Anastasia Grivanova
BBC Ukraine Service, Kyiv
Scarlet Barter
BBC World Services
Kevin McGregor / BBC
Ukrainian military man Serhii Melnik has the rap shotgun that was once kept in his mind
From his pocket, Serhiy Melnyk pulls out small rusty pieces neatly wrapped in paper.
He keeps it. “It grazes my kidneys and stabs my lungs and my heart,” says the Ukrainian soldier quietly.
Traces of dry blood can still be seen on rap shotguns from Russian drones that remained in his mind while he was fighting in eastern Ukraine.
“At first I didn’t even realize what it was. I thought I was lacking in breath under my body armor,” he says. “They had to extract sh shotguns from my heart.”
With the rise of the drone war in Ukraine, these injuries have become more common. Drones often fragment and carry weapons and materials that cause more complex sh shotguns.
According to Ukraine’s military medical care, rap shotguns currently account for up to 80% of battlefield trauma.
Without treatment, Serhi’s injuries would have been fatal.
“The fragments are as sharp as the blades. The doctor said it was a big piece and I was lucky enough to survive,” he says remorsefully.
However, it was not just luck that saved him, but new medical technology. Magnetic extractor.
Kevin McGregor / BBC
Serhiy Maksymenko’s team removed the sh shotgun from Serhiy’s heart
“I make a small incision and insert a magnet.”
Cardiovascular surgeon Serhiy Maksymenko shows footage of metal fragments trapped in Serhiy’s beating heart before being delicately removed by a thin magnet tip device.
“There’s no need to cut a lot of hearts,” explains Dr. Maksymenko. “I just make a small incision and insert a magnet and pull out the rap shotgun.”
In just a year, Dr. Maxenko’s team has successfully performed over 70 heart operations on the device, transforming the face of Ukraine’s frontline drugs.
The development of these extractors came after frontline medics emphasized the urgent need for safe, fast and invasive methods to remove sh shotguns.
Oleh Bykov, who previously worked as a lawyer, facilitated this development. Since 2014 he has volunteered to support the Army. He met Medic on the front line and a magnetic extractor was created from the conversation.
The concept is not new. Until the Crimean War in the 1850s, magnets were used to remove metal from scratches. However, Oleh’s team modernized the approach and created flexible models for abdominal surgery, microextracts for delicate tasks, and high-strength tools for bones.
The operation is more accurate and less invasive. The magnet can be run along the surface of the wound to pull out the fragments. The surgeon then makes a small incision and the piece is removed.
Holding a slim pen-shaped tool, Oleh demonstrates its power by lifting the sledge hammer with its magnetic tip.
Kevin McGregor / BBC
The magnet is strong enough to lift the sledge hammer
His work has been praised by other war medicine, including David Knott, a veteran of war zones around the world.
“In war, things that could not be thought of in civilian life become developed,” he says.
This is because the war’s face changes have increased the scars of fragmentation, and it takes a long time to realise that you think this device could become a game changer.
He says that searching for sh shots in patients is like “looking for needles in the haystack” – it is not always successful, delaying treatment for other victims.
Manually searching for fragments can be dangerous and requires a large incision that can cause more bleeding.
Dnipro Cardiac Center
Magnetic extractor that removed sh shotguns from serhiy’s heart
What began as a field tool has been deployed throughout Ukraine, with 3,000 units being distributed to hospitals and frontline medics.
He often works under fire, in trench or makeshift outdoor clinics, and sometimes without local anesthetics.
“My job is to save lives – to scar the bandages and evacuate the soldiers,” he says.
There was no official certification for the magnetic extractor.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Health says medical devices must fully comply with technical regulations. However, in exceptional cases such as martial law or emergency situations, the use of uncertified devices is permitted to meet the needs of the military and security forces.
At the height of the war, there is no time for red tape, explains the mastermind. “These devices save lives. If someone thinks my actions are a crime, I’m responsible. It even prepares me to go to jail for that. But every doctor who uses these devices should also be jailed,” he jokes.
David Nott agrees that authentication is not a top priority for now, and believes that devices can prove useful in other war zones such as Gaza.
“In war, that’s not really necessary. You only do what’s important to save lives.”
Back at LVIV, Serhiy’s wife, Yulia, is grateful that her husband survived his injury.
“I just want to praise the people who invented this extract,” she says with tears. “Thanks to them, my husband is alive.”
Additional reports by Jasmine Dyer and Kevin McGregor.
