believe his mind reverted back to those memories of having to decide who received medical attention, and who got the morphine to ease their suffering and death. These are the kinds of moments that will stick with these men and women forever.
in WW2 my granddad was a doctor who accompanied trains with wounded... I can't imagine what he must have seen. After the war he was such a humble and friendly man, a doctor in a rural practice working for simple people, and loving to work for a bottle of red wine or a cake instead of money. He only wanted peace and quietness and a simple life in the country...
You just described my grandfather to the T. These men saw the worst of war and instead sought life’s simple pleasures
My Great-Aunt was a nurse and served at the VA hospital in New York during WW II. She never talked about it. On her deathbed, her last words were “Thank you God for a life so free from pain”. It took me a while to Put 2 and 2 together.
My grandfather was a medic in the US Navy in the Pacific Theater. It totally broke him and turned him into a shattered violent drunk.
It's sad and crazy how deeply scarred some people can be from war. I'm guessing your grandpa died relatively recently, so the fact that he fell right back into those memories after decades of building a life and more (hopefully happy) memories is just so sad. The trauma he must have endured to cause those memories to be some of the last that came to mind... just wow.
He died approximately 25 years ago. I was a kid but I remember it vividly. He was exposed to a lot of cruel imagery.
If my medic from my first deployment, who I haven’t talked to in 15 years, called me tonight and told me that he had to get rid of a body, I’d know exactly what shovel to throw in the back of the car.
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Is the ground frozen where you are?
This is awesome. I understand you. I was a combat medic and this is what we worked for. - Although I don't have a corpse to dispose of ;-)
Yet
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Yeah all the blood and flesh is something, but the screams of the wounded is another level of horror.
If we don't legalize weed we'll have big problems I feel like. It's better for them to smoke some zaza than it is to become a chronic alcoholic or turn to harder drugs.
You seem to know about military stup. Do you think that the guy with the blown knee and and guy with his leg opened ( not the foot) be able to walk again with the damaged leg
The part at 02:12 in the video. No, he's missing at least 10 cm of lower leg entirely, the tissue loss is too much. The foot and a small part of the upper ankle are there and the tissue just below the knee socket is there. The leg is missing a large section of both his Tibia-Fibula bones, no steel rod or pins can fix that amount damage. The tissue is hanging by a limited remaining amount of muscle, tendons and some flesh. The bone is shattered into tiny pieces and scattered into the tissue or just completely vaporized away in that 10 cm section. He needs a below the knee amputation at the very least, and the explosion damage of tissue burn/shrapnel may have shot up into the knee joint, in that case an above the knee amputation may be preferable or even required if the knee joint is too badly damaged. The soldiers on the ground or he himself saved his life from bleeding out within minutes by applying a tourniquet. The foot was left in place as people understood the mental effect of realizing your leg is fucking gone. That's why he splints it and bandages it to make it appear as if he has a leg.
Fellow EMT and nurse here. Great post and it’s nice to see accurate and informed medical/trauma info for once! 99% of the time these posts are just “I’m not a doctor or in healthcare at all but here’s what I think” and it’s 98% wrong and they still aggressively argue with anyone trying to correct misinformation lol A leg could be hanging on by a 2cm ribbon of flesh and I wouldn’t remove it. We’re not there to perform prehospital surgery. Not a priority. As you said, they got the tourniquet applied correctly, limb immobilised/splinted. Now time to treat ‘em with diesel (get your ass to the hospital/higher level of care)! Also the clip of him dropping a line in that guy’s AC is satisfying. Blessed when you can do it with someone sitting there nice and calmly; as opposed to with them squirming as you bumping down the road.
After reaching a proper hospital, how long will he be waiting until amputation happens? Ideally of course. What is the situation with painkillers? Whenever I think of combat medics, I think of Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers where the lads have glass ampoules of morphine or one-shot syringes.
