Medical Technology

This article talks about some of the advanced medical techniques being used on modern battlefields.  Expect it to arrive in civilian trauma centers in a few years.

The following was quite a shock when I first read it:

In the operating tent, the surgeons cleaned the debris from his wounds. Dr. York put a nickel-and-titanium filter into one of his veins just below the heart to keep errant blood clots from flowing into his heart and lungs, which could kill him. "There—just like a screen in a screen door," he said, watching his work on a computer monitor. "He's safe for now."

I wonder how long it will take before doctors recommend putting those filters, or something similar, into everyone with a high risk of blood clots.  I'd guess maybe 20 years.