Combat Casualty Drugs

Why in news?
  • DRDO’s medical laboratory has come up with a range of ‘combat casualty drugs’ that can extend the golden hour till the trooper is shifted to hospital.
More in news
  • Combat Casualty Drugs:
    (1) Developed at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a laboratory of the DRDO.
    (2) The main battlefield emergencies are excess bleeding, sepsis, shock, hypovolemia (decreased blood volume) and pain.
    (3) The spectrum includes bleeding wound sealants, super absorptive dressings and glycerated salines, all of which can save life.
  • Need for drug:
    (1) only one medical person and limited equipment to take care of soldiers during combat in most cases.
    (2) Chances of survival and minimum disability are highest when effective first aid care is given within the golden hour.
Few CCDs:
Glycerated Salines:
  • a battlefield intravenous fluid that does not freeze till -18C and is useful in handling trauma cases in high altitude areas.
  • The glycerated saline, unlike normal saline, reduces inflammation.
  • It has life-saving capacities as it gives more time to the medical personnel to shift the wounded patient to a higher care facility.
Special Medicated Dressing:
  • It is 200 times more absorptive than normal dressings during bleeding wounds.
  • The cellulose fibre-based dressings are more effective in stopping bleeding and keeping the wound clean.
  • Additionally, antiseptics, antibiotics and curcumin can be impregnated in the dressing which acts as a slow drug release system.
 Chitosan gel:
  • Chitosan gel helps in preventing blood loss by forming a film over the wound.
  • Coupled with platelets and red blood cells aggregation, it stops the bleeding.
  • Its antibacterial and wound health properties are of added benefit.
    (1) Hypocholorous acid disinfectant:
  • A disinfectant for troopers involved in jungle warfare. I
  • t is helpful in treating necrotising fascitis, a rapidly progressing bacterial infection of soft tissues.
  • Bacterial toxins cause local tissue damage and necrosis, as well as blunt immune system responses.
  • Source
    The hindu




Posted by Jawwad Kazi on 15th Mar 2019
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