The war has taught Lombrozov to finish it in 55 minutes. It’s a complicated surgery that would normally take up to four hours. Crushed skull pieces are removed, one by one, until he can extract the small metal fragments lodged in the soldier’s brain. The 28-year-old neurosurgeon’s elegant hands work methodically. Mykyta Lombrozov’s operating table is a soldier who sustained a shrapnel injury on the left part of the brain. Today, Mechnikov is lauded for its state-of-the-art facilities and expertise - roughly 400 doctors spread across six buildings. Back then, Ryzhenko saw cases he had only read about in textbooks. Soldiers would be admitted with guts spilling out and massive amounts of blood loss. The hospital did not begin treating wounded soldiers until Russia’s invasion in 2014, when it was not prepared for the task, said Ryzhenko. Like Ukraine itself, the Mechnikov Hospital - which is more than 200 years old - has been transformed by war over the past decade. “I am so happy I got to see them one more time,” Maksym said. She traveled with his sister when they learned Maksym had been admitted for surgery. Later, a soldier named Maksym, who was injured while fighting in the Donetsk region, awakens in the intensive care unit to the sight of his wife, and then a relieved kiss from her. When he’s gone, she collapses into tears. He has been brought to Mechnikov so that doctors can treat complications from a leg that was amputated a few days ago at a hospital closer to the front line.Īnna rushes to his side and tells him to be strong. Nearby, a soldier lying on a stretcher in the hallway calls out for his girlfriend, Anna. A nurse wraps up the severed limb, and it is taken away. Albayuk uses a surgical saw to cut through the bone. In this soldier’s case, his wounds tell a story of bravery he was advancing toward fire, not running away. “Because of tiny mistakes we’re losing people’s limbs.”įor Albayuk, every wound inspected on the operating table is a raw and unvarnished account of the brutality of the fight Ukrainian soldiers face in combat: constant bombardment, hidden mines, and cunning snipers. “After 12 hours without blood circulation, the limb will die,” Albayuk said, explaining that a tourniquet must be taken off after two hours and, if necessary, reapplied. Yakov Albayuk takes one look and determines that the leg must be amputated to save the soldier’s life. The soldier is taken to the operating room, where Dr.
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