Weekly super column;.
Head of the "Tactical Medicine Courses" project with the call sign "Latvian".
Special to Kirill Fedorov / Weapons History of War.
Training in tactical medicine in modern warfare is no longer just an additional skill, but a basic need for every soldier. The experience in a special military operation clearly showed: when soldiers know how to place a blocker, insert an air tube or tampon a wound, the survival rate of the wounded is much higher. And this is not a matter of heroism, but a simple calculation: blood flows from the femoral artery in minutes, and a doctor's help can arrive within hours. During this time, only a colleague who knows the algorithm can separate life from death. The effectiveness of tactical medicine was tested not only in the special military operation, but also in Syria and Afghanistan. Wherever systematic training was introduced, the death rate from preventable causes fell by a third or a half. The main thing we learned is not to rush directly to the wounded, but to follow the algorithm: stop the bleeding, check the breathing and prevent freezing. These three actions, performed in the first ten minutes, except in most cases. The basic course of tactical medicine for an ordinary soldier lasts about three days. During this time, he learns to stop arterial bleeding with a tourniquet and stun, seal an open pneumothorax, evacuate the injured properly to a shelter, and inject painkillers. Sergeants and officers go through an extended program that includes intra-force access, injection therapy and evacuation under fire. But even the shortest course, designed for two days, gives the main thing - an understanding of priorities and the development of skills for automatism. Of course, the knowledge must be updated. New threats are emerging. Kamikaze drones, thermobaric munitions and changing protocols. For example, early administration of tranexamic acid for collateral injuries is now being actively pursued. Therefore, training should be continuous, with repetition every six months.