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DBMA Martial Arts Forum => Martial Arts Topics => Topic started by: Crafty_Dog on February 13, 2007, 09:17:58 AM

Title: Emergency Tips, Emergency Medicine, Trauma Care, and First Aid
Post by: Crafty_Dog on February 13, 2007, 09:17:58 AM
Woof All:

In DBMA we use "The Three Hs" of Bando:  Hurting, Healing, Harmonizing.

Healing may refer to keeping our selves healthy, to healing training injuries and the like.  It can also refer to emergency injuries such as knife or gun wounds.  Given DBMA's mission statement of "Walk as a Warrior for all our days", it makes sense that we should seek to grow in our knowledge of how to keep ourselves and others alive while getting proper medical attention.  This thread is for such things.

The Adventure continues,
Crafty Dog
======================

Quick response to bleeding wounds  Submit a Tip
 
Submitted by:
Officer Jeremy Phillips, Trumann (AR) PD
Trumann Police, Arkansas

02/12/2007 



A tip learned in the military a few years back to help stop serious bleeding:

Feminine napkins and tampons, which are super absorbent, are great for helping to control bleeding wounds. Tampons fit bullet wounds (some better than others) pretty well and swell to help stop bleeding. Pads are pretty much, if not exactly the same thing as battle bandages.

Sucking wounds can also sometimes be helped by the plastic wrapper of a cigarette pack or a latex glove. Even a pat down glove or anything you can fit over the sucking wound to stop it from sucking.

Of course, nothing is better than formal training for first aid, but we don't always have those luxuries. Use what you have with you.

Fight to live so you can live to fight. Your wife/husband wants you home, and your partner's wife/husband wants them home.
--------------------------------------

Breaking car windows easily  Submit a Tip
  
Submitted by:
Officer Clifton Chang (ret.), NYPD


01/24/2007  



As a former glazier, I'm aware that all side windows of automobiles are made of tempered glass (baked in an oven) and are weakest on the edges. To break one, simply insert a screwdriver or knife between the window frame and glass and pry! The glass will shatter quietly.

If you're breaking the window to get to a baby in a car seat accidentally locked inside, go to the opposite side to minimize any danger to the child.
 

 
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on February 14, 2007, 04:16:56 PM
Woof All:


A tip learned in the military a few years back to help stop serious bleeding:

Feminine napkins and tampons, which are super absorbent, are great for helping to control bleeding wounds. Tampons fit bullet wounds (some better than others) pretty well and swell to help stop bleeding. Pads are pretty much, if not exactly the same thing as battle bandages.

I have heard this before.  However, this post could be missleading.  Without the aid of, either "Constant Direct Pressure" or proper application of a "Tourniquet", the bleeding has not been stopped.  Pardon my twisted explanation here...  Think of how much a female can bleed without dying, each month.  Tampons and pads dont stop the bleeding, they just hide the mess.   :-P  :|)

When wounded in battle it's a different situation.  Point being (back on track now), a tampon or pad can "absorb" a lot of blood.  THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE STOPPED SERIOUS BLEEDING!  All you have done is fool yourself into believing that the bleeding has stopped.  Be carefull with this one...
Quote

Sucking wounds can also sometimes be helped by the plastic wrapper of a cigarette pack or a latex glove. Even a pat down glove or anything you can fit over the sucking wound to stop it from sucking.

Quote

Not a bad tip...  I would like to expand on this a bit.   
The most frequently missed step, when someone deals with a "Sucking Chest Wound", is looking for the exit wound.  You may find one, you may not...  But, you had better look for it.  If you find an exit wound, and it is above the abdomin but below the clavical, treat it the same. 

An occlusive dressing (air tight seal) is not only used for the "Sucking Chest Wound" but also for severe to moderate bleeding on the neck area. 
The main difference between the Chest and Neck wound.  The occlusive dressing on the chest needs to be taped on only three sides.  This allows air to escape from the chest, relieving pressure and allowing the lungs to expand.   Put the wounded person in a position of comfort once treated. 

A simple technique to learn, in order to help the wounded person breath, is called a "Needle Thoracentisis".  To learn more see the attached link below.

http://www.fpnotebook.com/ER99.htm

Thats my .2 C's -

"Devil Doc"
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on February 14, 2007, 04:34:21 PM
A simple but valuable tool for your EM kit,

SERAN WRAP!

Yep, the same stuff you use in the kitchen to keep your food freshly sealed. 

I carried it in Iraq and used it.  It's light weight, cheap and easy to carry.  What do I use it for?   SEVERE BURNS!

On a severe burn the victim will have pain on the outer layers 1st and 2nd degree zones.  3rd degree area has burned the nerve endings and is not painfull at the center but the outer areas will be very painfull.  A couple major concerns here are infection and dehydration that can and often add to the level and type of shock the victim is in. 

Seran wrap will: 
1)  Keep out dirt and infection pretty well.
2)  Keep in moisture and help slow the dehydration process.
3)  Keeps out wind.   Think of how you feel in the wind when you have a bad sun burn.  You get chills, and it can hurt too. 

Keep the body temp regulated and help prevent infection!   Its not the cure all, but a great tool that is even used by Navy Seal Corpsmen.

more tips to come...   Chew on this for now.

V/R,
Dean
USN Corpsman of Marines, Combat Vet and medical training Petty Officer

Hit me with any questions you may have.  I will throw out a bone hear and there.  If I dont have the answere, I promise I will find it and we will learn together.

 8-)
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on February 14, 2007, 11:47:09 PM
Woof LoyalOneHK:

Great contributions!

This is an area wherein I feel myself to be sorely lacking and I have resolved to lessen my ignorance.

Please feel free to continue sharing as much as you wish.

TAC,
CD
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on February 15, 2007, 05:57:37 PM
Tourniquet:  By definition should completely stop the flow of blood from an artery. 

I have seen many a "Tourniquet" that in the wrong hands fails to do just that...  In addition not everyone knows how to be sure that the blood flow has been stopped. 

Lets be practical here...  (A quick story)  In the not so distant past all the best combat "medics" were pooled together during an evolution that focused on the design of a new and improved, no ship, "TOURNIQUET" that was marketable and functionable.  So, several groups went off that night to brainstorm and come up with this new and improved tourniquet that must meet the definition "STOP THE BLEEDING" once in place.  All varieties of medics were present, from all branches of the military and special forces...  Long story short,  most spent all night comming up with various ideas...  But, then there was the "Navy SEAL Corpsman".  "DOC" and his team left the meeting, went straight over the one of the trucks, took one of the rachet tie downs and modified it to an appropriate length, then with the mission accomplished went straight to the nearest bar. 

Point being...  Keep it simple and take care of business!

Many of us have tie downs already.  If not, you can go out to "Wally World" and buy a pack of 5-10 for a minimal fee, compared to the life you may save by using it in time of need. 

Here are some things about "T's" you need to remember;

1)  The strap should be no less than a prefered 2 inches wide.  (This will help to avoid possible nerve damage)
2)  Place the "T"  2 inches (two fingers) above the wound site (between the heart and the wound).
3)  Never place the "T" over a joint.
4)  No matter whether applying an ACE bandage, Pressure dressing or Tourniquet...  Always, check "PMS" (Pulse, Motor skills - ie. can you wiggle your fingers/toes and Sensation - ie "can you tell me what finger/toe I am touching?") distal to the wound site. 



The biggest argument I hear, when I get a student fresh out of EMT school is, "Tourniquets, are only used as a LAST RESORT!"
I wont tell you what to do here...  Like most things, "Situation" will dictate.   But ponder this...  Crafty, you will appreciate this point.

Millions of people undergo surgery every day...  Sugeons control the excess bleeding by use of several methods...  One of the most traditional, was to apply a touriquet on the limb, above the site to be worked on.  Truth is, in many cases a Tourniquet can stay in place for 4-6 hrs before permanent damage to that limb is certain.  Plus, you can always loosen it just a bit to allow some blood flow to the extremity every 2-3 hrs.  The most import thing is making the "Life over Limb" decision. 

Note the time that the "T" was applied - and pass that knowledge onto the DR as soon as possible. 

Research this and make your own assesments...   
Q:  How long can you hold your breath or go without breathing?

Q:  How long does it take to bleed out from a major arterial bleed?

We all hear about the good old ABC's of first aid.  (Good stuff)  One I like to share for Combat Life Saving scenarios is, "Stop the bleeding, restrore the breathing"...  It shouldn't take you but 30 seconds at the most to apply a "T" with practice and remember you can always loosen it.  Just dont take it off.  Let a trained DR do that. 

Make your own situational call...   But, if it's me...  I would rather take the few seconds to slap on a "T" before starting rescue breathing.  If you have help - share the duties...  Dont get tunnel vision...

But hey???...  Dont take my word for it...  I am not a doctor.  I advise you to do your own research... 
I am just sharing some of the nuggets that I have been taught by DR's and key things that I KNOW from first hand experience WORK!

 :wink:

I can think of many a knife technique that includes cutting arteries....  and I have yet to meet a person that NEVER gets cuts.  Put the odds of survival in your favor.

More to come later... 

 






Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on February 15, 2007, 06:35:07 PM
I love acronyms...  Here a quick easy one to remember, S>M>O>K>E

Remember this one when treating someone that goes into SHOCK!

Keep in mind there are 7 common types of shock.  I wont go into a long drawn out explanation here...  Look e'm up!

But you can apply SMOKE to all of them.


S=Shock - Your going to help someone in shock.

M=Maintain a good airway. 

O=Oxygen.  I know most of us dont carry oxygen with us so you can replace this with Outside if you like.  Imagine someone in a smoke filled house...  Best medicine, get them outside away from the smoke and get them some fresh air. ( = more oxygenated air)

K=Keep them warm. 

E=Elevate the victims legs and or head (unless contraindicated).  Help keep the heart from having to work too hard. 

 :wink:
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on February 16, 2007, 01:44:15 PM
Crafty,

Thank you whole heartedly for creating this thread...  I am a great believer in that, if we have the ability to cause injury, as "True Warriors" we should have some knowledge of how to heal.  We train, in hope that we can prolong our lives and the lives of our loved ones, through hands on or the use of projectiles to defend them.  The way I look at it...  Injuries and illness are just another form of attack from an outside source.

This thread (as I am suspect, you intended) gave me an itch to scratch.  I look forward to, and hope, others inject there input.  I am passionate about healing, but I am (IMHO) still a novice.  Lets share... 

I look forward to meeting you and the rest of the pack in June.   8-)  There is no greater bond than that built by combat...

V/R,
Dean

PS,

I do work with DR's every day and will soon be relocating to Naval Air Station Hospitol in Lemoore, CA.  As stated before, if I dont have an answer to a question...  I will take advantage of my many resources and we will find the knowledge together.  :wink:

   
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on February 16, 2007, 03:56:07 PM
Woof Dean:

In DBMA we take from Bando "The Three Hs: Hurting, Healing, Harmonizing".   Thank you for for sharing with us your knowledge of healing.  Scratch that itch to your heart's content.

TAC,
CD

Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on March 07, 2007, 04:20:34 PM
I got to thinking about this after conversing with C-Baltic Dog and hearing of the cut and infection that occured after one of his fights.  Incidently his hand was cut open by his opponents teeth.

WOUND CARE AND FIGHTING INFECTION

PROPHYLACTIC ANTIBIOTICS:

1. With adequate irrigation and close attention to aseptic technique, prophylactic antibioticts are rarely required in most wounds.  (Time is your enemy here - irrigate ASAP dont wait!)

2.  Wounds requiring antibiotic prophylaxis;
a)  Wounds involving avascular tissue (open fratcures, tendon lacerations, open joints)
b)  Wounds with high risks of infection ( anterior tibia, grossly contaminated, extensive non-facial flaps, extensive through-and-through lip lacs)
c)  Mammalian and other animal bites

(NOTE:  DO NOT USE IF PATIENT HAS A KNOWN ALLERGY TO THE ANTIBIOTIC)

WOUND                                        FIRST CHOICE                             SECOND CHOICE

Open Fracture                                   cephalosporin                               erythromycin
Open Joint                                        or penicillinase-                             
Tendon Injury                                   resistant PCN                               
Non-oral, high risk areas
Oyster shucker injuries

Oral wounds                                       penicillin                                      erythromycin

Human bite                                        penicillin                                      erythromycin
Dog bite

Cat bite*                                            penicillin                                      tetracycline

        Other bites - may require investigation as to primary organism of concern and possible disease transmission.