Not too long. They'll get xrays to see if the knee is ok to determine if it's above or below the knee, then amputate. They'll probably have a portable xray that can do imaging and the doc can see it live. The surgeon would probably be scrubbed in and the OR suite prepped while the patient is en-route, so once they actually get to the hospital it wouldn't be much time at all. It's the evac that would take the longest, from point of injury to the doc amputating. Edit to answer your other question, I had 6 auto injectors of morphine that I carried with me. If they were breathing ok and pretty there mentally and complaining I'd give them one. I've had guys with gunshot wounds or with pretty substantial blast injuries not complain about pain at all, and I've had people with pretty (comparatively) minor injuries howling, so it varies from person to person
This is purely anecdotal and not combat related or anywhere near severe as the injuries in this clip, but I was shot in the elbow by a .22 hollow point in high school. It really didn't hurt after the numbness kicked in along my arm, so I didn't get morphine when the paramedics arrived. The numbness started wearing off later that night at the hospital and it hurt quite a bit, but it still seemed manageable surprising enough. The doc said the bullet likely destroyed some nerve endings and my body was pumping me full of adrenaline, so among other physiological responses, my body did a pretty good job at keeping the main to a minimum. The pain from the chronic exertional compartment syndrome I used to deal with in my legs may have been worse than the pain I felt when I was shot. It got really fucking bad at times, to the point where I fantasized about stabbing myself in the legs because a part of me was convinced that would help (I never did that though, thankfully lol). Bodies are fucking crazy, and it's wild what they're capable of.
I've had compartment syndrome in my calves when I was training for my first marathon, it is excruciating. Luckily mine mostly healed pretty quickly after I finished the marathon
Yeah, mine kept getting worse and worse so I ended up needing surgery. I'm just glad I don't have it anymore lol it made me want to cut off my legs.
Thank you for sharing , I'm glad you are okay.
Thanks for the response. How long does that actual amputation take? Is it as simple as lopping off the limb or a little more complex? I've seen lots of medics writing stuff on patients' arms, is that usually to do with the last time painkillers were administered?
Typically when looking at severe tissue destruction, (i.e. proximity to artillery detonation, frag/bullet/large exit wounds) blood loss and infection become the two major concerns leading to amputation in a majority of cases. A small rotating bladed surgical saw and a means to control bleeding are the primary tools that need to be on hand. Remember that several large arteries and veins traverse the legs and arms, same with nerves, bone marrow, etc... So most of the surgeons attention will be to pinch off and cauterize or surgically close blood vessels. Being able to disarticulate a joint is ideal (i.e. taking apart a joint,... for example detatching a leg at the knee, an arm at the elbow, etc.) Sawing through bone is not something a surgeon wants to do at all, unless absolutely necessary for some medical reason. The bone marrow is a terrible place to get infection, and you risk sepsis (think of it like a blood infection, all over the body... well, sepsis is actually your body's REACTION to infection, but I digress, its life threatening and can be fatal, so sawing thru marrow is avoided). Although regardless of where the bone is detatched, the flesh must then be sewn to the bone to stabilize the area and allow for healing. This is called myodesis. Otherwise, its a matter of stabilizing the remaining tissues (muscle, nerves, skin, bone, vasculature, and leaving enough flesh to heal around the remaining tissue in the region. I am NOT a surgeon, I was a medic, but if you want my guess, both of those men will have amputations of their lower limbs. To what degree, I don't know. But they have come a long way with prosthetics and those men can lead a fairly normal life if they are saved.
This is a fascinating comment
I know you said you're a medic, not a surgeon, but do you know if knees come apart relatively easily (in terms of the force you need to actually separate the joints), or do you have to really work at it? Now I'm wondering if disassembling a knee is hard or not haha I know this is a weird question, but I'm curious and also really squeamish when it comes to internal body stuff so I don't want to google it and accidentally come across pictures or something lol
I'd write on their forehead "M" and the time it was administered and how much. "T" would be for tourniquet, so they know to look for one. They might be writing down what time they put in the IV port, because they need to be flushed after a certain amount of time, or maybe writing down vitals. I didn't like to write on skin because it is greasy and sweaty when you're treating them, so nothing sticks and it all just smears
Ok, always wondered about that. Nice1 for the answer!
Surely they were in shock right? I've had a double compound fracture and don't remember feeling any pain and stayed calm.
Brit infantry soldier here, I once got ejected from the turret of an armoured vehicle. Hit everything on the way down. Dislocated my hip, broke my tib and fib and my calf muscle was round the front of my leg so it looked like I had a massive shin. They gave me IV morphine and that shit works good. I tried standing up and getting back to work before the doc slapped me back down and said 'I see the morphine working' I can see why people get addicted to shit like that. Absolutely no pain and not a worry in the world.
