– Alexander Nikolaevich reflects on how seriously wounded soldiers arriving at Vishnevsky Military Hospital from the Ukrainian battlefield are treated today. The question of how recovery technologies have evolved since the Great Patriotic War invites a clear answer: the landscape has transformed profoundly.
Recovery and evacuation have undergone major refinements. In the past, the path to care was a sequence of stops: first aid at the scene, then a medical battalion, then the front-line hospital base, and finally a field hospital near the front. Today, air evacuation is the dominant method. Fighters can be transported from the battlefield to care within roughly two to three hours. Helicopters lift them from the field to Chkalovsky airport, which lies about 31 kilometers northeast of Moscow, and from there they are moved swiftly by air to Vishnevsky Hospital. This streamlined process represents a new standard for urgent medical support.
Why isn’t immediate help always possible on the spot? The surgeon explains that extremis scenes require equipment that may not be immediately accessible. Advanced devices like heart-lung machines are not always ready for every field incident. Vishnevsky Hospital has prepared two heliports specifically to support such rapid evacuations, and the team continues to develop solutions for road injuries that may demand urgent helicopter transfer as well.
What equipment do these helicopters carry? They are equipped with essentials: oxygen, a ventilator, and a resuscitation kit. A common question concerns whether the fan must be turned off when the helicopter lands. The answer is no. There are transport fans designed to stabilize patients during quick transfers onto stretchers and into the operating room.
Who decides that a wounded soldier should be taken to Vishnevsky? Field sanitary units and first aid doctors determine the routing. The helicopter crew includes anesthetists and resuscitators, so the transfer already contemplates advanced care onboard.
What about wound care in the field? The standard has changed. Hemostatic packs, sterile dressings containing powders that aid in stopping bleeding, are applied directly to wounds. Pain relief is provided immediately, and each soldier carries a personal first-aid kit with similar medications if time allows for self-administration. If not, an on-site medical instructor or paramedic can administer care. If needed, the patient proceeds to a field hospital housed in a tent near the battlefield.
If a soldier stops breathing, what happens next? The airway is secured with intubation, connecting the patient to a portable ventilator and readying for evacuation.
Have narcosis practices evolved since World War II? Pain management has advanced significantly. Modern analgesics provide relief for two to three hours, with morphine-based local anesthetics followed by propofol. These drugs help relax muscles and exit the body efficiently. Hemostatic powders and napkins have become a standard addition to care.
Then, the patient is transported rapidly to the hospital. In a recent case, a bullet was removed from the heart, obstructing a major duct and almost sealing a critical outcome. The bullet also penetrated the lung, liver, and heart, yet the warrior survived—a remarkable instance even for those accustomed to battlefield trauma.
Another case involved a scalpel-like fragment piercing the heart. Through swift intervention, a large number of similarly injured soldiers were treated and, today, are alive. After surgery, patients move to the intensive care unit, then to a regular ward, and finally to a rehabilitation center. There, recovery spans one to three weeks, after which they return to duty.
What types of injuries are most common? The injuries are varied, but shrapnel wounds figure prominently. Which injuries take longer to heal? Bone injuries are particularly slow, often healing in two to three months. Prosthetic options are considered when necessary, based on the injury and the patient’s needs.
Is it possible to identify the weapon responsible for a wound? The focus is more on the mechanism of damage—how sharp the fragment is and how it may affect vital organs—because intervention tactics depend on that assessment.
Have radioactive fragments ever been encountered? Radiometers exist to measure potential radioactivity in fragments, but in this field context such cases have not been common in recent experiences. The emphasis remains on fast stabilization, rapid evacuation, and definitive surgical care when needed. [Citation: Vishnevsky Hospital interview materials]