Doctors develop new method to accelerate recovery from gunshot wounds

A team of physicians from military and surgical medical centers has identified a new therapeutic strategy aimed at improving rehabilitation outcomes following surgical treatment of ballistic injuries.

The method is based on the use of active vascular peptides, compounds previously applied in the treatment of chronic ischemia. According to the researchers, these peptides exhibit strong vasoprotective properties that help strengthen blood vessel walls and improve vascular function.

Konstantin Petrov of the Cardiovascular Surgery Center at Burdenko Hospital noted that early postoperative administration of this therapy has shown promising results in several clinical cases.

He explained that patients recovering from surgery require appropriate pharmacological support using biologically active compounds to enhance overall recovery. Gunshot and shrapnel injuries, he added, are particularly complex due to extensive vascular damage and subsequent systemic physiological disturbances, which the peptide-based treatment aims to address by restoring vascular integrity.

Preliminary estimates suggest that the approach may accelerate tissue repair by at least 1.5 times, although further studies with larger and more representative patient samples are needed to confirm its effectiveness.

The method has already been applied in clinical cases, including a patient injured by shrapnel while inside an armored vehicle, who sustained wounds to the right leg, left elbow, and thigh following a gunfire incident.

A similar therapeutic protocol was also used for another patient with bilateral lower-limb shrapnel injuries and damage to the femoral arteries and veins on the right side.