        *Primary organism of concern in cat bite (Pastuella multocida)  has been found to be resistant to erythromycin.

GENERAL USAGE GUIDELINES

a) Most effective if given early (within 3 hours of injury), not of much value if given after this
b) Loading dose:
-  500 mg - 1 gm by mouth if seen early
-  1 gm IV or IM if seen later:  IV provides better immediate coverage
c) Maintenance dose
-  1 gm by mouth per day for 3 days, with wound check on 2nd or 3rd day
-  Lab data shows 24hrs of antibiotic coverage sufficient
-  Tradition says 5 day course
-  Recommend 3 day course at 1 gm by mouth per day and return for wound check in 3 days


BEST MEDICINE IS TO SEE A DR WITHIN 1-3 HRS OF INJURY AND IRRIGATE WOUND IMMEDIATELY.

USE CLEAN/STERILE WATER OR NORMAL SALINE   (Field tip:  Normal Saline is just a sterile salt water solution.  You can take a small salt packet that is found in just about every fast food joint and mix (1) with 8-12 oz of your favorite bottled water, whalla...  NS that you can use to irrigate. 

Again, I advise you to see a DR for expert advise and proper wound care. 

Above are just some tips and guidlines that have been taught to me during my time as a Combat Medic and I do not take any responsibility for your actions in the case of an emergency...  This info can also be found on line in other forms.  Remeber the DB's code...  No Suing anyone, for any reason, anytime.   


Heres a great link for more on the subject:  http://www.tacticalmedicine.com/
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Cranewings on March 10, 2007, 10:16:44 PM
Hello all,

For open wounds:

Hold direct pressure on the wound. If you don't have any open cuts you can use your own bare hand to immediately slow the bleeding down... assuming no one has a good dressing...

Then elevate the limb over the heart if possible.

If you have ice or cold packs, you can toss them on. Just be sure it isn't directly on the skin. Put a towel in-between the cold and flesh so they don't get frost bite.

If a dressing ever becomes soaked with blood, put another dressing on top. Never remove the old ones because you can rip the clot out.

Then you can use a Tourniquet. You already talked about that.

_________________

If the wound is a fracture, never apply traction to it unless you have the expertise and means to keep the traction on permanently.

_________________

If someone suffers injuries that are really bad and you suspect internal bleeding or their has been a lot of gross bleeding... and you can spot internal bleeding by distention, bruising, tenderness, rigidness, or the symptoms of agitation, restlessness, dizziness, or tiredness... lay the person down, elevate their legs, and pile on some blankets. Raising the legs will keep the blood pressure up where it needs to be. - Always call for help. Anyone who gets hurt should go to the hospital...

_________________

If anyone ever gets stabbed, NEVER remove the impaled object unless it is stuck in their face and messing with their breathing. You can pack towels around the object and hold it still with tape so it doesn’t move around and cause more damage. An impaled object will cause a lot of trauma, but the muscles around it will clamp down, restricting blood flow. Think of the impaled object as a plug, keeping the blood in. If you pull it out, they will die.

Later,
John
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on May 14, 2007, 05:05:35 PM
Brought over from the SCE forum:


http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2006/10/71925

Honey Remedy Could Save Limbs
Brandon Keim  10.11.06 | 1:00 AM
When Jennifer Eddy first saw an ulcer on the left foot of her patient, an elderly diabetic man, it was pink and quarter-sized. Fourteen months later, drug-resistant bacteria had made it an unrecognizable black mess.

Doctors tried everything they knew -- and failed. After five hospitalizations, four surgeries and regimens of antibiotics, the man had lost two toes. Doctors wanted to remove his entire foot.

"He preferred death to amputation, and everybody agreed he was going to die if he didn't get an amputation," said Eddy, a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

With standard techniques exhausted, Eddy turned to a treatment used by ancient Sumerian physicians, touted in the Talmud and praised by Hippocrates: honey. Eddy dressed the wounds in honey-soaked gauze. In just two weeks, her patient's ulcers started to heal. Pink flesh replaced black. A year later, he could walk again.

"I've used honey in a dozen cases since then," said Eddy. "I've yet to have one that didn't improve."

Eddy is one of many doctors to recently rediscover honey as medicine. Abandoned with the advent of antibiotics in the 1940s and subsequently disregarded as folk quackery, a growing set of clinical literature and dozens of glowing anecdotes now recommend it.

Most tantalizingly, honey seems capable of combating the growing scourge of drug-resistant wound infections, including group A streptococcus -- the infamous flesh-eating bug -- and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which in its most severe forms also destroys flesh. These have become alarmingly more common in recent years, with MRSA alone now responsible for half of all skin infections treated in U.S. emergency rooms. So-called superbugs cause thousands of deaths and disfigurements every year, and public health officials are alarmed.

Though the practice is uncommon in the United States, honey is successfully used elsewhere on wounds and burns that are unresponsive to other treatments. Some of the most promising results come from Germany's Bonn University Children's Hospital, where doctors have used honey to treat wounds in 50 children whose normal healing processes were weakened by chemotherapy.

The children, said pediatric oncologist Arne Simon, fared consistently better than those with the usual applications of iodine, antibiotics and silver-coated dressings. The only adverse effects were pain in 2 percent of the children and one incidence of eczema. These risks, he said, compare favorably to iodine's possible thyroid effects and the unknowns of silver -- and honey is also cheaper.

"We're dealing with chronic wounds, and every intervention which heals a chronic wound is cost effective, because most of those patients have medical histories of months or years," he said.

While Eddy bought honey at a supermarket, Simon used Medihoney, one of several varieties made from species of Leptospermum flowers found in New Zealand and Australia.

Honey, formed when bees swallow, digest and regurgitate nectar, contains approximately 600 compounds, depending on the type of flower and bee. Leptospermum honeys are renowned for their efficacy and dominate the commercial market, though scientists aren't totally sure why they work.

"All honey is antibacterial, because the bees add an enzyme that makes hydrogen peroxide," said Peter Molan, director of the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. "But we still haven't managed to identify the active components. All we know is (the honey) works on an extremely broad spectrum."

Attempts in the lab to induce a bacterial resistance to honey have failed, Molan and Simon said. Honey's complex attack, they said, might make adaptation impossible.

Two dozen German hospitals are experimenting with medical honeys, which are also used in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. In the United States, however, honey as an antibiotic is nearly unknown. American doctors remain skeptical because studies on honey come from abroad and some are imperfectly designed, Molan said.

In a review published this year, Molan collected positive results from more than 20 studies involving 2,000 people. Supported by extensive animal research, he said, the evidence should sway the medical community -- especially when faced by drug-resistant bacteria.

"In some, antibiotics won't work at all," he said. "People are dying from these infections."

Commercial medical honeys are available online in the United States, and one company has applied for Food and Drug Administration approval. In the meantime, more complete clinical research is imminent. The German hospitals are documenting their cases in a database built by Simon's team in Bonn, while Eddy is conducting the first double-blind study.

"The more we keep giving antibiotics, the more we breed these superbugs. Wounds end up being repositories for them," Eddy said. "By eradicating them, honey could do a great job for society and to improve public health."


1 This story was updated to clarify that there are a range of MRSA symptoms, of which the most severe is necroticizing fasciitis. 10.11.06 | 6:01 PM 
 
 
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Tony Torre on May 27, 2007, 11:13:20 AM
Funny you mention the medicinal applications of honey.  My grandmother used to give us a shot glass worth of honey and freshly squeezed lemon 3-4 times a day when we would get a cold.  For adults she included some whiskey in the mix :wink:

Here are some more useful home remedy's. Vinegar poured directly on the skin immediately relieves sunburn.  Do this in the shower the smell is very strong.  Cheyenne pepper helps stop bleeding and speeds up healing.  I've also heard it has anti microbial properties.  Soaking your foot in ice water with Epsom salts helps ankle sprains during the first few days and warm /hot water with Epsom salts furthers the progress once the swelling is gone.  Also try rolling a cold beer bottle or pipe under your foot for ankle sprains. Spearmint tea (made from fresh leaves preferably) will give you a nice energy boost, not at all like the jittery caffeine one.  Ginger tea made from a fresh root will do wonders for muscle soreness.  It is probably best if blended with juice or something since the flavor can be strong for some people.

Tony Torre
Miami Arnis Group
www.miamiarnisgroup.com
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on July 08, 2007, 11:36:07 AM
All:

I am completely clueless in these matters, but this URL http://www.nccpeds.com/sdrive/opmed/rangermedichandbook2007.pdf seems well worth the time for those looking to develop in this area.  It is military, so a large percentage of the contents are militarily driven, but there seems to be a lot of civilian relevant content as well.

TAC,
CD
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on July 11, 2007, 09:47:03 AM
Hat tip to the WT forum:


see this on for more info Antibiotics in tactical combat casualty care 2002.

http://www.tacmed.dk/pdf/Antibiotics%20in%20tactical%20combat%20casualty%20 care%202002..pdf
Title: Dirty Bomb radiation protection
Post by: Crafty_Dog on August 06, 2007, 12:00:12 AM
Question:

Los Angeles is a city likely to go into heavy gridlock in the event of Islamofascist attack.  If the attack is a dirty bomb, what are the realistic options for the citizen at home or caught in the mother of all gridlock on some LA freeway.  Picture a woman with children in a van.  What is she to do?  I've heard iodine potassium (IIRC) tablets protect the thyroid gland.  Is there some sort of mask that lessens inhalation of nasties into lungs?  Will a child wear these?  What else?

TIA,
CD
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on September 08, 2007, 06:43:00 PM
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/transmission.htm

Kissing
Casual contact through closed-mouth or "social" kissing is not a risk for transmission of HIV. Because of the potential for contact with blood during "French" or open-mouth kissing, CDC recommends against engaging in this activity with a person known to be infected. However, the risk of acquiring HIV during open-mouth kissing is believed to be very low. CDC has investigated only one case of HIV infection that may be attributed to contact with blood during open-mouth kissing.

Biting
In 1997, CDC published findings from a state health department investigation of an incident that suggested blood-to-blood transmission of HIV by a human bite. There have been other reports in the medical literature in which HIV appeared to have been transmitted by a bite. Severe trauma with extensive tissue tearing and damage and presence of blood were reported in each of these instances. Biting is not a common way of transmitting HIV. In fact, there are numerous reports of bites that did not result in HIV infection.

Saliva, Tears, and Sweat
HIV has been found in saliva and tears in very low quantities from some AIDS patients. It is important to understand that finding a small amount of HIV in a body fluid does not necessarily mean that HIV can be transmitted by that body fluid. HIV has not been recovered from the sweat of HIV-infected persons. Contact with saliva, tears, or sweat has never been shown to result in transmission of HIV.

========

Woof All:

Before the humoruos reparte' about the inclusion of the CDC's comments on kissing begin :wink:  I'd like to point out that I understand the comments on biting to be when an HIV does the biting.  It seems to me though that a different question is presented when the healthy bite the HIV, and in this case the comments on kissing, though not dispositive, have relevance.

Any comments from anyone actually informed or qualified to comment?

Yip!
CD
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on September 15, 2007, 08:42:38 AM
http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/concussion/overview.html

A concussion is a brain injury that may result in a bad headache or unconsciousness.
See All » News & Features
Dark Days Follow Hard-Hitting Career in N.F.L. Expert Ties Ex-Player’s Suicide to Brain Damage A Journey Through Concussion's Foggy Terrain In Sports, Play Smart and Watch Your Head Reference from A.D.A.M.
Causes
There are more than a million cases of concussions each year in the United States.

A concussion may result when the head hits an object or a moving object strikes the head. A concussion can result from a fall, sports activities, and car accidents. Significant movement of the brain (jarring) in any direction can cause unconsciousness. How long a person remains unconscious may indicate the severity of the concussion.

Often victims have no memory of events preceding the injury, or immediately after regaining consciousness. More severe head injuries can cause longer periods of memory loss (amnesia).

Usually, a person has the most memory loss immediately after getting hurt. Some of the memory comes back as time goes by. However, complete memory recovery for the event may not occur.

