How do underwater surgeons work

The surgeon in a submarine is probably the most extreme of medical specialties. Portal "Protect Russia" told how the operations on diesel submarines, where there is no medical section, pass.

A medic on a surface ship is also a profession, but in a difficult case a helicopter will fly in, the patient will be taken to the shore, a cruiser with a large, well-equipped medical center and a floating hospital with a brigade of specialists. Submariners may not have communication with the outside world, therefore, the only one on the crew’s crew’s problems is the doctor’s own decision.

In the event of a sudden attack of appendicitis, injury or other trouble requiring urgent surgical intervention, the mess room is transformed into the operating room - the only room on the submarine with a large table. The first thing is a wet tidy: the walls, floor and furniture are wiped with a warm solution of hydrogen peroxide. At this time, the compartment is ventilated so that it does not accumulate moisture.

Then, above the table, a special tent is secured, which protects the operating table from condensation drops from the ceiling. If there was no such tent on the boat or he had already been in use, the canopy is made of clean sheets. The operating table is covered with oilcloth and clean sheets, next to it is attached a rack with vials of saline solution and a quartz lamp is turned on for half an hour.

While she is killing the germs in the compartment, the ship's doctor with an assistant (on the boat, he is called an instructor, a medical orderly) collect the necessary tools. Clamps, tongs, and other 30 assistive technology are boiled in the sterilizer for minutes. Scalpels, glass ampoules with surgical thread and brushes for washing hands are soaked in medical alcohol for two hours.

A set of medications for underwater surgery is modest: iodine and alcohol for disinfection, caffeine, cititon and adrenaline in case of cardiac arrest or respiration, analgesic promedol, special medical glue for fixing dressings and ammonia to bring both the patient and the sensitive helper to life.

Preparing for surgery and the patient. If possible, he washes in the shower, the incision site is carefully shaved. For half an hour before being transferred to the patient's cabin, a cocktail is prepared from a prodol that relaxes the muscles of atropine and dimedrol in case of allergic reactions.

The doctor and the assistant cut their fingernails and wash their hands for a long time: first 10 minutes with a brush and soap, then keep them in two solutions of ammonia. Wipe dry and rub for three more minutes with ordinary alcohol. The skin under the nails and between the fingers is smeared with iodine.

Then the operating team puts on sterile gowns and masks, the orderly on duty will give them gloves from the packaging or the sterilizer with a special clamp. Completing the preparation of the layout on the additional table tools, tampons and extracted from the ampoules of thread. When the patient is placed on the table, the orderly ties his legs so that in the event of convulsions he does not knock over the table with the tools.

As long as the operation lasts, none of the crew — not even the commander — can enter the mess room.

Comments

[Same lech]

A rare article about underwater doctors and, indeed, about medicine in the Navy.

However, before the trip, as I understand it, the crew of the submarine undergo a physical examination and the appendix should be revealed at this stage ... why the commander needs extra problems.

[sub307]

Perhaps ... - someone that should have been "discovered" ..... That's just (I don't remember what month of autonomy) one of the radiometrists was "grabbed" during the overwater crossing, it was storming .... I hear the "chestnut" the commander says: so they say and so: appendicitis on our board "was formed, and since a chemical sanitary engineer (a conscript sailor, there were no others at that time, 80s), on the occasion of the prospect of testing for operations, he turned green on his own and" went to the astral "..., in short, in the compartments" threw a cry "- we need a second (first-to-r of the computing group) assistant, urgently. The motor group called up (that's me then). chest "- finally confirmed his participation in the case.
- the boat plunged at 100m (it is problematic to cut at the pitching);
- the doctor sat down at a thick ABC book, while a group of comrades submerged the ship and prepared the wardroom for the "benefit" (by the way, the quartz was "lit" just in case for an hour, after wiping all the planes well with alcohol);
- After reading a lot, our doctor "appeared", brought a large lagoons from the galley, poured half of alcohol somewhere and the entire operating team literally washed themselves with it. But I don’t remember whether Vova (the doctor) trimmed his nails or not, after washing, they dressed with the help of a friend in appropriate clothes, tied masks, stuck “pincers” into rubber medical gloves and, holding their “hands up,” set off “to work”;
- there the headmaster (also well wiped with alcohol) has already settled down on the dining (aka operative) table, fixed the body, put a curtain in front of his face. I don’t remember what the doctor injected or gave him to swallow, but he “pumped” his abdominal cavity with novocaine.

