Battlefield Medkits Improve

ApharmdB writes "CNN has an article on the US military's fielding of a bandage containing clotting agents that can stop blood flow within two minutes. Obviously, the hope is that they will save a lot of lives. What's next straight from your favorite FPS? Who has an estimate on how long it will take for the Army to outfit its troops with anti-personnel rocket launchers?" Those have been around for quite a while.

Comments

Re:That is a anti-tank weapon.

[Dman33]

...not an anti-personnel weapon

speaking of splitting hairs... the spec sheet does imply human targets with the "1x2 Meter Target" spec which incidentally 250m for a rocket launcher hitting a human is not too shabby...

Cut Stop Powder

[Art_XIV]

Doesn't the military already use a powder that helps clot blood much faster than normal? Similar to the cut stop powder that farmers and ranchers use for animals? Or is this a product that they used to use?

Are there any former/current medics than can shed some light on this?

It's interesting that the new clotting agent permeates a bandage, though.

Re:That's an Anti-Armor/Tank rocket launcher

[silicon_synapse]

Hmmm the moderators think its informative that a rocket launcher will kill a human being. Says a lot about moderators doesn't it? SUVs work just fine against people too. That doesn't make them anti-personel weapons. (technically)

Re:future weapons

[stratjakt]

They've been working on railguns for awhile. They have them working, and can electromagnetically accellerate aluminum rings at insane speeds (like twice that of the average bullet).

They just can't get the thing down to a portable size, nor figure out how to supply it with the jiggawatts(TM) of juice it needs to fire.

But they do exist.

topostat

[frovingslosh]

Back in the 70's a friend, who had been an army medic in the 60's, told me about a spray on clotting agent called, if I remember right, Topostat. It could stop bleeding and save lives by spraying on a bleeding wound and forming an instant scab. He even tracked some down from a civilian medical supply house and I got a can from him. It worked.

Why is this apparently a lost technology? I couldn't even find mention of it in a google search.

BFGs

[nick_davison]

Who has an estimate on how long it will take for the Army to outfit its troops with anti-personnel rocket launchers?

OICW - Entering service late this decade You can chain fire grenades, set them to explode on impact, just after impact (for penetrating windows) or at a set distance (for exploding over people's heads).

Alternatively, if you want a BIG F***ING GUN, nothing says I love you quite like a GMG (Grenade Machine Gun) - yeah, that's right, a Grenade MG - 40mmx53 grenades, 350 cyclic rate. If I remember rightly, it comes with an optional nightsight (Oh so useful if 350 grenades a minute don't light the target up enough for you)

Battlefield medicine has done a lot

[stratjakt]

A lot of medical innovations have come out of the military in the past, much like innovations in other industries (computers, aviation)

Blood plasma comes to mind. Way back some army docs realized that if you lose a huge amount of blood, you're more likely to die of shock simply because your heart has nothing to pump around.

They realized you can use a centrifuge to take out all the red blood cells, dehydrate what's left, and all you need to do is add distilled water and get it into the body of an exsanguinated soldier. Just the fact that theres some fluid in the system for the heart to pump is enough to keep you alive until you can replace the red blood cells, and other gook in there..

It works regardless of blood type, takes less space, and doesn't require refrigeration (keeps longer).

Science has long been at it's best when its at war. Make of that what you will, but it's always been so.

Re:Pentagon PR Distraction

[Wyatt Earp]

The young men and women the Administration is sending off all volunteered to be in the service, then volunteered again to be in an MOS that would put them in harms way.

This morning a kid I knew growing up AIM'ed to say he was shipping out. He is a Marine Sniper-scout so you can imagine he's not that shocked about being sent off to war. I asked if his rifle was sighted in and he responded with a "Hell yea and I hope I get to go hunting".

The oil interest arguement always makes me shake my head.

Iraq used to export lots of oil to the US, Iraq told the US over and over in the 90s that Iraq would sell the US oil at 2 dollars below market price. Iraq told the US it would cut special deals with US companies.

So what freaking sense is there to going to war for that oil? If it wa all about oil interests it would be cheaper and more responsable t let Iraq keep killing civilians and sell the west oil.

Think GM, Ford, Exxon-Mobil and Halliburton are excited about the prospect of oil hitting 60 dollars a barrel and cutting corporate income?

Show me this empire you speak of, are the Aghanis or Iraqis going to be paying the US taxes? Are we going to force our excess Crystal-meth into thier markets for some income? Are we going to make them change thier customs and language?

If you think the US is empire building, then you need to take a look at what happens when empires are built.

Re:future weapons

[felonious]

They already have.....http://www.railgun.org/

If you're talking Quake 2 or 3 I own with it!

Re:It has more to do with being humane than econom

[swillden]

There's no problem with wounding people.

In fact the M-16 was designed specifically with wounding in mind. The .203 caliber bullet is smaller and lighter than the .30 caliber bullets used in previous U.S. military rifles, and the primary reason is because it's more likely to wound rather than to kill. Not to avoid killing, but because if you wound one soldier, you generally take two soldiers out of action -- the one that got hit and the buddy that has to care for him and drag him to safety.