Bleeding into or around the brain can occur with any blow to the head, whether or not unconsciousness occurs. If someone has received a blow to the head, they should be watched closely for signs of possible brain damage.

Things to watch for include repeated vomiting, unequal pupils, confused mental state or varying levels of consciousness, seizure-like activity, weakness on one side of the body or the inability to wake up (coma). If any of these signs are present, immediately call your health care provider.
Back to TopSymptoms
A concussion results from a significant blow to the head. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. They can include:

Loss of consciousness
Memory loss (amnesia) of events surrounding the injury
Headache
Emergency signs:

Persistent unconsciousness (coma)
Altered level of consciousness (drowsy, hard to arouse, or similar changes)
Persistent confusion
Convulsions
Repeated vomiting
Unequal pupils
Unusual eye movements
Muscle weakness on one or both sides
Walking problems
Back to TopSigns and Tests
A neurological examination may show abnormalities.

Tests that may be performed include:

Head CT
MRI of the head
Back to TopTreatment
An initial "baseline" neurological evaluation by a health care worker determines appropriate treatment for an uncomplicated concussion. If a blow to the head during athletics leads to a bad headache, a feeling of being confused (dazed), or unconsciousness, a trained person must determine when the person can return to playing sports.

If a child or young adult has lost consciousness, that person should not play sports for a period of 3 months. Studies have shown that there is an increased rate of brain injury and occasionally death in people who have had a previous concussion with unconsciousness.

Concussion complicated by bleeding or brain damage must be treated in a hospital.
Back to TopExpectations (prognosis)
Full recovery is expected from an uncomplicated concussion, although prolonged dizziness, irritability, headaches, and other symptoms may occur.
Back to TopComplications
Intracerebral hemorrhage
Brain injury
Back to TopCalling Your Health Care Provider
Call your health care provider if anyone has a head injury that produced unconsciousness, or a head injury without unconsciousness produced symptoms that caused concern.

Go to the emergency room, call the local emergency number (such as 911), or contact your health care provider immediately if emergency symptoms develop.
Back to TopPrevention
Attention to safety, including the use of appropriate athletic gear, such as bike helmets and seat belts, reduces the risk of head injury.
Review Date: 3/21/2006
Reviewed By: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-RooseveltHospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed HealthcareNetwork.
=============
http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/injury/head-injury/overview.html

A head injury is any trauma that leads to injury of the scalp, skull, or brain. The injuries can range from a minor bump on the skull to serious brain injury.
Head injury is classified as either closed or open (penetrating).
A closed head injury means you received a hard blow to the head from striking an object.
An open, or penetrating, head injury means you were hit with an object that broke the skull and entered the brain. This usually happens when you move at high speed, such as going through the windshield during a car accident. It can also happen from a gunshot to the head.
There are several types of brain injuries. Two common types of head injuries are:
Concussion, the most common type of traumatic brain injury
Contusion, which is a bruise on the brain
See also:
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
Subdural hematoma
See All » News & Features
Man Regains Speech After Brain Stimulation When Seasickness Persists After a Return to Solid Ground When a Brain Forgets Where Memory Is At Risk: One Head Injury Sets the Stage for a Second One in Children Reference from A.D.A.M.
Alternative Names
Brain injury; Head trauma; Contusion
Considerations
Every year, millions of people sustain a head injury. Most of these injuries are minor because the skull provides the brain with considerable protection. The symptoms of minor head injuries usually go away on their own. More than half a million head injuries a year, however, are severe enough to require hospitalization.

Learning to recognize a serious head injury, and implementing basic first aid, can make the difference in saving someone's life.

In patients who have suffered a severe head injury, there is often one or more other organ systems injured. For example, a head injury is sometimes accompanied by a spinal injury.
Causes
Common causes of head injury include traffic accidents, falls, physical assault, and accidents at home, work, outdoors, or while playing sports.

Some head injuries result in prolonged or non-reversible brain damage. This can occur as a result of bleeding inside the brain or forces that damage the brain directly. These more serious head injuries may cause:

Changes in personality, emotions, or mental abilities
Speech and language problems
Loss of sensation, hearing, vision, taste, or smell
Seizures
Paralysis
Coma
Back to TopSymptoms
The signs of a head injury can occur immediately or develop slowly over several hours. Even if the skull is not fractured, the brain can bang against the inside of the skull and be bruised. (This is called a concussion.) The head may look fine, but complications could result from bleeding inside the skull.

When encountering a person who just had a head injury, try to find out what happened. If he or she cannot tell you, look for clues and ask witnesses. In any serious head trauma, always assume the spinal cord is also injured.

The following symptoms suggest a more serious head injury -- other than a concussion or contusion -- and require emergency medical treatment:

Loss of consciousness, confusion, or drowsiness
Low breathing rate or drop in blood pressure
Convulsions
Fracture in the skull or face, facial bruising, swelling at the site of the injury, or scalp wound
Fluid drainage from nose, mouth, or ears (may be clear or bloody)
Severe headache
Initial improvement followed by worsening symptoms
Irritability (especially in children), personality changes, or unusual behavior
Restlessness, clumsiness, lack of coordination
Slurred speech or blurred vision
Inability to move one or more limbs
Stiff neck or vomiting
Pupil changes
Inability to hear, see, taste, or smell
Back to TopFirst Aid
Get medical help immediately if the person:

Becomes unusually drowsy
Develops a severe headache or stiff neck
Vomits more than once
Loses consciousness (even if brief)
Behaves abnormally
For a moderate to severe head injury, take the following steps:

Call 911.
Check the person's airway, breathing, and circulation. If necessary, begin rescue breathing and CPR.
If the person's breathing and heart rate are normal but the person is unconscious, treat as if there is a spinal injury. Stabilize the head and neck by placing your hands on both sides of the person's head, keeping the head in line with the spine and preventing movement. Wait for medical help.
Stop any bleeding by firmly pressing a clean cloth on the wound. If the injury is serious, be careful not to move the person's head. If blood soaks through the cloth, DO NOT remove it. Place another cloth over the first one.
If you suspect a skull fracture, DO NOT apply direct pressure to the bleeding site, and DO NOT remove any debris from the wound. Cover the wound with sterile gauze dressing.
If the person is vomiting, roll the head, neck, and body as one unit to prevent choking. This still protects the spine, which you must always assume is injured in the case of a head injury. (Children often vomit ONCE after a head injury. This may not be a problem, but call a doctor for further guidance.)
Apply ice packs to swollen areas.
For a mild head injury, no specific treatment may be needed. However, closely watch the person for any concerning symptoms over the next 24 hours. The symptoms of a serious head injury can be delayed. While the person is sleeping, wake him or her every 2 to 3 hours and ask simple questions to check alertness, such as "What is your name?"

If a child begins to play or run immediately after getting a bump on the head, serious injury is unlikely. However, as with anyone with a head injury, closely watch the child for 24 hours after the incident.

Over-the-counter pain medicine (like acetaminophen or ibuprofen) may be used for a mild headache. DO NOT take aspirin, because it can increase the risk of bleeding.
Back to TopDo Not
DO NOT wash a head wound that is deep or bleeding a lot.
DO NOT remove any object sticking out of a wound.
DO NOT move the person unless absolutely necessary.
DO NOT shake the person if he or she seems dazed.
DO NOT remove a helmet if you suspect a serious head injury.
DO NOT pick up a fallen child with any sign of head injury.
DO NOT drink alcohol within 48 hours of a serious head injury.
Back to TopCall Immediately for Emergency Medical Assistance if
Call 911 if:

There is severe head or facial bleeding.
The person is confused, drowsy, lethargic, or unconscious.
The person stops breathing.
You suspect a serious head or neck injury or the person develops any symptoms of a serious head injury.
Back to TopPrevention
Always use safety equipment during activities that could result in head injury. These include seat belts, bicycle or motorcycle helmets, and hard hats.
Obey traffic signals when riding a bicycle. Be predictable so that other drivers will be able to determine your course.
Be visible. DO NOT ride a bicycle at night.
Use age-appropriate car seats or boosters for babies and young children.
Make sure that children have a safe area in which to play.
Supervise children of any age.
DO NOT drink and drive, and DO NOT allow yourself to be driven by someone who you know or suspect has been drinking alcohol.
Back to TopReferences
Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2002.

DeLee JC, Drez, Jr., D, Miller MD, eds. DeLee and Drez’s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders; 2003.

Goetz CG, Pappert EJ. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders; 2003:1130-1134.
Review Date: 1/8/2007
Reviewed By: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

A.D.A.M. Copyright
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2007 A.D.A.M., Inc.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on October 23, 2007, 09:47:06 AM

Army Ranger Handbook (2006) Ranger Medic Handbook (2007)



http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/ranger.pdf


http://www.specopsadvantage.com/news/2007rangmedhb.pdf
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on November 27, 2007, 04:02:11 AM
I see in the news the NFL player Sean Taylor has died from being shot in the leg.  Apparently the bullet hit the femoral artery and even though ST was taken to the hospital and presumably the best of care applied, he died.  This is similar to the case of the bouncer who was knifed in the leg by a FMA trained person in NYC a few years back.

I know this thread has some people with a good level of understanding reading it and hope that some of them will comment.  Why is it that once someone is at the hospital they simply can't clamp off the femoral?

And what words of wisdom for what we should know?  If a tourniquet is available?  If not?
============
NY Times
Redskins Star Sean Taylor Dies After Shooting
          MIAMI (AP) -- Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has died, a day after he was shot at home, said family friend Richard Sharpstein.

He said Taylor's father called him around 5:30 a.m. to tell him the news.

''His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me,'' said Sharpstein, Taylor's former lawyer. ''It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans.''

He said he did not know exactly when Taylor died.

Doctors had been encouraged late Monday night when Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand. But Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained consciousness after being transported to the hospital and that he wasn't sure how he had squeezed the nurse's hand.

''Maybe he was trying to say goodbye or something,'' Sharpstein said.

The 24-year-old Redskins safety was shot early Monday in the upper leg, damaging an artery and causing significant blood loss.

Miami-Dade Police were investigating the attack, which came just eight days after an intruder was reported at Taylor's home. Officers were dispatched about 1:45 a.m. Monday after Taylor's girlfriend called 911. Taylor was airlifted to the hospital.

Sharpstein said Taylor's girlfriend told him the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor, Sharpstein said. Taylor's 1-year-old daughter, Jackie, was also in the house at the time, but neither she nor Taylor's girlfriend were injured.

''It could have been a possible burglary; it could have been a possible robbery,'' Miami-Dade Police Lt. Nancy Perez said. ''It has not been confirmed as yet.''

Taylor was shot at the pale yellow house he bought two years ago in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay. It came about a week after someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed at Taylor's home, according to police.

''They're really sifting through that incident and today's incident,'' Miami-Dade Police Detective Mario Rachid said, ''to see if there's any correlation.''

Taylor starred as a running back and defensive back at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami. His father, Pedro Taylor, is the police chief of Florida City, Fla.

Teammates and coaches often have portrayed Taylor as misunderstood, and that much was true. A private man with a small inner circle, Taylor became distrustful of reporters and anyone else he didn't know well. He rarely granted interviews, sometimes declining with a smile and a handshake and sometimes with a snarl that said: ''Get out of my way.''

But, behind the scenes, Taylor was described as personable and smart -- an emerging locker room leader.

Especially since the birth of his daughter Jackie.

''From the first day I met him, from then to now, it's just like night and day,'' Redskins receiver James Thrash said. ''He's really got his head on his shoulders and has been doing really well as far as just being a man. It's been awesome to see that growth.''

An All-American at the University of Miami, Taylor was drafted by the Redskins with the fifth overall selection in 2004. Coach Joe Gibbs called it ''one of the most researched things'' he's ever done, but the problems soon began. Taylor fired his agent, then skipped part of the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium, drawing a $25,000 fine. Driving home late from a party during the season, he was pulled over and charged with drunken driving. The case was dismissed in court, but by then it had become a months-long distraction for the team.

Taylor was also fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other infractions over his first three seasons, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a playoff game in January 2006.

Meanwhile, Taylor endured a yearlong legal battle after he was accused in 2005 of brandishing a gun at a man during a fight over allegedly stolen all-terrain vehicles near Taylor's home. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months' probation.

