November24, 2006: The Baltimore Sun recently ran a story accusing the U.S. Army of endangering the lives of wounded troops by using a drug, designed to treat a rare form of hemophilia, to stop uncontrollable bleeding. The news article pointed out that the drug, "Recombinant Activated Factor VII", has possible negative side effects (strokes and heart attacks.) The newspaper got some doctors to declare that military use of the drug was irresponsible, and you know how it goes from there.

What the article did not point was that the drug had been used a thousand times so far without incident. It was only used in cases where there was no other way to stop the bleeding quickly enough to prevent death, or serious complications, for the patient. The army has, in the last decade, come up with a number of innovative drugs and equipment that enable medics and doctors to stop bleeding. This loss of blood is the major cause of wounded troops dying. These efforts have paid off. Currently, only 1.6 percent of wounded troops die from their injuries, compared to 3.68 percent during the Vietnam. It's standard practice to rush new drugs and medical equipment to the front in wartime, without going through the usual, time consuming, tests that are normally undertaken in peace time. The rule is, if it saves lives, use it. And remember that no good deed goes unpunished, especially if there are some headline-hungry journalists around.