[sub307]

- Well ... and let's go .... I honestly, when Vova made the first cut, I simply looked away. The task (personally mine) was to submit a tool that they would say (show) and take back, and also Vova to remove the sweat from his forehead ....;
- then I got used to it, it even became interesting, I found out "I specifically saw) how we look from the inside." Vova was digging for a long time, he could not catch the slippery appendix .... m an hour, they say he is not there! ..., wait, I'll sew it all back! I stood, thought, breathed ... and asked us (the assistants) to subscribe to the search ..., in the sense that Vova began to take out his intestines, but we got them keep on weight, by that time our (assistants) hands had already “dried up.” Somewhere after 3 minutes of our “maneuvers” Vova suddenly said: “oppa ..., found it!” in the abdominal cavity it was impossible to grope it, it was dark there .... Neatly on the weight of the nokhnitsa they separated the black-green "tail" stuffed with something (he manipulated it with scissors ..., already entrusted to Vova), bandaged at the root, Vova cheerfully cut it off. .. well, and then it’s a matter of technology: the intestines were laid back, Vova sewed it up, built a drainage, the patient was put on a barrel in a specially provided cabin (15 places), given a vitamin, something was injected and let's go ... take it on the chest. Who and how the wardroom brought it back to the original, I don't remember how it surfaced ... too.
And it was like 1985 and we were "stomping" then to Angola ...
And the metrist has recovered normally ..., they haven’t been removed from military service ....

[Moore]

Quote: The same Lech

However, before the trip, as I understand it, the crew of the submarine undergo a physical examination and the appendix should be revealed at this stage ... why the commander needs extra problems.

Here's a first-person story about the appendix.
http://legal-alien.ru/akuly-iz-stali/glava-v/appendiks
If you look there, more about subsequent events: "How I was a sultan"
If for a month - three go on duty, what identification can we talk about?

[here and there]

Everyone has an appendix from birth, and appendicitis can develop at any time and cannot be predicted in advance)))

[atalef]

Quote: The same Lech

A rare article about underwater doctors and, indeed, about medicine in the Navy.

However, before the trip, as I understand it, the crew of the submarine undergo a physical examination and the appendix should be revealed at this stage ... why the commander needs extra problems.

Father in 1972m in the autonomous region cut out an appendicitis (in the Mediterranean Sea) on a diesel submarine, the doctor received the Order of the Red Star. Something like that

[LÄRZ]

The submariners may not have a connection with the outside world, therefore the only doctor on board the crew solves the problems that arose on board on their own.

Yes, so spin as you want. But the stake can be a person's life. Well, they are probably more equipped with medicines than the article says, but all the same, "extreme".

[cap]

Quote: LÄRZ

Yes, so spin as you want. But the stake can be a person's life. Well, they are probably more equipped with medicines than the article says, but all the same, "extreme".

I heard military doctors optimized by Serdyukov. I heard Shoigu brought back. But I don’t know, they stayed in St. Petersburg or were transferred to ..?
Military medicine laid down by Pirogov N.I. They shouldn’t be lost at all. In the garrisons, they are therapists, when surgeons are needed and I'm sorry ... for women's diseases. Nowadays, the authorities from the City Committee sent their wives to operations in a military hospital. So high was the rank of military doctor. For a long time I have not heard how they are doing now. I really hope that it’s not bad.
I remember all the medical colleagues with a kind word. Health to them all and happiness.

[Bersaglieri]

WMA in St. Petersburg. Worth it, dear.

[Moore]

Quote: The same Lech

A rare article about underwater doctors and, indeed, about medicine in the Navy.

However, before the trip, as I understand it, the crew of the submarine undergo a physical examination and the appendix should be revealed at this stage ... why the commander needs extra problems.

Here's a first-person story about the appendix.
http://legal-alien.ru/akuly-iz-stali/glava-v/appendiks
If you look there, more about subsequent events: "How I was a sultan"
If for a month - three go on duty, what identification can we talk about?