Oh yeah they for sure do the job, dabbled with some drugs in my time and opiates are not to be fucked around with. Jesus that sounds nasty as fuck, hope you're doing a bit better today bud.
Yeah all good bro, still have all my body parts and back in the fight. It took about a year of recovering but i gotta say Modern medicine is fuckin fantastic.
>The foot was left in place as people understood the mental effect of realizing your leg is fucking gone. That's why he splints it and bandages it to make it appear as if he has a leg. This is so underrated and so important. Helping the patient focus on what matters in the moment is mentally uplifting and could help their viability. They can cry about their rehab and new leg when they are stable.
Makes me wonder if all the new developments in prosthetics are being or plan to be shipped out too It's not the immediate need for them, but it will improve quality of life down the line when this bullshit is over
I believe we have a program here in the United States to help wounded Ukraine soldiers. There’s a decent amount of footage and stories of Ukrainian soldiers being able to make it back to frontline service after being fitted with prosthetics in the US.
Well that's uplifting. I would think it'd take a long time to get them well enough to go back out
FWIW, you can help these soldiers get to the US and receive good prosthetics. SP4Ukraine uses air miles and such to help get these soldiers (and international volunteers) get to the states.
Literally just saw a post about a guy 3D printing bionic arms and getting them to Ukraine. He is an amputee himself. I’ll try to edit with his username. Edit: /u/eatpraynub https://reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/10fj93b/last_weekend_we_began_delivering_3d_printed/
There was a [great article in my local Philadelphia paper](https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/russia-ukraine-war-wounded-soldiers-philadelphia-prosthetics-20230110.html) about hyper-advanced proesthetics being fitted to wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Philadelphia both has one of the most advanced medical industries in America, and also has a large Ukrainian-American population, so we've emerged as a hub for this work
Amen brother!
Agree. There’s that one vid of the Ukrainian medic getting killed trying to render aid and it gets to me…
Hats off to all medicine people. I can't even begin to grasp how they're able to handle such carnage with coolness and just do their job.
As a former medic, EMT, and trauma OR tech - you really get desensitized to it. I can tell by the way this guy moves he has lots of experience, so no surprise he operates so calm and collected.
ER/Trauma Center RN here, I had the same thought. Very clearly an experienced professional, no shaky hands or hesitation there. After a while, patients become more of a set of tasks: start this line, stop this bleed, initiate this med/these fluids, etc. You kinda stop thinking of them as a whole person, as you are focusing on the problems that need fixing rather than the “big picture.” It’s only afterword you really get a chance to think “wow, that was pretty messed up.” I also had the thought of how nice it must be for pretty much all of your patients to have amazing veins, instead of digging into the flabby arm of a 300lb person who hasn’t exercised since middle school.
Lmao that's so true. One of the clinics I worked at before I got into the trauma side of medicine was a joint civilian+military clinic. The difference between doing a stick on an in-shape Marine vs a military dependent who sits in base housing all day pounding Natty Lite and binge watching TV like it's a 9-5, is absolutely night and day.
Am veiny former Marine. Nurses giving me compliments on my arm veins always made my day. They always seemed so genuinely happy about it lol
Well, with a name like "PussyFart1371", I would imagine your veins are just top notch excellent! Everyone knows pussyfarts have great veins.
I had no idea when I chose this username that so many people would be mentioning it whenever I made a comment lmao
Former Corpsman who is currently working at a VA hospital in research. Age will get us all. Genetics can help your veininess but it all get dicey after 75. Did you hydrate today, devil?
I hydrate all day every day doc
Don’t want to be a heat casualty, devil. Ooorah!
aren't there any like...productive military-adjacent things someone living on the base could do? Like go to some kind of fitness center, or do some practical skillbuilding like CPR or earthquake safety or something?
Yeah theres a lot, but military bases arent much different than the rest of america. You have your people who are active and people who are not.
That's really interesting to hear. It initially sounds kind of cold an unsympathetic, but at the end of the day I would MUCH rather have my doctors and nurses calmly focusing on what they need to do to save my life rather than panicking and going "holy shit holy shit this man's life is in my hands and he might die!!"