Taylor said the end of the assault case was like ''a gray cloud'' being lifted. It was also around the time that Jackie was born, and teammates noticed a change.

''It's hard to expect a man to grow up overnight,'' said Redskins teammate and close friend Clinton Portis, who also played with Taylor at the University of Miami. ''But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child.''

On the field, Taylor's play was often erratic. Assistant coach Gregg Williams frequently called Taylor the best athlete he's ever coached, but nearly every big play was mitigated by a blown assignment. Taylor led the NFL in missed tackles in 2006 yet made the Pro Bowl because of his reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league.

This year, however, Taylor was allowed to play a true free safety position, using his speed and power to chase down passes and crush would-be receivers. His five interceptions tie for the league lead in the NFC, even though he missed the last two games because of a sprained knee. Teammates said he had overhauled his diet this year to include more fruit, fish and vegetables and less red meat.

''I just take this job very seriously,'' Taylor said in a rare group interview during training camp. ''It's almost like, you play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that.'

''So I just say, 'I'm healthy right now, I'm going into my fourth year, and why not do the best that I can?' And that's whatever it is, whether it's eating right or training myself right, whether it's studying harder, whatever I can do to better myself.''

His hard work was well-noted.

''He loved football. He felt like that's what he was made to do,'' Gibbs said. ''And I think what I've noticed over the last year and a half ... is he matured. I think his baby had a huge impact on him. There was a real growing up in his life.''
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on November 27, 2007, 09:24:24 AM
I see in the news the NFL player Sean Taylor has died from being shot in the leg.  Apparently the bullet hit the femoral artery and even though ST was taken to the hospital and presumably the best of care applied, he died.  This is similar to the case of the bouncer who was knifed in the leg by a FMA trained person in NYC a few years back.

I know this thread has some people with a good level of understanding reading it and hope that some of them will comment.  Why is it that once someone is at the hospital they simply can't clamp off the femoral?

And what words of wisdom for what we should know?  If a tourniquet is available?  If not?
============


Unfortunately this is one of the toughest bleeds to get control of.   First line of defense would be strong direct pressure as high as possible near the groin area on the same side as the wound.  I would sugest using a knee in this area as to get as much body weight as possible onto the Femoral artery.  (Right next to the groin and in the crease of the hip area on the inside (medial) aspect of the leg.  Use your hands and if need be "use your knife for good" open the wound enough, while maintaining direct pressure above the wound, and get to the artery as best as pssible (if you dont - he/she is going to die).  You could use a shoe lace or fishing line to tie around the artery (if you get to it). 

If you have pointed nose pliers, paper clip (whatever) try to clamp it. 

Best option, (IMHO) have some "Quick Clot" or the like to control the bleeding.  *Note:  Quick Clock requires special training and certification to use legally. 

I heard a story about a Combat Vet (IDC) Independent Duty Corpsman (a lot like a PA) was at the LA trauma center (we go there for training sometimes).  The Dr was unsuccessful controlling a femoral artery bleed and was giving up...  The IDC ran to his car and grabbed some Quick Clot from his bag of tricks.  Came back and told the Dr to try it (what do we have to loose).  The Dr used it and the patient survived.

I dont know why more trauma centers dont use it - but it works. 

(Crafty, theres some in the kit you now have).

I'll send you a vid of an Arterial bleed video put out by Quick Clot. 

Dean 8-)
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on January 17, 2008, 06:45:19 AM
Sent to me by a friend at Border Protection:

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.
 

My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously..

Please read:

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .


Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simp le questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE o f these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.
http://www.classbrain.com/artfamily/publish/stroke_remember_STR.shtml

 

 

Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: teetsao on January 17, 2008, 09:39:06 AM
this is all good stuff. i look at it as i won't be able to see a dr. or emergency room. with all of the new things looming on the horizen, like the "real i.d. card" if oyu do not have this you will not be seen by an emergency room or dr. i think we will have to learn to be our own dr.s' anyway, there is a fantastic burn cream out there called "ching wan hung" it is simmilar to yunan bai yao as in it was developed and kept secret for awhile. the 2 main ingredients are frankinscense and myrhh, 2 very potent and healing herbs,also prophectic if you look deep enpough. i have seen this burn cream help when nothing else would. a friend of mine got brned bu hot,hot coffe on the hand,it swelld,turnde red and blistered. she wet to the hospital,they iced it,gave oral pain killers and silver nitrate.2 days later she showed my, we immedietly putt the ching wan on, and in 4 days no lie it was healed. the old flesh came off and new pink flesh was there. you just keep applying the cream.check it out

http://www.itmonline.org/jintu/chingwan.htm

chinese medicine has almost all of your bases covered. but look out the fad wants all chinese meds. and herbs gone. under the "safety" guise. yet they don't tell you haw many people die evry year from fda approved meds. the new one is "chantix", the stop smoking drug has already caused deaths.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: foxmarten on January 23, 2008, 07:09:24 PM
the 2 main ingredients are frankinscense and myrhh, 2 very potent and healing herbs,also prophectic if you look deep enpough.

I too have long been a fan of boswellia (frankincense)*.  For unbroken skin a menthol/boswellin cream carried by most health food stores works well on muscle strains or contusions.  The oral capsulse is an excellent anti-inflammatory for acute injuries, arthritis and even perhaps asthma.  I actually was going to start a thread/poll on anti-inflammatories, but I might as well ask the question here.  I was wondering, do most of stickfighters stop aspirin/ibuprofen/etc. a week or two prior to combat in order to decrease the risk of hematomas?  Especially those pesky intracranial or subdural hematomas...as Woody Allen put it, "Damage my brain? But that's my second favorite organ!

*From Wikipedia...
Boswellia is a genus of trees known for their fragrant resin which has many pharmacological uses particularly as anti-inflammatories. The Biblical incense frankincense was probably an extract from the resin of the tree, Boswellia sacra.
There are four main species of Boswellia which produce true Frankincense and each type of resin is available in various grades. The grades depend on the time of harvesting, and the resin is hand sorted for quality. Anyone interested in frankincense would be well advised to first obtain a small sample of each type from a reputable dealer in order to ascertain the difference between each resin.
[edit] Medicinal uses
Boswellia has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine. Recently, the boswellic acids that are a component of the resin it produces have shown some promise as a treatment for asthma and various inflammatory conditions (Gupta I, Gupta V, Parihar A, et al. Effects of Boswellia serrata gum resin in patients with bronchial asthma: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week clinical study. European Journal of Herbal Medicine 1998; 3:511-14.) In West Africa, the bark of Boswellia dalzielii is used to treat fever, rheumatism and gastro-intestinal problems (Arbonnier 2002. Arbres, arbustes et lianes des zones sèches de l'Afrique de l'Ouest)
This Sapindales-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boswellia"
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: teetsao on January 23, 2008, 10:07:31 PM
good reply foxmarten. there are also good trauma or "hit pills" you can buy in the chinese pharmacy,or as i do make your own.they are to be taken immediatly after the trauma,ie;hits from blunt force. a really good book on  taruma t.c.m. at a basic but very informative level, is "tooth from the tigers mouth" by tom bisio. very well written and includes some good basic formulas you can get filled at the chinese pharmacy. a good friend of mine,that is a ba gua teacher in boston, dale dugas, just gave me a formula specifically for stick fighting,as it can be used even if you have small scratches or weils,that usually accompany hits from sticks. it is completely non toxic but a very good healer of bruises.and blunt trauma. i will be sending some to crafty to brew for the fighters. these are all good posts. we all need to become  emts' in our own right and to some varying extent. it is good to see alot of people on this board really know what they are talking about.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: scomith on January 28, 2008, 09:38:24 AM
What in the formula makes it "specifically" for stick?
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: teetsao on January 28, 2008, 11:26:42 AM
it is not necessarily just for stick .i have many dit da jow formulas, but most could not be used if the skin was scratched or broken. i asked my sifu who is also an herbalist if he had a formula to be used for blunt trauma,with the possibility of a few layers of skin missing,ie; hit from a stick. he used an old taoist formula and added to it to make it specific for blunt trauma with no toxic ingredients so it could be used on weapons injuries. i will be getting crafty some herbs thiis week to brew some up for the dog bros. i will send all brewing instructions, and in 6 weeks he will have some fantastic jow for blunt trauma.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on May 07, 2008, 10:01:32 AM
Could this tragedy have been avoided if someone knew to slam on a tourniquet?
============

Sergeant's Last Words: 'Tell My Wife I'll Miss Her'
5637 Views 260 Comments Share Flag as inappropriate 
Officer in New Jersey search for the only suspect still at large. (AP)
Philadelphia Inquirer

May 06, 2008

PHILADELPHIA – Nancy Braun was sitting on a couch watching one of her favorite TV shows, Trading Spaces, when gunfire erupted down the street yesterday morning.

“I heard three shots – real loud,” Braun said from a rocking chair on the front porch of her Schiller Street rowhouse. “Then a lady started screaming, ‘A police officer’s been shot!’ “

Braun and her boyfriend, Joe Czarnik, both 43, bolted out of the house and ran to Schiller and Almond Streets, she said. She was not wearing shoes at the time, she said, and ran in her socks.

In the street next to a compact police cruiser, Braun said, she saw Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski. Others were trying to apply pressure to his stomach and an arm.

Keith Petaccio, 45, was at his front door greeting his wife as she came back after walking their dogs.

A police cruiser “flew by,” and Petaccio stepped outside to see what was going on just as the gunfire started, he said. He said he had run to Liczbinski.

Throughout the block as noon approached, chaos ensued.

A woman spun around yelling that a man had put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. People young and old poured out of houses and onto their porches. One man chased the shooter’s stolen Jeep as it bolted south on Almond Street. Others called 911 on cell phones.

An older man nearby had taken the fallen officer’s radio and was saying, “A police officer is down. He’s shot multiple times. Get an ambulance,” Braun said.

Braun yelled at another neighbor for towels to try to stop the gushing blood. She grabbed four kitchen towels and gave them to those trying to stop the bleeding, she said.

A neighbor tying to help Liczbinski looked up at Braun and said, “His arm is just dangling off.”

Petaccio said he had stayed with Liczbinski talking to him as he tried to save his life.

He said Liczbinski had looked at him and said, “I want you to tell my wife I’ll miss her.”

Joe Farrell was cooking breakfast for his children, he said, when he heard the shots feet from his porch. He yelled at the children to get down on the floor and ran out the door to help.

“They were holding rags on him trying to stop the blood from pumping out,” Farrell said. He said he had helped get Liczbinski into the back of a police car.

Minutes later, swarms of police and detectives arrived. They quickly strung yellow police tape for blocks around the intersection.

“I feel bad for the family and the police,” Braun said. “What they have to go through today, it’s horrible.”

Petaccio said that on Saturdays the neighborhood streets were usually filled with children playing. Yesterday few people were outside when the drama began.

“My heart goes out to his family,” Petaccio said. “I can’t believe it happened.”

Many of the porches in the neighborhood have colorful flowers hanging in baskets or in pots.

By 6 p.m., when most police cars had left and the police tape had been collected, some had placed flowerpots at the curb where Liczbinski fell.

(c) 2008 YellowBrix, Inc.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on May 09, 2008, 01:39:51 PM
Man Saves Own Life, Uses Steak Knife for At-Home Tracheotomy

OMAHA, Neb. — An Omaha man struggling to breath used a steak knife to perform an at-home tracheotomy.

Steve Wilder says he thought he was going to die when he awoke one night last week and couldn't breath.

Wilder says he didn't call 911 because he didn't think help would arrive in time. So, the 55-year-old says, he got a steak knife from the kitchen and made a small hole in his throat, allowing air to gush in.

Wilder suffered from throat cancer and related breathing problems several years ago. About that time, he had an episode where he couldn't breath because his air passages swelled shut. He says that's what happened this time around.

Doctors don't expect Wilder to suffer any adverse affects from the tracheotomy once it's healed.
Title: Quik Clot
Post by: Crafty_Dog on May 14, 2008, 09:19:28 PM
 DOD picks QuikClot Combat Gauze

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. Department of Defense Picks New QuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM) as First-Line Hemostatic Treatment for All Military Services



Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care Cites Dual Navy/Army Testing Efficacy, Familiar Format, Ability to Treat Penetrating Wounds, Ease of Removal WALLINGFORD, Conn., May 14 /PRNewswire/

Z-Medica Corporation(Z-Medica), a medical products company focused on innovative blood clottingnano-technologies, announced that the United States Department of Defensehas selected the company's newest hemostatic product, QuikClot(R) CombatGauze(TM) brand, for all military services as the first-line hemostatictreatment for life-threatening hemorrhage that is not amenable totourniquet placement.

