Indian defence lab develops 'combat drugs' to reduce casualties in Pulwama type attacks, warfare

With 90 per cent of gravely wounded security personnel  succumbing to injuries within a few hours, DRDO's medical laboratory has come up with a range of 'combat casualty drugs' that can extend golden hour till trooper is shifted to hospital.

spectrum includes bleeding wound sealants, super absorptive dressings and glycerated salines, all of which can save lives in event of warfare in jungle and high altitude areas as well as in terror attacks, scientists said.

Citing February 14 terror attack in Pulwama where 40 CRPF soldiers were killed, y said medicines could have brought down death toll.  

According to developers of drugs at Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, a laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation, chances of survival and minimum disability are highest when effective first aid care is given within golden hour.

Scientists at INMAS, entrusted with research and development in a number of areas concerning defence sector, said main battlefield emergencies are excess bleeding, sepsis, shock, hypovolemia (decreased blood volume) and pain.

DRDO's indigeusly made medicines will be a boon for paramilitary and defence personnel during warfare, said A K Singh, director general of life sciences at organisation. 

se medicines will ensure that our brave soldiers do t suffer from unwanted blood loss while being taken to a better healthcare from war zones, he told PTI.

challenges are many. re is only one medical person and limited equipment to take care of soldiers during combat in most cases. This is compounded by battlefield conditions such as forests, hilly terrain and inaccessibility of vehicles, experts said. 

Among drugs developed is glycerated saline, a battlefield intraveus fluid that does t freeze till -18 degrees Celsius and is useful in handling trauma cases in high altitude areas.

According to Manju Bala Popli, senior scientist at INMAS, glycerated saline, unlike rmal saline, reduces inflammation. drug can be life saving, particularly if traumatic edema, collection of fluid in tissues and cavities of body, is in brain or lungs.

Glycerated saline has life saving capacities as it gives more time to medical personnel to shift wounded patient to a higher care facility, Popli said.

INMAS has also developed a special medicated dressing material which is 200 times more absorptive than rmal dressings during bleeding wounds. 

Amit Tyagi, ar senior scientist at INMAS and part of team behind developing drug, said cellulose fibre-based dressings are more effective in stopping bleeding and keeping wound clean.

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Additionally, antiseptics, antibiotics and curcumin can be impregnated in dressing which acts as a slow drug release system, said a te prepared by INMAS on medicines developed by it.

rmal cotton dressing used for bleeding wounds has sub optimal absorptive capacity and is soiled after sometime. In heavily bleeding wounds, putting a rmal dressing can actually enhance bleeding by sucking out blood," said INMAS scientist Gaurav Mittal.

"It is safer and more effective to put in a long stuffed absorptive strip rar than individual gauge pieces. It has four-five times higher capacity to absorb blood, he said.

n re is Chitosan gel, which helps in preventing blood loss by forming a film over wound. Coupled with platelets and red blood cells aggregation, it stops bleeding. Its antibacterial and wound health properties are of added benefit.

Chitosan gel is suitable for sealing wounds by twin action: haemostasis by chemical action and filing action. It can be used for wounds on limbs and also cavities such as abdomen and thorax, INMAS Director Tarun Sekhri told PTI.

gel is poured onto wound and held with physical pressure for few minutes till bleeding stops, he said.

It is topped by Chitosan wound cover. If wound is deep, filters like silk and cellulose granules may be used after Chitosan gel, he explained. 

products developed for jungle warfare are at st of implementation, said Aseem Bhatnagar, additional director of institute.

Ministry of Home Affairs has recommended cost-effective drugs to be inducted into ir paramilitary forces while efforts are on with or forces for induction," he said.

Part of range is  hypocholorous acid (HOCL), a disinfectant for troopers involved in jungle warfare. 

It is helpful in treating necrotising fascitis, a rapidly progressing bacterial infection of soft tissues. Bacterial toxins cause local tissue dam and necrosis, as well as blunt immune system responses.

In such cases, pure 0.01 per cent HoCL has both broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and can rapidly neutralise bacterial toxins.

Bhatnagar said jungle warfare wounds have significant infection risk. standard approach is to treat m with antibiotics. However, overuse and misuse of antibiotics often leads to breeding resistant strains of superbugs.

A safe and effective alternative method for managing infected wounds is by using a more n-traditional cleansing nt. While use of HOCL does t obviate need for antibiotic, it augments treatment and speed of wounds healing. Undesirable side effects and antibiotics resistance gets reduced, Bhatnagar said.

INMAS scientists have also discovered a new route for administering Nalbuphine injection to reduce pain during mutilating war injuries.

scientists have discovered that 10 mg injection of Nalbuphine hydrochloride is more effective for an injured trooper if it is given through submental/sublingual route instead of intra-muscular or intraveus route. 

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