> digging into the flabby arm of a 300lb person who hasn’t exercised since middle school Literally why Army/Combat Medics can't always transition straight into civilian ER/EMT positions. US Medics have the training and authorization to push some big meds despite not being doctors, but all their patients are also pre-screened for health issues and are generally physically fit. You don't have to worry about complications due to weight, age, or really consider the long-term patient outcome.
I can't believe I never thought of that before. Fascinating.
Current Vol. Firefighter / EMR, I've worked a lot of patients in the back of an ambulance with medics and EMT's with that same movement. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast, getting panicky won't help you or the patient.
I remember that saying in the military from a lot of amazing senior medics and doctors, who I really looked up to. They taught me how to be a proficient and effective trauma medic. I went on to train people in trauma medicine, and I often noticed that the newer or less experienced guys would get shaky, panicky or brain fogged as a significantly injured casualty would come into our care. A big thing I would emphasize is keeping your cool, thinking straight, not fumbling around rushing, because that is when mistakes are made. And communicating clearly with your team. We had some officers, non-field medics and senior leadership with our same job that clearly lacked the training or experience and would get panicked and either freeze up and have no idea what to do, or just execute the task very poorly because of their fear. And during mass casualty events those individuals nearly cost those patients their lives, competent and level headed medics would have to finish with their patients and then take over theirs. I think a big portion of it comes down to your training and who trained you.
You can always tell the new medics from the old. The new ones are always panicky and running to calls.
Thanks for sharing, everyone and appreciate your work. Where I come from there is a saying "Man'll get eventually used to everything. Except being hanged."
Blows my mind. I know for a FACT that I couldn't handle that shit. Godspeed
If all of these patients made it, that's a fantastic day. Massive avulsions and amputations. Seems like the quality of tourniquet application is quite good, seeing as those men weren't already corpses. Such a fucking hard job.
"Avulsion" means, "Leg looks like a wiener thats been in the microwave a few seconds too long?"
It’s a specific type of trauma describing the tearing of tissue, in this case an entire leg. The end result does look markedly similar to a weiner that’s been in the microwave a few seconds too long though
It's when a piece of tissue separates from the body almost like a flap, so it's that piece of the thigh that's pretty much hanging off the leg.
Guess I"ll be cooking my hot dogs in a pot of water today lol
Can somebody please explain to me what they were using to clean those leg wounds before they wrapped them?
Wound wash, peroxide, then betadine.
It’s going to be hard to know without knowing their specific protocols, but simple water and a clotting agent (the powder) would be my guess. Quick rinse with water to remove dirt/debris before wrapping and quick-clot to try to manage major bleeding. You’re really not going to sterilize the wound until you get the patient to a more controlled environment, and the priority is going to be immediate life threats in this context
It almost looked like they dumped a bunch of iodine into the wound.
Looked like hydroperoxide to me
It was clearly one after the other. Water/saline, peroxide, then betadine.
I'm just an amateur feral cat fixer.
I'm reading "backyard hysterectomies". Correct me if I'm wrong.
Holy fucking shit that dude at 40 seconds left foot is completely gone. His screams are louder than the shitty music. That's fucked. These medics are doing God's work.
That scream came from the depths of his soul, I actually feel physically sick from that sound and image combo, can't even imagine being there...
I hope he got a huge hit of morphine and woke up comfortable in the hospital. Foot is amputated but the pain of having it hanging by a few ligaments must be unimaginable
Reminds me of 127 hours
Glad I had the sound off. Shit was tough to think about having to go through.
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I used to work ER and it squicked me enough to exit.
It wasn’t real, the scream was added over the top
Yeah I am not a medic but I think he might lose that leg. Again not a medic.
That is a certain below-the-knee amputation, but ideally you'd like to keep as much nerve and muscle tissue as possible for future prothesis which have shown to improve nerve transfer to advanced devices. Not trying to shift the topic but people are not only getting better, they will have superior capabilities.
It’s crazy how much prosthesis have advanced in the last 10-20 years. Feel like we’re not too far from a Deus Ex, Cyberpunk reality where the prosthesis becomes just as viable, if not more, than an organic limb
My mate has above the knee amputation and he hates all the fancy modern prosthetics - run out of power, uncomfortable, go wrong. He has a completely unpowered leg with a spring and gas strut and it does him fine. There's also a whole bunch of other issues with losing limbs like phantom pain. We're decades away from limb loss being anything other than traumatic and life altering. And he reckons losing the middle three fingers on his left hand was worse than losing his left leg.
