Blood Transfusions

[Medic7922]

Given the novelty of blood transfusion in the Great War I would suggest that simply transfusing "some" blood would be enough. The connection between shock and blood volume was only beginning to be understood and less problematic techniques such as saline and gum infusions were practiced as well.

A technique for estimating blood loss that we were taught and is still used today is the saturation of wound dressings - I'm sure to get this wrong but I think we said that one saturated field dressing was equivalent to one unit of blood (about 450 ml). However I have not seen this in any WW1 references; I would assume because there were different sizes of blood bottles (when they were introduced).

MrSwan, You are correct about the estimated blood loss into a large field dressing, While training at the ABSD one of the instructors opened a unit of blood which with CPD and whole blood was around 550ml, he poured the blood on to a hard surface and allowed it to spread, the idea was to understand how just 550mls of blood can look as it often looks a lot but in-fact losing 550mls is not harmful to life & limb as he said blood is a bad deceiver.

[Medic7922]

If your name is Staff Sgt John Redman then your the man.

[Sue Light]

I can't find any references to arterial-venous transfusion for the war, but certainly there are many records of this from the history of blood transfusion, especially the early experiments with animals. As always I am happy to be corrected.

I've come across a few in the past, but as an example see:

Direct Transfusion of Blood, Lt. Colonel Alfred Hull, R.A.M.C., British Medical Journal, 24 November 1917, page 683.

Sue

[Sue Light]

I admit to knowing very little about the subject, but having mentioned a novel earlier in the thread, I did do a bit of the research for the book, so have articles that I sourced for the author at that time which is why it all stuck in my brain.

Sue

[battiscombe]

In case there are those with an interest = this note in a Divisional orders 18 July 1917 may be of interest:

ACT OF COURAGE - The Major General Commanding wishes to express his appreciation of the following Act of Courage on the part of No.1362, Private H.W. WOOLFORD, "K" Bn., Royal Fusiliers. On 22nd june, 1917, when a patient in a Casualty Clearing Station, Private WOOLFORD voluntarily supplied 22 fluid ounces of blood for transfusion with the object of saving the life of a soldier who had been dangerously wounded. A record of the above will be made in the regimental Conduct Sheet of this man in accordance with Para.1919 (XIV) K.R.

this would appear to be Harvey Walter Woolford, 22nd Bn Royal Fusiliers, (enlisted 8/2/1915;France 25/12/1915; disch 1919), later Labour Corps 401590.

[johnboy]

Quite possibly the same as referred to in post#16?

[KRodgers]

Hi there, 

 

Sorry, very late to this thread!

 

I was just wondering if anyone knew where a blood transfusion would have happened? Would it have been at an aid post or a CCS?

 

Thanks!

 

Katie

[squirrel]

Post 36 suggests CCS or higher, therefore stationary general or hospital although IIRC later in the war perhaps at ADS.

A book which gives excellent detail on transfusions in one the chapters is "A Time To Die And A Time To Live" Disaster to Triumph: Groundbreaking developments in care of the wounded on the Western Front by Tom Scotland. Helion & Co. ISBN 978-1-911628-74-3

[Marilyne]

On 06/04/2020 at 16:03, squirrel said:

"A Time To Die And A Time To Live" Disaster to Triumph: Groundbreaking developments in care of the wounded on the Western Front by Tom Scotland. Helion & Co. ISBN 978-1-911628-74-3

 

Any review on this?? 

Is it good??? 

 

M.

[GWF1967]

From "The Roses of No Man's Land" Lyn Macdonald.

 

Rifleman Charlie Shepherd. 13th Service Battalion. The Rifle Brigade.

 

"They wheeled me into this operating place and this chap was lying there, his head at one end and my head at the other - heads and tails. I've still got the scar where they opened me up to get the tube into the vein (artery?), and it came up to a thing like a pint bottle. I had a piece of board under my arm and a rolled up bandage in my hand, and I had to keep opening and closing my fist. The blood was running up into the bottle and from there it was running into the other chap's left arm. He'd lost a leg - been down in No Man's Land. Gangrene had set in and they'd had to amputate it. Oh he was like death! As white as a sheet! There was a nice American nurse stroking my forehead, because I was only a boy and so was he. I was lying watching the other bloke and believe me, you could see the colour coming into that man's face. The American staff sewed me up - five stitches. Then they put us both back to bed and the nurse came along and bought me some Champagne. They did make a fuss of me. Oh I was the unsung hero"

 

Dr Arlie Bock. Medical Officer, US Base Hospital No.5

 

"We had been accustomed to matching blood for transfusion purposes to make it safe. You had Type 2 and Type 3 sera and you could find out which was suitable for any transfusion, because transfusion wasn't safe unless the bloods were typed, and they didn't know how to do this until we got there. I happened to have the material to organise the laboratory, being the youngest member of the outfit, and had Type 2 and Type 3 sera in order to type this blood. It was supplied to me by a very great man, James Homer Wright who was a famous Professor of Pathology at the MGH, and who invented etiology, the origin of blood platelets and so on"

 

 

Edited 27 October , 2020 by GWF1967

[squirrel]

16 hours ago, Marilyne said:

 

Any review on this?? 

Is it good??? 

 

M.

A couple of reviews on Amazon. I thought it a very informative read and certainly details the numerous advances in treatment over the war years. 

It also details the acceptance of new methods of treatment by some and the resistance to accepting these by others in the medical profession.

What was standard practice pre war in the treatment of injuries and the problems caused by the application of these methods on the Western Front particularly is explained in detail. Some comments by those on the receiving end of the treatments as well. Well worth  reading IMHO.

Edited 28 October , 2020 by squirrel

[Marilyne]

thanks. 

Guess it'll go on the next wish-list.

 

M.