Key points
- Médecins Sans Frontières evacuated two patients with 94% and 97% burns from Kharkiv to Vinnytsia.
- The transfer lasted around 10 hours in difficult weather conditions.
- The patients were on mechanical ventilation, under sedation and continuous medical supervision.
- The evacuation was carried out within the targeted medical evacuation programme in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
- During the first month of operations, the team transported 25 patients with severe injuries.
The Médecins Sans Frontières team transported two patients in extremely critical condition from Kharkiv to a specialised burn centre in Vinnytsia. One of the patients had 97% second- and third-degree burns, while the other had 94%.
The transfer lasted around 10 hours in difficult weather conditions due to snow and icy roads. Throughout the journey, the patients remained on mechanical ventilation, under sedation and pain relief.
Medical staff supported their condition through infusion therapy, warming measures and continuous monitoring of vital signs.
During the transfer, each patient received between 10 and 12 litres of necessary injections and intravenous fluids to stabilise their condition.
– Olha Horenko, emergency medicine doctor with Médecins Sans Frontières.
Each ambulance was staffed by a doctor, a paramedic and an emergency medical technician. One patient was accompanied by Olha, while the other was escorted by her husband, Roman Horenko, an anaesthesiologist with Médecins Sans Frontières.
By early the next morning, we had handed the patients over to the burn centre in Vinnytsia.
– Olha Horenko.
It is currently known that one of the patients has been transferred abroad for further treatment, while the other continues to receive medical care in Vinnytsia.
The evacuation was carried out as part of a targeted medical evacuation programme implemented by the organisation in coordination with the Centres of Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
The model предусматриes the transfer of patients with severe injuries from stabilisation hospitals to specialised centres where they can receive highly specialised care. During the first month of cooperation, the Médecins Sans Frontières team transported 25 patients.
Read also:
Médecins Sans Frontières joined in rescuing the wounded after an attack on a bus carrying energy workers in Dnipropetrovsk region