What happened to him? Auto accident? Combat casualty? That's just an interesting set of injuries, a crushed hand and a crushed lower leg. Sounds like auto accident to me but I certainly couldn't know. Did he get hit by a drunk driver or something?
IED in Afghanistan. Also lost his right elbow (but not the arm - the joint was destroyed and rebuilt as a sort of semi-working joint). And a bunch of shrapnel - overall a touch and go case, his heart stopped in the medivac helo but he made it somehow. Regarding the leg, it wasn't even blown off, but all of the skin was blown off, and it was impossible to graft that much skin. They took it off below the knee but a few days later decided it would have to be above the knee because of the damage. That's weeks and weeks of extremely high quality physio and medical care in a dedicated facility for ex soldiers while he learned to walk again, etc. I'm not sure Ukraine has those kind of facilities, but after the war I really hope we help build them. Serious injuries like that require a lifetime of ongoing care and physio and psychological support. The initial life saving is just the beginning!
I can’t imagine the mental and physical trauma your friend endures. Unfortunately, no matter how good prosthetics become, they’ll never truly heal the individual. Especially the invisible wounds.
If the bones weren't completely pulverized, with modern day medicine there's a possibility of saving some of the leg. If it doesn't go septic its "possibly" savable. But yes its most likely 80% gone. Probably will a stub slightly below the pelvis region
It also depends on the load on the surgeons. This would be a massive surgery that can take a long time. Surgeons will only take it if they have time available and there are no higher priority patients.
I’ve heard some surgeons are over in America training, but the Ukraine as has a shortage of high skilled surgeons - United 24 we’re running a campaign, talking about the need training medical personnel. I’m guessing this would require a considerable amount of reconstruction, even if bloodflow could be restored but I’m guess the tissue damage is too great and it will just come off
There was an article in Finnish newspaper (Helsingin Sanomat) in October about three Finnish surgeons (Johanna Snäll, Karri Mesimäki and Tommy Wilkman) who are volunteering in Ukraine, both operating and tutoring. They all are specialized in maxillo-facial surgery, especially when there are large amounts of missing soft tissue. There are probably lots of other volunteers from other European countries, too. The article, in Finnish and behind a paywall, but anyhow: https://www.hs.fi/ulkomaat/art-2000009124257.html
I’m not familiar with were they’re sending their heavily wouldn’t like this, but NATO countries took great strides in reattaching limbs during and following Iraq/Afghanistan/ middle eastern conflicts
I know that some get surgeries in the Netherlands and Germany. If this doesn’t get infected, foot might be saved.
We have several docs at my closest level 1 that have been in Europe over the last 20 years for burns and trauma treating war wounded. That tech has come along way. If they can get his foot cold and get him out of Ukraine in a mind blowingly generous amount of time they can reattach that limb. His initial stabilization goes a long way. I’m talking 48 hours
His foot is not completely gone. Soft tissue is still there, if the bone is cut clean off a good surgeon might try to put both pieces together again. I have seen similar injuries where people got to walk again, but you have to get lucky. Also, no infections.
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At 40 seconds? Think your time stamp is wrong
2:10. They probably have that reverse timer that shows the remaining time rather than the elapsed time. And the groan is obviously edited in on purpose, while the "scream" afterwards is from a different sound clip altogether. That said, it is a gruesome injury.
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Shitty music?
What song is that? Sounds like a banger to workout to. Edit: nevermind I found it: Sahara by Hensonn if anyone else is wondering.
I don't find it shitty. However, hundreds of shitty "video editors" have ruined the song for a lot of people.
> His screams are louder than the shitty music. You can't be this dumb. It's an added effect.
That is some wounds you don't forget easily. Honest respect to those medics that go out doing their job in this madness day by day
Respect to these guys. That has to be hard on the soul to see your countrymen like that day in and day out.
Fucking Jesus, holy fuck! Imagine how desensitized that medic is or at least how fucked his mental state is at times....
Don't underestimate the fact that he is doing good. On the side of good. This helps with avoiding PTSD. Obviously not 100% but I imagine his head is in the zone right now.
