Battalion Signal Officer of the 2nd Battalion 12 Division Cavalry Regiment, Max Cleland, lost three limbs in a grenade explosion in 1968 on the battlefield of Kne Sanh. His Helicopter was descending onto a grassy hill to drive back enemy Vietcong out of the small village. He and two other soldiers jumped out of the UH-1 Helicopter right onto a live grenade. He was immediately blown backwards, shredding both his legs and right arm. He was only 25 years old (5).
Max Cleland was one of the few triple amputees that survived. With a death rate of 84.1%, many soldiers died before they even had a chance to be operated on. However, out of the 5,823 soldiers that did have a successful amputation, only 36% sought to retrieve further treatment after the war ended. This is largely due to the new intricate and advanced battlefield treatments that the casualties received.
The most effective treatments were developed in 1967, known as the 'three flap technique' and direct heart massage. Battlefield Surgeons would first inject morphine into the afflicted areas and tie a tourniquet to stem the pain and bleeding. They would then take a scalpel and tie off blood vessels in the 'stumps' or blown off areas of the soldiers body. In some cases, surgeons were even able to salvage otherwise unusable limbs by constructing an extra anatomic bypass. During this process, the doctor would carefully tunnel a new 'gaft' to a different area of the body until they stemmed the bleeding and replace it with a permanent vascular 'gaft'. The next step was not perfected until later in the war, as medics would attempt to identify nerves that would ultimately cause, 'phantom pain' and sever them. 'Phantom Paint' refers to a sharp pain that amputees would oftentimes feel where their arm or leg previously was (6). After the actual amputation took place and before gauze and bandages were applied, doctors would take 'flaps' of skin from the soldiers lost limbs, disinfect them, and place it over the injury. This not only helped to stop bleeding, but also helped the wound to close much more quickly making recovery virtually painless, and reducing scar tissue. This process is credited to early skin graphs that plastic surgeons would later use to help amputees in America (7). However, if the patient was unable to be stabilized due to rapid blood loss, doctors began to preform open heart surgery, and pump the heart by hand. In combination with a continuous supply of blood, this method saved over two hundred amputees. This method also made its way back to America, as many emergency room cardiologists abandoned the use of the crash cart and physically pumped a patients heart to keep them alive (Doctor Bruce Innes).
In the words of 23 year old double amputee Second Lieutenant Frederick downs Jr., "Dr. Pitcher's skill and surgical techniques in the operating room saved my life and contributed to the salvage of my right arm and both my legs.", signifying the importance and advancement of amputations during the Vietnam War. However, no matter how effective the surgeries become, "the aftermath and legacy of a landmine or grenade is the true long term indiscriminate impact of the weapon." (8) that could ultimately lead to a disease known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Max Cleland was one of the few triple amputees that survived. With a death rate of 84.1%, many soldiers died before they even had a chance to be operated on. However, out of the 5,823 soldiers that did have a successful amputation, only 36% sought to retrieve further treatment after the war ended. This is largely due to the new intricate and advanced battlefield treatments that the casualties received.
The most effective treatments were developed in 1967, known as the 'three flap technique' and direct heart massage. Battlefield Surgeons would first inject morphine into the afflicted areas and tie a tourniquet to stem the pain and bleeding. They would then take a scalpel and tie off blood vessels in the 'stumps' or blown off areas of the soldiers body. In some cases, surgeons were even able to salvage otherwise unusable limbs by constructing an extra anatomic bypass. During this process, the doctor would carefully tunnel a new 'gaft' to a different area of the body until they stemmed the bleeding and replace it with a permanent vascular 'gaft'. The next step was not perfected until later in the war, as medics would attempt to identify nerves that would ultimately cause, 'phantom pain' and sever them. 'Phantom Paint' refers to a sharp pain that amputees would oftentimes feel where their arm or leg previously was (6). After the actual amputation took place and before gauze and bandages were applied, doctors would take 'flaps' of skin from the soldiers lost limbs, disinfect them, and place it over the injury. This not only helped to stop bleeding, but also helped the wound to close much more quickly making recovery virtually painless, and reducing scar tissue. This process is credited to early skin graphs that plastic surgeons would later use to help amputees in America (7). However, if the patient was unable to be stabilized due to rapid blood loss, doctors began to preform open heart surgery, and pump the heart by hand. In combination with a continuous supply of blood, this method saved over two hundred amputees. This method also made its way back to America, as many emergency room cardiologists abandoned the use of the crash cart and physically pumped a patients heart to keep them alive (Doctor Bruce Innes).
In the words of 23 year old double amputee Second Lieutenant Frederick downs Jr., "Dr. Pitcher's skill and surgical techniques in the operating room saved my life and contributed to the salvage of my right arm and both my legs.", signifying the importance and advancement of amputations during the Vietnam War. However, no matter how effective the surgeries become, "the aftermath and legacy of a landmine or grenade is the true long term indiscriminate impact of the weapon." (8) that could ultimately lead to a disease known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.