Bleeding is the number one cause of death forsoldiers injured in battle and QuikClot(R) products offer the mosteffective solution to severe blood loss outside the operating room setting.They have been proven in battlefield use and, with more than one millionunits deployed, are the leading hemostatic agents in the field. The Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) made thedecision to recommend QuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM) after reviewing testreports on a number of hemostatic products.

QuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM)was the only one of these products tested by both the Naval MedicalResearch Center and the U.S. Army Institute for Surgical Research. Inaddition to test efficacy, the committee sited a number of other factors inaccording QuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM) the number one position:
-- Preference for the gauze delivery format, which is familiar to combat medical personnel. -- Ability of QuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM) to be shaped to any wound and to reach bleeding vessels in penetrating wounds.

-- Ease of removal once hemostasis has been achieved. "Z-Medica's approach to product innovation has always been to listen tothe voice of our customer and to focus our research & development effortson delivering life-saving products that meet their needs," said Z-MedicaCEO Raymond J. Huey.

"With QuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM) we have provided aproduct that is virtually 100% effective in a very intuitive format thatcan be applied quickly and simply by anyone." QuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM) combines surgical gauze with a proprietaryinorganic material that stops arterial and venous bleeding in seconds
--even more rapidly in this format than earlier Z-Medica products.

Based on adifferent mineral than zeolite-based QuikClot(R) products, it generates noheat. It shares the benefit of being inert and non-allergenic. QuikClot(R)Combat Gauze(TM) comes in rolls four yards long by three inches wide.

In addition to the military testing, the new product was tested inpre-clinical trials at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the University of Massachusetts Medical School and at various field facilities.It has 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. TheUnited States Department of Defense has awarded Z-Medica a $3.2 milliongrant for large-scale testing of the product on penetrating wounds. Thesemulti-center clinical trials will take place during 2008.

Earlier QuikClot(R) products are in use by all branches of the U.S.Military, by first responders and security agencies across the U.S. and in36 countries worldwide, with more than a million units in distribution.Z-Medica recently launched its first products for consumers.

About Z-Medica Founded in April 2002, Z-Medica Corporation is a medical productscompany focused on innovative blood clotting technologies -- hemostaticsolutions that save lives. QuikClot(R) was developed in cooperation withthe Office of Naval Research (ONR), the U.S. Marine Corps WarfightingLaboratory, the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command and university hospitals.

It represents the first and most effective solution to severe blood lossoutside the operating room setting. Z-Medica serves several global verticalmarkets, including military, first responder, homeland and private security.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Grants &Training added 'hemostatic agent' to its 2006 Authorized Equipment List(AEL), qualifying QuikClot(R) for purchase using grant dollars, subject toeach State's administrative agency's approval.

And, in 2007, the NationalTactical Officers Association gave the company and its new products theircoveted official seal of "NTOA member tested and approved". In addition toQuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM), the company is fully engaged in acceleratingthe development and distribution of QuikClot(R) brand hemostatic agent,QuikClot(R) ACS+(TM), QuikClot(R) 1st Response(TM), QuikClot(R) Sport(TM),QuikClot(R) Sport Silver(TM) (antimicrobial) and related products. Z-Medica headquarters is located at 4 Fairfield Blvd., Wallingford,Connecticut 06492. For more information, please call (203) 294.0000 or visit http://www.z-medica.com.s.server=server
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: medicmatt on May 15, 2008, 06:20:15 AM
This is a great thread.  Kudos to alll those who have responded.  As a civilian Paramedic I honestly expected a lot of chest pounding.  Not a bit here.  I only have one thing to add.  I appreciate that there are a lot of home remedies that actually work and that the medical standards of some local hospitals and doctors mught not work as well, but sometimes you gotta go with the experts.   Especially with our type of hobby (fighting).  The doctors may not have the slightest clue what you are talking about when you explain what happened.  But if you try to avoid the doctor altogether for  a personal remedy you may be leading to bigger issues later.

I had a neck injury from a wrestler using a "can opener neck crank".  My coach at the time said don't worry and it will resolve itself.  One month and a grappling tournament later, the pain was horrible and my left arm was not moving the same way.  "weird feeling, can't really describe it". I finally gave up and went to the doctor who sent me to an orthopedic surgeon.   Long story short, after taking an hour to explain what a "can opener" was, and what it felt like now, I was sent for all sorts of tests.  Results were C3,4,5 ruptured disks approximately 4mm from the spine itself.  I'm officially out of the grappling game.  I made the mistake of listening to a person with no medical training and a bit of a chest pounder and screwed myself up worse.  I opted not to have surgery on my neck because it would have been pins and/or fusion.  I just can't grapple anymore.  Hitting someone with sticks is just fine though.  Kinda fun too.

Don't get me wrong, you can take care of a lot on your own and you probably should.  It would make my day easier.  Here is the rule we teach people who took too long to call us and they really needed help.  If it hurts on the outside.  You can usually take care  of it yourself or with a simple doctor visit.  If it hurts on the inside.  Go to the hospital or call 911 now.  I'd rather over treat and not nead it, then under treat or not treat at all and find out too late you were in trouble.  I honestly couldn't tell you how many people I have told this to when we come to get them at their homes after multiple hours or DAYS of difficulty breathing, chest pain or head pains from trauma.
Title: Gamer Samaritan
Post by: Crafty_Dog on May 15, 2008, 01:04:07 PM
WORD.

I remember when my knee was snapped in 1992 (ACL, PCL, LCL ligaments all snapped in half) in a freak BJJ accident some idiot purple belt wanted to manipulate my knee.  I asked if he was trained.  No he wasn't. :-o What a fcukin' idiot!  :x  It turns out that it was quite fortunate that the peroneal nerve was not severed.  For all I know, I saved it by asserting myself and not allowing this idiot to posture by using my knee.

Changing subjects, here is this:
===========


http://us.i1.yimg.com/videogames.yah...-lives/1181064

Gamer uses virtual training to save lives

Player of America's Army used in-games techniques in a rescue situation.


By Ben Silverman



Think playing video games is little more than a great way to waste time? Then you haven't met Paxton Galvanek. Last November, the twenty-eight year-old helped rescue two victims from an overturned SUV on the shoulder of a North Carolina interstate. As the first one on the scene, Galvanek safely removed both individuals from the smoking vehicle and properly assessed and treated their wounds, which included bruises, scrapes, head trauma and the loss of two fingers.
His medical background? None - other than what he's learned playing as a medic in the computer game America's Army.
The first-person shooter is developed and distributed by the U.S. Army. Though part of its mission is to promote its military namesake, America's Army is a fully-featured game that takes players through a virtual representation of real-life soldiering, from basic training to the field of battle. To play as a medic class, players must sit through extensive medical training tutorials based on real-life classes.
Lucky for the two survivors that Paxton Galvanek didn't zone out during the training, as the gamer credits this experience with teaching him how to handle himself in an emergency situation.
"In the case of this accident, I evaluated the situation and placed priority on the driver of the car who had missing fingers," he said. "I then recalled that in section two of the medic training, I learned about controlled bleeding. I noticed that the wounded man had severe bleeding that he could not control. I used a towel as a dressing and asked the man to hold the towel on his wound and to raise his hand above his head to lessen the blood flow which allowed me to evaluate his other injuries which included a cut on his head."
By the time help arrived in the form of -- ironically enough -- an Army soldier, the individuals were in stable condition and awaiting the paramedics.
Galvanek's decisions were lauded by game project director Colonel Casey Wardynski. "Because of the training he received in America's Army's virtual classroom, Mr. Galvanek had mastered the basics of first aid and had the confidence to take appropriate action when others might do nothing. He took the initiative to assess the situation, prioritize actions and apply the correct procedures... Paxton is a true hero."
According to the developers of America's Army, this is the second time one of their users has reportedly applied techniques learned in the game to real-life emergency situations. You can find more information about the game at www.americasarmy.com.
__________________
Title: Re: Quik Clot
Post by: Scott on May 18, 2008, 04:33:25 AM
DOD picks QuikClot Combat Gauze

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. Department of Defense Picks New QuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM) as First-Line Hemostatic Treatment for All Military Services


Greetings and Salutations,
  I just wanted to say that we love QuikClot here and always have a couple of packs in our First Aid kit.  I suggest QC Silver (It has the anti-biotic) and you can get QuikClot at Cabella's via their on-line store.  You'll need more than one pack for larger wounds, though (and WoundMate surgical zippers work well in conjunction with them if you are familiar with their use).
  Just tossing in my two-cents worth.
    Train hard and stay safe,
         Scott (Emir/Pencak Silat Sharaf)
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Mr.Happy on July 01, 2008, 06:39:34 AM
Hi all,this might sound crazy but i once saw a farmer stop a bad cut on one of his horses by packing handfulls of granulated table sugar onto the wound in order to facilitate clotting.  Ive never tried it on anyone myself, just throwing it out there :|
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Tony Torre on July 01, 2008, 05:23:35 PM
Here's some important info I cut and pasted from an e-mail

 It only takes a minute  to read this...

        A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke  victim within 3 hours he
can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...  totally. He said the trick
was getting a stroke recognized,  diagnosed, and then getting the patient
medically cared for within 3  hours, which is tough. 

        RECOGNIZING  A STROKE

        Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR.  Read  and  Learn!

        Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.  Unfortunately,
the lack of awareness spells disaster. Th e stroke victim  may suffer severe
brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the  symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke  by asking three simple
questions:

        S  * Ask  the individual to SMILE. 
        T  * Ask  the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) ( i.e.
It is  sunny out today)
        R  * Ask  him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

        If  he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911
immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.. 

        New  Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your  Tongue

        NOTE:  Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his
 tongue..If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other  ,
that  is also an indication of a stroke.

        A  cardio logist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10
people; you can bet that at least one life will be  saved.

Tony Torre
Miami Arnis Group
www.miamiarnisgroup.com
Title: Verbal Trauma Control
Post by: Crafty_Dog on July 18, 2008, 08:56:42 PM


        with Charles Remsberg  www.policeone.com <http://www.policeone.com>

**P1 Exclusive:* Verbal Trauma Control*

*What you say to a wounded officer can make a life-or-death difference*

If you’re with a fellow officer who’s been seriously injured in a
training accident, a squad car crash or a shooting or knife attack,
watch your mouth.


You may literally be able to talk that officer into surviving. But with
the wrong approach, you may drastically worsen his or her chances.

The key, says popular trainer Brian Willis, a specialist in survival
psychology, is the combination of mental imagery, language and
expectation you exhibit at the scene.

“If you understand the critical role you can play and know how to use
certain powerful techniques,” says Willis, “you can help even an
unconscious victim control his bleeding, reduce his pain, improve his
respiration, and ease his fears about his condition.

“With words to supplement your first aid, you often can use the time
before EMS arrives to alter the ultimate outcome even of desperate,
life-threatening situations.”

Willis, founder and president of Winning Mind Training, Inc., teaches a
unique course called Verbal Trauma Control which informs officers how to
speak in a supportive, healing fashion to a downed fellow cop, and to
injured or medically stricken civilians as well. PoliceOne sat in on one
of his classes, sponsored by Oak Lawn (Ill.) PD in a Chicago suburb.

*WHY IT WORKS*

The key to Willis’ approach is the subconscious human mind. In contrast
to the logical, analytical and rational conscious mind, the subconscious
is the doorway to imagination, emotion and self-preservation, he explains.

“When people are in traumatic circumstances, they are in an altered
state of consciousness, in which their subconscious mind is highly
active,” Willis says. “They not only are likely to feel scared,
uncertain, confused and alone, but they are much more receptive to
emotion-based input than normal and highly suggestible.

“Even if they are unconscious, they can still hear what is said within
earshot, and what they hear can affect important physical functions
through the mind-body connection.”

Medical researchers have confirmed this in experiments with surgical
patients. Even though a patient is knocked out by anesthetic, he or she
still hears what’s said in the operating room and can react physically
to suggestive messages, Willis says.

