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The U.S. Brain Surgeon Volunteering at Ukraine’s Most Frantic Hospital
Rocco Armonda is treating far more brutal injuries than he did in Iraq.
TL;DR
- Dr. Rocco Armonda, a U.S. neurosurgeon, is volunteering at Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro, Ukraine, near the front lines.
- He is treating soldiers with severe brain injuries resulting from Russian artillery, cluster bombs, and thermobaric explosions.
- Armonda previously served as a U.S. Army neurosurgeon in Iraq, where he developed and pioneered aggressive surgical techniques for penetrating brain injuries.
- These techniques, which involve removing larger portions of the skull to manage swelling, significantly improved patient survival rates in Iraq and are now crucial in Ukraine.
- Mechnikov Hospital is overwhelmed with casualties, with staff facing severe shortages and working under constant threat.
- Armonda views his service in Ukraine as a defense of democracy against Russia.
- His work has inspired other American neurosurgeons to volunteer at Mechnikov, and he is credited with saving thousands of lives.