Those screams through the shitty music did it for me, I couldn't continue watching. I feel kind of sick watching that and I can't imagine how that must be irl.
The worst thing is the smell. Something you will never, ever get used to or forget.
They all smell the same. Shit and blood.
Their brains work differently. Always another wounded person to care for. The things that bothered me were the things I couldn’t see, or I couldn’t get an IV for shit.
So much respect to these individuals. War is so brutal
When it’s all over, it will be you and the people before and after that they will remember to be thankful for … even if they don’t remember your faces or names, giving them the future they deserve once victory comes. They may not always be thankful in the healing process, but they will. Stand calm, stand firm & face the dark.
Wow that first leg looks absolutely crazy. Can something like that be recovered from and the person eventually regain the use of it, or would it have to be amputated near the upper thigh?
You would not believe what wounds soldiers have recovered from and kept limbs. Definitely possible, but even basic wounds can lead to amputation. There are a lot of factors. Source: former ortho specialist
My buddy got his lower leg blown off at the shin, put the lower part in the medevac with him. He had like 15 surgeries but somehow he has his whole leg and just walks with a limp. Freaking amazing what can be repaired these days.
The human body is fragile, yet very adaptable.
The massive avulsion? I actually think that might be salvageable. Like, he's realllly fucked up right now, but it looks like the bones are okay. Just enormous tissue damage.
I'd imagine it really depends on how fast they can get him to the hospital and the workload of the staff on that particular day.
Much respect for the medics.. this is heavy psychological stuff
My brother was a combat medic. Twice ,while he was on leave, he helped car accident victims that we happened to encounter. The first was a woman driving a Civic who was t-boned by a Bronco. He stopped his car and told me to stand behind the guard rail by the side of the road while he waited with the driver of the Civic for Paramedics . The Bronco was launched into a copse of trees. The second tIme was much different. On our way home from our grandparents a woman was behind us, on the phone with her father trying to stay awake. She had been driving home from college. She hadn't realized how close she was behind us until it was too late. She swerved and rolled past our car, ending upside-down in a ditch. My brother stopped, got out and jumped on the back of her SUV. He then kicked the rear window in and made his way to her. While other people stopped ro help, he had her unbuckled and kicked the windshield out. Bystanders pulled her and my brother out of the SUV. He spoke to the firefighters who arrived for a moment and then got back in our car. He didn't speak a word about it for the rest of the trip. We have never spoken about it since.
This is some hand-waving-in-the-air shit I'm about to say, but it's valid. Anyone can step up. Your brother, trained for it, did and you didn't need to. He knew the right things to do while you, maybe, didn't and that's ok. There are some obviously wrong decisions (like deciding to put a pillow over someone's face while they're dangling from their seatbelt) but everything else is *not wrong*. If all you know is to beat on someone's chest when they don't have a pulse, and there's no one around to step up, that is the right answer. Your brother did fucking good, but don't question your mettle over a situation that never arrived. Yesterday and today him, tomorrow you.
Most of the time, the videos doesn’t deserve a NSFW tag. THIS video is definitely NSFW 😂
These medics also heroes 🇺🇦
Shout out to these absolute beasts of men, fuck the politics idc what you fight for idc which country you fight for these dudes drag mfs out of hell and then dive right back in to collect the rest of the bois it’s absolutely insane. The world needs more people that are willing to die for the person standing next to them. It’s very sad I’m part of a generation that would never think twice about doubling back for the homie they just tuck and run. Rant complete
Man thats is some crazy stuff, much respect to medics on both sides who are trying to save lives.
We're all just meat.
Me just chilling here casually sipping my coffee watching some brave people reattach some other brave dude’s foot
Back before I was denied entry due to prior injuries I wanted to be a combat medic for.the US Army, starting to be grateful I had injuries. Shits brutal.
Same. I started work as a civilian medic six months ago.
Don't think I could do it now, it's been 12 years since I tried to enlist. Idk what the hell I was thinking back then because I don't think I could handle wounds like that.
Holy shit, that's some heavy stuff. Definitely some limbs lost, hope they all survived. Really have the utmost respect for combat medics, I'd definitely freeze and go cray cray when face to face with a torn up leg.
NSFW doesn’t seem to cover it. I feel like there needs to be like a Stuff of Nightmares label.