“Progressive hospitals now caution doctors and nurses to scrupulously
avoid negative comments in the surgical suite, such as ‘This doesn’t
look good’ or ‘I don’t think she’s gonna make it.’ Some hospitals even
appoint staff members to continually feed positive messages to patients
during surgery because the right kind of input has been shown to lessen
bleeding, control blood pressure, improve heart and lung function and
speed up healing later on.”

These same techniques, Willis says, can be applied by LEOs to help one
of their own or a civilian who’s hurt. “Even in the best urban settings
you may have 3 to 5 minutes and in remote rural areas 30 minutes or more
before EMS arrives,” Willis says. “What you say in whatever time you
have—very simple language—can have a tremendously powerful impact.”

EMS personnel can successfully apply these techniques also, as can
firefighters, rescue workers, military medics and others who must deal
with wounded individuals.

*EARLY LINES*

“Your words, body language and actions need to project confidence and
show that you are taking control of the scene,” Willis says. Avoid
judgmental comments (“Boy, you really got yourself into a helluva
mess!”) and “concentrate on delivering positive messages that have a
purpose. While your hands are busy with first aid, your mouth can be
rallying the victim’s physical defenses through his mind.”

Willis offers some specific suggestions for what to say early in your
contact, along with their rationale:

*• “I’m here to help.” *

Injured people “tend to feel very alone, regardless of how many other
people are around,” Willis says. “They may be scared of what’s going to
happen to them, afraid of dying or being permanently injured or
disfigured, possibly worried about losing their job or current
lifestyle. Their mind may be going all these places. Telling them you’re
going to help them allows you to quickly opens a personal connection so
they no longer feel so alone and makes them more receptive to what you
say from then on.”

With civilians, “establish your authority at the outset.” Tell them your
name, rank and department and say, “I’m trained in emergency care,” even
if you don’t actually know much about medical treatment. “This instills
confidence, immediately creates credibility and starts calming the
injured party because it suggests that someone’s there who knows what to
do.”

*• “The worst is over.” *

“These four simple words send a critical message,” Willis stresses. “To
the injured person, they mean that his circumstances are only going to
get better from here on. This orients his mind toward a positive outcome.”

Adding that “The ambulance is on its way,” that “They’re getting ready
for you at the hospital” and that “You’re going to be alright” is
reassuring that a “greater level of care is imminent” and plants “a
positive expectation in their imagination.”

*• “I need you to help me as best you can. Will you do that?” *

Give the injured person something to do, even if it’s just holding a
bandage in place, “so they understand they’re part of a team effort.
This gets their mind off their injury and focused on something else,
tends to lessen pain and gives them a feeling of empowerment and
control. When they agree to help, they make a commitment to their
survival.” Also tell them what you are going to do and why, Willis
advises. “This takes away some of their fear of the unknown and removes
uncertainty. It makes them less anxious.”

*MIND-BODY MESSAGES*

Once you’ve established some rapport, you can start delivering pointed
messages that will stimulate the victim’s subconscious mind to directly
influence his physiology, affecting such survival essentials as pulse
rate, breathing control and bleeding.

“Here, your tone of voice is very important,” Willis says. “You much
convey your absolute belief in the ability of the mind to control
certain physical functions.”

In class, Willis outlines what these messages might typically consist of
and how to present them for greatest receptivity. The officers attending
practice on each other in a variety of imaginary injury situations.

As with the introductory statements, the words are simple but, in
reality, powerful. The techniques include these kinds of language
strategies:

*• “As I/You Can.” *

As you tell the injured officer or civilian what you are doing to tend
to him, you subtly implant suggestions for his subconscious mind to
activate. Example: “As I hold this bandage on your arm, you can feel the
bleeding slow down and stop” or “As I lift your head up onto this
pillow, you can begin to notice how much easier your breathing becomes.”

“You’re going to be doing care-taking things anyway, so you may as well
give positive suggestions to go with them,” Willis says.

*• “Notice how.” *

A variation is to draw the subject’s attention to something you want to
occur for them. “Notice how much cooler [or warmer, depending on what’s
desirable] your body is beginning to feel” or “Notice how the bleeding
is slowing down.”

Says Willis: “‘Notice’ is a powerful word that tells them something has
already started to happen. They just need to pay attention to it.”

*• “As you listen.” *

As a means of getting the injured to focus on you and screen out
possibly disturbing distractions, direct their attention to your voice:
“As you listen to the sound of my voice, you’ll begin to feel calm and
you’ll feel your breathing start to slow down.”

You can reinforce this with a “notice” statement and a presumptive
question: “Notice how you’re feeling calmer? You’re feeling more
comfortable now, aren’t you?”

*CHOICES*

Offer the injured party a choice in how to reach a desired goal. For
instance: “Would you be more comfortable with your arm at your side or
resting on your lap” or “Would you be more comfortable with the blanket
on or off?”

“Either option implies that they are going to benefit, but giving them a
choice increases their sense of involvement and control,” Willis explains.

*TESTIMONIALS*

Reassurances that others have survived similar circumstances can
motivate injured parties to hang on and feel better. Even if you have to
make up a story, tell them about a situation similar to theirs that
someone else lived through and recovered from completely.

Start the story with “Did you see that show on ’60 Minutes’… ” or “I
know a guy who….” “If you tie the story to a credible TV show or to an
authority figure like yourself, people will especially think it’s true
and take courage from it,” Willis says.

A variation of the testimonial approach is the “Some people find…”
lead-in: “Some people find that when they think about important people
in their life, it helps them feel more comfortable,” etc. This deepens
the testimonial with a positive suggestion and also gives them something
to do that’s diverting.

Building on these fundamentals, Willis leads officers through some
easy-to-perform yet sophisticated psychological tools, including how to
“dial down” a victim’s discomfort level, how to create “guided images”
that can control physiological functions from heart rate to blood
coagulation, how to mentally bring “healing energy” to victims suffering
from painful burns, how to use “anchors” to induce relaxation, and how
to protect victims from the harm of negative people they may encounter
after they leave you.

“This is not magic, “ Willis says, “and it is not infallible. The
subconscious mind can reject suggestions as well as accept them, and if
you’re dealing with someone who doesn’t want to survive, they may not.
Also some injuries are so severe they can’t be overcome. But the
overwhelming evidence is that for most people in most situations, verbal
trauma control works.”

In fact, some of the techniques can be adapted to work on you if you
happen to be the one that’s injured. And that’s something Willis
explores in his important training program, too.

[*Note:*For more information, contact: winningmind@mac.com
<mailto:winningmind@mac.com> or phone 403-809-5954. Tactics for helping
yourself or another wounded officer are also featured in Chuck
Remsberg’s new book, *BLOOD LESSONS: What Cops Learn from Life-or-Death
Encounters*, available from Calibre Press by calling (800) 323-0037


Charles Remsberg co-founded the original Street Survival Seminar and the
Street Survival Newsline, authored three of the best-selling law
enforcement training textbooks, and helped produce numerous
award-winning training videos. His nearly three decades of work earned
him the prestigious O.W. Wilson Award for outstanding contributions to
law enforcement and the American Police Hall of Fame Honor Award for
distinguished achievement in public service.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: G M on July 20, 2008, 09:06:37 PM
http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/opinion/story/2334347/

Army Video Game Helps Save a Life in Raleigh
By John Gaudiosi, Special to WRAL LTW
Posted: Jan. 21, 2008

Editor’s note: John Gaudiosi is a national journalist who has been covering the video game business for more than a decade. In addition to blogging for WRAL.com at Gaming Guru and covering the video games industry for WRAL Local Tech Wire, he also writes about gaming for Wired Magazine, The Washington Post, Xbox.com and Yahoo! Games.

CARY - For the most part, mainstream media only reports negative video game stories--usually lamely blaming some real-world tragedy on some dated game like Doom. But here's a positive story involving the free online game, America's Army developed by RTP-based Virtual Heroes, and how a player was able to use his virtual medic knowledge to rescue a car accident victim.

Twenty-eight year old Paxton Galvanek credited the combat medic training he completed in the popular America's Army with teaching him the critical skills he needed to evaluate and treat the victims at the scene. This is the second time an America's Army player has reported successfully using medical skills learned through playing the game to respond in a life-threatening situation.

In order to assume the role of combat medic in the America's Army game, players must go through virtual medical training classes based on the actual training that real soldiers receive. The creators of America's Army developed the training scenarios with young adults in mind, recognizing their need to be able to respond in emergency situations. Through the game, players learn to evaluate and prioritize casualties, control bleeding, recognize and treat shock, and administer aid when victims are not breathing.

On Nov. 23, 2007, Galvanek was driving West-bound on I-40 in North Carolina with his family. About 25 miles south of Raleigh he witnessed an SUV on the east-bound lanes lose control of the vehicle and flip about five times. While his wife called 911, he stopped his vehicle and ran across the highway to the scene of the accident.

Assuming the role of first responder, he quickly assessed the situation and found two victims in the smoking vehicle. Needing to extract them quickly, he helped the passenger out of the truck and noticed he had minor cuts and injuries. He told the man to stay clear of the smoking car and quickly went to the driver's side where he located a wounded man. He pulled the driver to safety on the side of the road.

Galvanek immediately noticed the man had lost two fingers in the accident and was bleeding profusely. The victim had also suffered head trauma. Galvanek located a towel, put pressure on the man’s hand, and instructed him to sit down and elevate his hand above his head while pressing the towel against his lost fingers. Galvanek then attended to his head cut and determined that injury was not as serious as his hand.

Roughly five minutes later, an Army soldier in plain clothing arrived on the scene of the accident and informed Galvanek that he was medically trained and could take over until the paramedics arrived. He looked over the injured men and told Galvanek that he had done a great job. Once the soldier assured Galvanek that the two men were in stable condition and there was nothing more he could do to assist until the paramedics arrived, Galvanek left the scene and continued on his journey.

Since America's Army launched on July 4, 2002, users have invested over 211 million hours virtually exploring the Army from Basic Training to operations in the War on Terrorism. America's Army ranks among the Top 10 online PC action games played worldwide. The game provides a unique, interactive experience allowing players to gain a perspective into Army occupations and values by assuming virtual roles as U.S. Army Soldiers. Players navigate through challenges real Soldiers confront. As they dominate these challenges, they expand opportunities for advancement and development in roles from Special Forces to combat medic.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: LtMedTB on July 28, 2008, 02:06:12 PM
Sucking wounds can also sometimes be helped by the plastic wrapper of a cigarette pack or a latex glove. Even a pat down glove or anything you can fit over the sucking wound to stop it from sucking.

Greetings!

Forget the cigarette pack wrapper. If you have a latex glove, put it on and hold it over the sucking chest wound. You'll be a lot more successful.

While we're on the subject, what is a sucking chest wound and why does it need to be covered up?

A sucking chest wound is any penetrating injury (such as a knife wound) that creates a new "path of least resistance" for outside air to enter the thorax during inspiration. The diaphragm contracts, increasing intrathoracic volume (hence decreasing intrathoracic pressure), which makes air enter through the sucking chest wound instead of through the nose and mouth (and bronchial tree and alveoli for gas exchange). In other words, air in and out through the sucking chest wound is not oxygenating red blood cells. It's just taking up space inside the chest and preventing air from going where it's supposed to go (inside the lungs). Since it's possible that air will enter through the sucking chest wound but not exit during exhalation, air can build up inside the chest, which causes severe air hunger and respiratory distress. This air bubble (pneumothorax) can eventually push the heart and great vessels over to the other side of the chest (tension pneumothorax), eventually crimping the superior vena-cava (the main vein returning blood to the heart) leading to a rapid fall in blood pressure and death. Note: this crimping of the superior vena-cava is the reason you will see jugular venous engorgement (an impressive bulging of the veins in the side of the neck). You may also notice asymmetry of the chest. The textbooks say that you will see a tracheal deviation toward the unaffected side, but in real life this usually requires a chest x-ray to appreciate. These are the patients who require needle decompression of the chest if they are to survive, but I would not recommend that you attempt it unless you are prepared to receive criminal charges for practicing medicine without a license.

Tom
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: LtMedTB on July 28, 2008, 02:26:53 PM
Man Saves Own Life, Uses Steak Knife for At-Home Tracheotomy

OMAHA, Neb. — An Omaha man struggling to breath used a steak knife to perform an at-home tracheotomy.