[tolancop]

Thank you very much for the link. I like such literature very much ...

[Rash]

Doctors joke: there are no healthy people, there are unexplored patients ...

[here and there]

The article was written about 20 years ago. Now, surgical materials are disposable, modern and disinfectants are more powerful, no need to bathe with ammonia in alcohol. Of course, there are big conservatives in the army, but for submariners the equipment should be richer. I myself would have assembled a set with a normal suture material, drains and catheters, etc.)

[moskowit]

30, 30 years ago ... The year is clearly indicated in the commentary. 1985-th ... Well, well done! Memories are optimistic, positive at the moment, and then thirty years ago, the 25 summer elders probably shook from the novelty of the events? ...

[saturn.mmm]

Quote: here and there

The article was written about 20 years ago.

Why did the surgeon wear gloves if he smeared his hands with iodine?
Here, while you will cut under the nails and under them iodine can be clogged, the patient may die.
It’s very interesting, since it’s not a doctor, but a person has an infectious inflammation of the appendix (bad bacteria are teeming in the appendix), and at this time I pour iodine under clipped nails and then put on gloves upstairs?

It then of course could still be glowing red.

[NIKNN]

Interesting article, to the author "+". Health doctors!

[ivanovbg]

It is sad to read such materials. In the 21 century tools are boiling before the operation, as in the 19 century! At the very least, instruments can be boiled earlier and stored in a container with formaldehyde or another disinfectant non-aggressive to medical steel. And somewhere a special tent could be used, it was named special so that it would not be in another use. Or everything is like in a fairy tale - in compote, the cook washes his feet in it. By the way, the submarines of the adversaries have a separate operating room, an office for regular medical examinations and - attention - a dental office and a dentist. And this despite the fact that their boats have single hulls and the payload is less than about a third.

[KakoVedi]

Can you show me ?! For example, we take the adversary's "elk" and mark it with a cross ... Although, if we proceed from the fact that Bulgaria is part of NATO and all Russian ships are "adversary" for it, then the phrase is correct. On the 667s, on BDRMs, there is a medical unit in the 5 bis compartment. With separate operating room and dental chair. Konoval, however, alone ... And a surgeon, and a dentist, and an ophthalmologist with a therapist.

[saturn.mmm]

Quote: KakoVedi

For example, we take the adversary "moose" and mark it with a cross ...

It will not be possible to compare since the Americans do not have diesel submarines, the article discusses diesel.

[Bersaglieri]

It is strange that progress in medical technology, judging by the description, did not affect the medical unit on the submarine ... Everything is the same as 50-60 years ago ... "In the mirror, by himself, with a scalpel, he cuts out the appendix." ((With ) V.S.Vysotsky))

Surprised by the meager set of medicines and devices.

[Sunseich]

in the yard was 1998, I am a soldier in the VKS. Duty "underground" for a day.
Then the VKS collapsed, the equipment was broken with sledgehammers, and they were handed over to "precious metals".
Already not a day, but for a week. Sometimes at 2, they brought food and that's it.
Underground and damp, and chilly.
The chin rotted. The medical part is gone.
I asked the civilians for cologne, a bandage, I found something of anesthetics ... I used it myself, in front of the mirror, pricked, opened abscesses, washed ... Brrr ... boiled water, bandages in it ... It was terrible to cut and pus to wash from there. Fortunately, I was thinking about medical treatment before the army) came in handy.

[undusk]

Dedication of a ship's doctor to submariners (they dedicate, naturally, mechanics) -

[KakoVedi]

Judging by the scenery - the CPU ... And there are half of the "suites", the mechanics have only adjusted the lithol. It was necessary to have graphite ... It is of better quality!

[undusk]

Yes, yes, the suites have not enough habits for this. Not that mechanoids - they hung up a sledgehammer and ennobled it, even thinned a can of intake water, plums stained with flour ... and still took a picture of it! By the way, another doctor_

[Rosty]

A familiar photo ... In the background is a dentist?

[undusk]

In the background, the main inspirer and organizer of our victories is Deputy Bel.VMB for educational work

[undusk]

I will add a little - the infirmary on SB "Chiker"

[undusk]

Transportation of the "conditionally wounded" from the submarine to the SB "Chiker"