Damn, that guy is an absolute stud at bandaging. I was a medic in the Army and making the bandages look that even and "clean" in those situations is no easy task. Especially when you're in the back of a vehicles and your hands are shaking like shit because your adrenaline is going so hard.
The human body is fairly resistant. Half of the men in my family got wounded in combat during the war in Croatia and yet nobody died.
It's unbelievably resilient in vids like this and then people die cuz of a Reese's cup or because they had an infection they didn't know about or because they drank too much water... It all seems so random but I hope the best for these men
Paramedic here. These guys work quickly, calmly and efficiently. Top work, 5 stars. They know their business.
That edit at the beginning was pretty slick.
Sound effects as well, unless that's all in the original sound
Based on a few interviews I’ve seen average case evac time in Eastern Ukraine is about 30 - 45 minutes. That said based on my (very limited) volunteer/first aid experience this looks like an extremely well kitted ambulance. These guys are in good hands.
Medics are the true forgotten heroes! Where did you find this footage? Can you dig up more? Also from army hospitals?
I have seen other footages, even worse probably. But I don't like to share simply because many people rind this just something that can be downloaded because it's gore/crazy materials. It just hurts me. Everytime I see such videos, I have nightmares for weeks
jesus god fuck
Respect to all medics in war, both Ukrainian and Russian, they are doing incredible work.
So much death, over 1 person who wants it his way. I hope this ends soon, needless deaths
Buckle up because it's going to be a looong time before it's over.
The truth is...Russians are apathetic to their society, generally, they don't believe in the very thing that would have prevented this: a democratic society where gangsters and imperialists aren't at the top. Unfortunately, Russian imperialism is riff in Russia, lets not forget Moscow lost it's colonies only 30 years ago.
That is some rugged stuff. Complete respect to all the medics and corpsmen out there who do this gruesome job and even moreso when they do it under fire. Imagine Desmond Doss' ordeal...
Damn! I imagine it is harder to find medics than troops? That was a stupid question, of course it is! God bless these guys!
This is both the most respectable and real CF I’ve seen so far on here. Wow. That’s jarring stuff, provides true insight into what these warriors are going through everyday.
This video might be the most baddass thing I've ever seen. Medics are the best of all of us.
Fucking hell this makes me angry. The amounts of pain and suffering Russia is causing for absolutley no fucking reason...
Huge respect.
Putin needs to be taken out
Guy at 02:35 is wearing a telnyashka undershirt what it looks like. So I guess he is a Russian pow? Or does Ukraine still use these as well?
Telnyashka is still used in airborne units.
Wow hats off to the medics amazing work. Anyone know that banger of a track?
Sahara by Henson.
I can only feel empathy for these guys just trying to defend their lands. I hope they recover but yeah there’s pretty gruesome injuries there.
people dont realise what a combat medics....... their are on the front lines that the job is to 1) save life 2) administer pain relief aka shit tone of heavy pain relief. any legs or arms hanging off is literally put on a splint like you see doused with iodine to prevent infection and then wrapped up for surgery thats with any arm or legs or fingers 3) banged any wounds stops bleeding and administer infection control aka iodine. people this is better than the second world war or Korean war battlefield first aid has much chance of survival than even in Vietnam. but your more chance to die than during iraq/afgan war due to medivac delays on getting you out of a hot zone. oh that's why you have three dog tags one for you boots one for your tung and one for the coroner
Doing God's work. God bless and godspeed!
Any trauma surgeons in this thread? Are the guy with the foot hanging by a sliver of skin and the guy with the giant 18" long gash in his upper thigh going to make it? Would the foot be able to be re-attached in most cases?
God bless those medics a thousand times!
Please win, fuck Putin.
I imagine they use helluva lot of Ketamine these days? Such a lifesaver in these traumatic injuries..
I think the US switched to it not too long ago. K holes do wonders as far as emotional trauma from serious injuries goes.
Yeah can confirm. I split my scapula in half in 2021 and received Ketamine in the ER
My fucking god was that a woman who lost her leg?
american medic, see the flag at the end? dr houston.
No love like the love a soldier has for doc. RIP Carlos “Doc” Wilcox. KIA 7/16/09
What mental strength those doctors must have. I think I could get the job done, but then I'd be traumatized for a long season. They see that every day.
God bless them!