Steve Wilder says he thought he was going to die when he awoke one night last week and couldn't breath.

Wilder says he didn't call 911 because he didn't think help would arrive in time. So, the 55-year-old says, he got a steak knife from the kitchen and made a small hole in his throat, allowing air to gush in.

Wilder suffered from throat cancer and related breathing problems several years ago. About that time, he had an episode where he couldn't breath because his air passages swelled shut. He says that's what happened this time around.

Doctors don't expect Wilder to suffer any adverse affects from the tracheotomy once it's healed.

Now that's a man! :)

Seriously though, this gentleman had almost certainly been trached before.

In other words, he probably cut directly over the scar tissue from the previous trach.

Tom
Title: Re: Gamer Samaritan
Post by: LtMedTB on July 28, 2008, 02:30:36 PM
WORD.

I remember when my knee was snapped in 1992 (ACL, PCL, LCL ligaments all snapped in half) in a freak BJJ accident some idiot purple belt wanted to manipulate my knee.  I asked if he was trained.  No he wasn't. :-o What a fcukin' idiot!  :x  It turns out that it was quite fortunate that the peroneal nerve was not severed.  For all I know, I saved it by asserting myself and not allowing this idiot to posture by using my knee.

Very good point.

Obvious severely injured knees are generally splinted in the position found.

Tom
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on September 27, 2008, 04:47:18 AM
TTT.

I want to keep this as one of our front and center threads.
Title: Sugar as an anti-biotic
Post by: Crafty_Dog on November 09, 2008, 12:54:48 PM
USE OF SUGAR TO ENHANCE WOUND HEALING

The use of antibiotics by the PHCP in the field has the inherent dangers of improper dosing and allergic reactions. The associated activities of preparing the N/antibiotic infusion and monitoring the N drip rates can be difficult during patient transport. Given these drawbacks, the use of granulated sugar for the treatment of infected wounds offers a practical, proven approach for wound care. The use of granulated sugar for treatment of infected wounds is recommended by some as a treatment of first choice. Sugar has been called a nonspecific universal antimicrobial agent. 8 Based on its safety, ease of use, and availability, sugar therapy for the treatment of infected wounds is very applicable to the needs of the PHCP.

Sugar and honey were used to treat the wounds of combatants thousands of years ago. Battlefield wounds in ancient Egypt were treated with a mixture of honey and lard packed daily into the wound and covered with muslin. Modern sugar therapy uses a combination of granulated sugar (sucrose) and povidone-iodine (PI) solution to enhance wound healing.

As with any traumatic wound, the wound is first irrigated and debrided. Hemostasis is obtained prior to the application of the sugar (PI) dressing since sugar can promote bleeding in a fresh wound. A wait of 24 to 48 hours before the application of sugar is not unusual. During this delay, a simple PI dressing is applied to the wound. Once bleeding is under control, deep wounds are treated by pouring granulated sugar into the wound, making sure to fill all cavities. The wound is then covered with a gauze sponge soaked in povidone-iodine solution.

Superficial wounds are dressed with PI-soaked gauze sponges coated with approximately 0.65 cm thickness of sugar. In a few hours, the granulated sugar is dissolved into a "syrup" by body fluid drawn into the wound site. Since the effect of granulated sugar upon bacteria is based upon osmotic shock and withdrawal of water that is necessary for bacterial growth and reproduction, this diluted syrup has little antibacterial capacity and may aid rather than inhibit bacterial growth.

So to continually inhibit bacterial growth, the wound is cleaned with water and repacked at least one to four times daily (or as soon as the granular sugar becomes diluted) with more solute (sugar) to "reconcentrate" the aqueous solution in the environment of the bacteria.

A variety of case reports provide amazing data supporting the use of sugar in treating infected wounds. Dr. Leon Herszage treated 120 cases of infected wounds and other superficial lesions with ordinary granulated sugar purchased in a supermarket. The sugar was not mixed with any anti-septic, and no antibiotics were used concurrently. Of these 120 cases, there was a 99.2 percent cure rate, with a time of cure varying between 9 days to 17 weeks. Odor and secretions from the wound usually diminished within 24 hours and disappeared in 72 to 96 hours from onset of treatment.


http://server107.hypermart.net/gogetemgear/pictures/med...%20gearSugardyne.jpg

Photo 23: Sugardyne is a commercially available sugar/povidone-iodine com- pound. Its proven antimicrobial properties make it particularly useful for infected wounds encountered in the field. (Sugardyne donated by Dr. RichardA. Knutson; distributed by Sugardyne Pharmaceuticals, INC.,Greenville, MS 38701.)

Like Dr. Herszage, Dr. Richard A. Knutson has had very successful results from the use of sugar in wounds. One of Dr. Knutson's most unique cases is recounted as follows.
A 93-year-old man was treated at Delta Medical Center for a fracture of his right hip. Concurrently, he received treatment for an old injury to his left leg, sustained 43 years earlier in 1936, when a tree had fallen on the leg while he was chopping wood. He had sustained an open fracture of the tibia and soft tissue loss to the leg anteriorly. Although the fracture had healed, bone remained exposed, surrounded by a chronic draining ulcer 20 cm x 8 cm overall. The patient was able to recall the various treatments used in attempts to heal the ulcer-iodoform, scarlet red, zinc oxide, nitrofurazone, sulfa, and a long list of antibiotics-all to no avail. He said that he had outlived six of the surgeons who had advised amputation. He was started on sugar/pI dressings, and then changed to treatment with sugar/PI compound as an inpatient. After hip surgery, the ulcer healed completely in 13 weeks. The ulcer defect filled completely, and skin grafting was not necessary.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on November 09, 2008, 02:19:15 PM
Second post of the day:
=======================

Austere and survival medicine
http://www.aussurvivalist.com/downloads/AM%20Final%202.pdf

==============

Where there is no doctor

http://www.healthwrights.org/books/WTINDonline.htm

==============

Where there is no dentist

http://www.healthwrights.org/books/WTINDentistonline.htm

==============
Resouce listings:

http://www.vnh.org/
http://www.operationalmedicine.org/
===========

First Aid Manual
http://www.operationalmedicine.org/Army/Milmed/fm4_25x11.pdf

=========

Aprehospital spinal care manual from australia. 235 pages PDF.

This manual has been produced for training and educational purposes only and is not for sale. It
can be downloaded for printing (at no charge) at PSC www.emergencytechnologies.com.au/psm.htm
==========

Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on November 09, 2008, 03:08:17 PM
Just noticed this in C-Kaju's post of last year concerning tourniquets:

"No matter whether applying an ACE bandage, Pressure dressing or Tourniquet...  Always, check "PMS" (Pulse, Motor skills - ie. can you wiggle your fingers/toes and Sensation - ie "can you tell me what finger/toe I am touching?") distal to the wound site."

If I feel a pulse does is that a good thing, or does it mean that the Tourniquet is not tight enough?  :? 
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on November 09, 2008, 05:39:19 PM
In regard to a Tourniquet, feeling a pulse after you have applied it, means it is not tight enough.  In cases of a bleeding emergency, a tourniquet is used to stop the flow of blood if other means, e.g., the application of a pressure bandage to the wound, are not effective. In arterial hemorrhage (bright red blood spurting out in jets) the tourniquet is applied above the wound, i.e., between the wound and the heart.

Feeling a pulse would indicate a Pressure Bandage vs NO pulse would be a Touriquet. 

 8-)

Sorry for the confussion.  Great question Sir
 :-)
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on November 17, 2008, 09:58:30 AM
Just wanted to make sure I had it clear in my mind  :-)

=========

 NY Detective Saves Ex Cop Shot In Waldorf Heist By Relieving Tension PneumoThorax

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EX-COP SHOT IN WALDORF HEIST

By JOHN DOYLE, ALIYAH SHAHID and DOUGLAS MONTERO

November 16, 2008

A gunman dressed all in black shot a retired NYPD detective working as a security guard during a robbery of a jewelry store in the lobby of the famed Waldorf-Astoria hotel yesterday afternoon, police said.  Rafael Rabinovich-Ardans, 20, entered Cellini Jewelry - where gems and watches typically sell for tens of thousands of dollars - at the rear of the Park Avenue hotel's lobby just before 2:30 p.m., pulled a gun and announced a robbery, sources said.  The suspect - wearing black Army pants, a black shirt and black boots - allegedly smashed two display cases before Gregory Boyle, a 21-year-veteran of the 66th Precinct in Brooklyn, tackled him.  As they struggled, the gunman fired three shots, striking Boyle, 54, in the left armpit, sources said.  As the shots echoed through the lobby, panicked visitors began running for cover and hotel staff began to evacuate guests.

"I heard pops and instantly people screamed, 'Gunshot! Robbery! Get out!' Everyone ran to the exit," said Matt Luba, 49, of Old Tappan, NJ.

"Everybody just started running and I'm like, 'What's going on?' " said Jeff Johnstone, 51, who is in vacationing with his wife from Raleigh, NC.

He said he then heard a shot and saw people duck for cover behind chairs and pillars, and run into the bar.

"I just ran behind a column, just like everybody else," he said.

As the thief tried to flee the store an employee tackled him. The gunman managed to squeeze off another round, but hit no one, sources said. Hotel security then subdued him and held him for police.

"We saw mass commotion and lots of people started running," said Leanne McDonald, 34, of Freehold, NJ. "A few minutes later, cops flooded the lobby. A man was carried out on a stretcher and he had blood all over his chest."

An NYPD Hercules team, which monitors high-profile locations, was at Grand Central Station and was the first to respond, police said.
Detective Dennis Canale, who has training as a physician's assistant, put a stent in Boyle's collapsed lung, allowing him to breathe.

"He was pretty disoriented, that's the first sign of shock. That's what we were concerned about," said Canale, who kneeled in broken glass as he worked on Boyle. "It's a very deadly wound. I told him we'll take care of you."

Canale, 32, also saw a wound on Boyle's left forearm, but it was unclear what it was, he said.  Boyle, who retired in 2002 and whose son Edward is an officer in the 72nd Precinct, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital where he was "conscious and alert."

"He's a wonderful man," said the ex-cop's neighbor Isabella Damante, 78. "He's always helpful to us. The whole family is very well-respected in the neighborhood."

Rabinovich-Ardans, of Highland Park, NJ, was taken from the hotel in cuffs, weeping while he struggled with police. He was charged with attempted murder, assault, attempted grand larceny, robbery and criminal use of a firearm, police said.

Cops recovered two semiautomatic handguns - including a .45-caliber weapon - from the scene.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11162008...ist_138946.htm
Title: Army stops use of WoundStat
Post by: Crafty_Dog on December 24, 2008, 07:17:07 AM
Army Stops Use of WoundStat: Officials need to study first-aid item more
Updated 1:27 PM EST, Tue, Dec 23, 2008

WASHINGTON -- Until more testing can be done, Army medics are being told to stop using a new product just sent to the war front to help control bleeding among wounded troops.

Officials were in the process of distributing some 17,000 packets of WoundStat, granules that are poured into wounds when special bandages, tourniquets or other efforts won't work. But a recent study showed that, if used directly on injured blood vessels, the granules may lead to harmful blood clots, officials said Tuesday.

The Army Medical Command will continue its research and work with the manufacturer in hopes of figuring out in the next few months whether to resume use of WoundStat, said Col. Paul Cordts, head of Army health policy and services.

WoundStat manufacturer TraumaCure, Inc., of Bethesda, Md., had no immediate comment.

The product, which was developed at Virginia Commonwealth University, had been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It was one of the latest in a series of Army efforts to improve survival rates on the battlefield.

Today, 90 percent of injured troops survive their wounds, the highest rate of any war, Cordts said in an interview. He credited better training of combat medics, better body armor the troops wear and better tactics they use on the battlefield, as well improved bandages, tourniquets and so on.

Defense Department figures show that as of this month, more than 4,800 troops have been killed in Iraq and the global war on terror. The latter category counts casualties mostly from Afghanistan. Some 34,000 troops have been wounded in the wars, where insurgents have made wide use of roadside bombs and other explosives.

Excessive blood loss is the number one killer on the battlefield, and the Army announced in October that it was sending two potential lifesavers -- the WoundStat packets and a bandage called Combat Gauze -- to replace older other products that had been in use at the time.

A committee of Army medics, Navy corpsmen, surgeons and others recommended the Combat Gauze bandage -- which has an agent that triggers blood clotting -- should be the first-line treatment for life-threatening hemorrhaging in cases where a tourniquet could not be placed, such as the armpit or groin area.

The WoundStat granules were to be used if the bandage failed to work.

Cordts said the Army put out a message on Dec. 18, directing the temporary halt in use of WoundStat. Though it has arrived at the war zones, officials are unclear on how widely it has been distributed so far. They're working to identify any soldiers who got the treatment, study their cases and examine them for any problems with blood clotting, Cordts said.

He said he didn't know whether it had been used on any soldiers and thus had no reports back from the field -- positive or negative -- on how effective it might have been.

Cordts said that after an additional few months of study, officials will likely determine whether they should discontinue its use altogether or perhaps redistribute it with warnings for how it is to be used.

Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on January 16, 2009, 11:01:49 AM
For those attending the April 09 Gathering, I am looking forward to giving a brief instruction on "Emergency Cricothyroidotomy".



I will also be bringing some CAT touriquets to give to those in attendance (I will give a quick refresher on application of these also)

With the blessing of our guiding force, Crafty.

V/r,
C-KajuDog
(aka) HM2(FMF) "Doc" Webster

WOOF!!!
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on January 16, 2009, 12:59:56 PM
Outstanding!!!

Anything you ever would like to share with us is greatly appreciated!
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on April 25, 2009, 04:56:38 AM
TTT!

It is my hope that this thread will see lots of contributions and discussions, for example in this moment are there any suggestions for the Swine Flu now threatening to break out quite nastily?  Many are dead in Mexico already, where schools and Museums are already closed.  See the last several entries at http://dogbrothers.com/phpBB2/index.php?topic=1148.msg27913#new
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kase on April 29, 2009, 02:01:43 PM

Speaking of swine flu or H1N1, if the event any of you are in a pickle trying to get your hands on an N95 mask; the CDC has a solution on their website.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no06/05-1468.htm

I can't testify how effective it is, so your mileage may vary.

Hope this helps
Dog Kase

Title: This seems like an interesting site
Post by: Crafty_Dog on June 08, 2009, 05:46:01 AM
Haven't had a chance to check it out properly yet, but it seems promising.  Any comments?

http://www.wikihow.com/Do-Basic-First-Aid
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: MHouston on June 09, 2009, 09:25:31 AM
Just to throw another light on things. EMT students are scared into only using a tourniquet as an absolute last resort, I feel, because of the legal ramification. If a person loses a limb were direct pressure would have been effective, you have a messy law suit on your hands. So we are told to use very sparingly. Also we are told NEVER to release the tourniquet due to the fear of "Tourniquet  Shock". Where built up latic acid can effect the heart and kidneys resulting in possible death.

Kaju Dog knows what he is talking about and really understands the WIN approach (What is Important Now). Listen to his advice and get the person help ASAP. If you don't know what you are doing the longer your screwing around the less time that person has.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: MHouston on June 09, 2009, 10:49:13 AM
Here is a question I would like help on.

What should a layperson have in their emergency kit? Being in martial arts are there other things that most kits don't have that would be beneficial to have on hand?
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on June 09, 2009, 11:24:30 AM
Items for knife and gun wounds.  I also have some burn gel (think car crash). 

Also, I think in terms of what can go wrong here in LA.   An accident shutting down a freeway trapping me or my family for hours.  An earthquake, a terrorist event, etc.   So I have some cheapie bright ponchos to keep the kids visible at night.  Some Zone bars. Chem lights.  A strong flashlight.  A back up hand generated flashlight.  Some basic tools.  Large roll of duct tape.  Some high strength rope.  A folding shovel.  A siphon.  Jumper cables.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on June 24, 2009, 12:29:50 PM
Putting aside the politics of this footage, for those of us, e.g. me, who are cherry to these things, there is some footage here of a fresh gunshot wound.  Note the failure to adress the exit wound.

VERY GRAPHIC, not suitable for office environments, viewing by children, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JykkvYbNsk0
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: maija on June 24, 2009, 01:46:25 PM
This was forwarded to me only a few days ago - any thoughts?

The Jump Kit, by Skyrat

Inside the trunk of my vehicle is a near duplicate of the “jump kit” or “Green Bag” used in my days with the Detroit Fire Department's Emergency Medical Service Division. When I come across a roadside collision before the local medics, everything I need to start patient care is in the green canvas bag I sling over my shoulder. The supplies in my personal vehicle are very much like those I carried in my street medic days, and reflect a strong basic life support/trauma bias.

Basic life support includes those interventions that do not go past the skin, and generally do not require physician direction to implement. Advanced life support, on the other hand, includes therapies that do go past the skin, and include medications, intravenous fluids (IVs), electrical counter shock, and airway intubation.

I do not include intravenous fluids or medications in my green bag for a couple of reasons. First, these items have a limited storage life under the best of conditions, and the rear of a passenger vehicle in Northern Michigan is not calculated to prolong it. Second, the statutes under which paramedics practice here in Michigan requires systematic physician supervision of advanced patient care. Fundamentally, that means that if you are not functioning within an established paramedic system, you are out of bounds should you perform advanced procedures on the street. Third, advanced patient care procedures are occasions of peril even in the hospital, let alone in the rear of an ambulance. This is so, even within a system of continuing education, continuous quality assessment, supervision, and the backup of both your partner, and the physician and clinical staff on the other end of the telephone or radio. Soloing at the roadside provides neither you nor your patient with these safeguards.

Firearms owners are likely acquainted with the “gun shop commando”, classically braying about the bogus “shoot 'em and drag 'em inside” philosophy of home violence management. Likewise, you might consider the existence of the “parlor paramedic”, who seems to reason something like, ”wait until the Schumer hits the fan, and I'll come out of the closet, birthin' babies and saving lives!”

In order to entertain this fantasy, you will need the tools of the trade. Medications are not without risks, do not keep forever, and are expensive. Additionally, there is the issue of convincing a physician that he or she ought to prescribe for you and that you can differentiate your Barneyfrank (ass) from a hole in the ground. If the expense is no problem for you because you have money to burn, please see me after class! If you think that the utility of your medication stash outweighs the other concerns, please contemplate these points: 1) In the absence of a catastrophe the likes of which America has never seen, it is both illegal and immoral to withhold professional medical care required by an ill or injured person. 2) During Schumeresque times, it is unlikely that the infrastructure will be in service which allows the delivery of complex, highly skilled care to those in need. Particularly, you will not have access to that infrastructure, and (if you have your head screwed on straight) you will have no desire to perform skills you are not trained to do, in the midst of a disaster, upon your vulnerable, hurting and injured loved ones.

By way of example, I have 30 yeas of EMS and nursing experience (in ICU, CCU, and ER), as well as licensure as a Physician's Assistant. I have used Dopamine, along with other invasive therapies, innumerable times to support the blood pressure of critically ill or injured patients. Dopamine has potent effects upon the heart, among other systems, and these effects are monitored by a cardiac monitor. I found a Zoll Automatic Cardiac Defibrillator, after a brief internet search, for $3,000, which appears after a casual review to allow monitoring. The question, however, is whether you can make sense of the tracing the monitor displays, identify adverse changes in cardiac rhythm, and respond appropriately. Additionally, do you know the adverse effects Dopamine may have, and how they must be managed? If not, you have no business trifling with it. I have done all these things for years in my Nursing practice, and I do not have Dopamine in my personal stores. You need to assume the risks you both understand and are comfortable with. I am reluctant to assume this risk for myself and my family.

My bias toward trauma derives from the fact that the stabilization and management of the medical patient, in contrast to the trauma patient, calls for assessments and interventions that I generally do not find appropriate outside of the hospital or advanced life support ambulance. Determining the source of the patient's distress will identify what treatment is required. While there are a few medical conditions that are responsive to basic life support interventions, I am not about to pretend that a few thousand words will equip you to make such judgments. Find an American Red Cross first aid class and master it. Better yet, become an EMT.

Just the other day, I came upon a rollover as my girlfriend and I were en route to attend some family function. There were half-a-dozen civilians clustered about, and things seemed well in hand. The first firefighter arrived shortly after me, and I deferred to him. Offering him wound care supplies, I was surprised to discover I could not find any gloves in my kit! Returning home, I undertook an inventory. Here is the result of that tally, and some discussion of my view of why each item belongs in my kit.

Training comes first. There is a story told of the early days of the Israeli state, when the emergency response planners had the budget required to train their personnel to stabilize and transport spine injured patients, or buy the splints (called backboards), but not both. The story relates that the planners elected to train their personnel, and subsequently noted a spine injured kibbutznik transported to the hospital by his comrades, secured effectively to an entire barn door.

I place a priority on training for several reasons. First, neither vermin nor adverse storage conditions have ever ruined training and rendered it unusable. Secondly, “they can have my training when they can pry it from my cold, dead mind”. Third, I have never ever (in my disorganized life) failed to pack my training. Fourth, there is nothing that will be displaced from my supplies in order to make room for my training. Fifth, in contrast to supplies, ability improves with use, and becomes more abundant when you share it with others.

Begin with CPR training. Three or four hours of your time will equip you with the skill that may save a life in the here-and-now. You will gain an introduction to patient assessment, and learn some of he fundamentals of first aid, and whatever dilemma confronts you, your response cannot fail to be more effective with some training to guide you. Effectiveness saves lives.

Look into local outlets for first aid training. The American Red Cross, the National Safety Council, your local community college, as well as perhaps others offer credible training which may serve as an introduction to further studies. The justification for the further expenditure of additional hours may be found in the preceding paragraph. Additionally, if you are more acquainted with what the medical conversation is about, the health care decisions made with regard to yourself and your family will be less mysterious to you, and better informed decisions tend to be better decisions. The better your health, the better your chances of coming out the other side of Schumer times intact, and therefore the better chance of bringing your family with you, likewise unscathed.

Consider EMT schooling. You will learn more emergency care skills (a good thing), and an introduction to elementary anatomy and pathophysiology (how things go wrong in illness and injury). Such education gives you the opportunity to be a more informed participant in your health care decisions, and that is itself a good thing, as well.

SELECTING YOUR CASE
It really doesn't matte what sort of container you employ for your emergency supplies, so long as it meets your particular needs for security, identification, accessibility, protection and convenience.

Some fire departments use plastic “totes” to organize supplies required for specific types of calls. For example, haz-mat supplies are packed inside specific totes, and the top secured with a cable tie or some such device. An inventory is attached to the top (sealed in plastic) to identify what is inside, as well as out dates of time sensitive components. When properly closed, such bins are drip and dust resistant, resist crushing or jumbling of the contents, and can be convenient to carry when not overfilled. On the other hand, they will not conveniently fit beneath a vehicle seat, may be unwieldy to retrieve and place into action, and may get buried beneath other stuff in a trunk or truck box.

Others of my acquaintance use ammo cans, or plastic fishing tackle boxes. These are generally more convenient to shlep about (unless your tastes run along the lines of a 20 mm ammo can) and are more drip/dust/duh! resistant than the tubs mentioned above. On the other hand, they may overturn with disappointing ease, spilling your supplies into whatever noxious fluid is abundant on your particular scene.

I use a green canvas musette type bag. It is not water resistant, is not neatly compartmentalized, and does not have an IR glint Star of Life embroidered upon it. On the other hand, I know how my stuff inside is organized, it is convenient to sling over my shoulder when the scene requires that I do so, and the local military surplus store will sell me another for $10-20 when that becomes needful. It will fit beneath a van seat, or in a tub in my trunk, and I can work out of it when I have it slung.

IN THE TOP, OR IN AN OUTSIDE POCKET
Items that I am likely to require promptly are either in the outside pocket or immediately inside the top flap of the bag. These are things that I do not want to be fumbling for as I approach a scene. I will not list what might be considered “everyday carry” items like pocket knife, flashlight(s), CS spray, sidearm, and a cell phone. While these tools help keep the rescuer from becoming a victim of an ambush laid for a 'Good Samaritan” , particularly when employed in concert with a Condition Orange mindset. (I did mention I started out in Detroit, didn't I?) These items do not seem to me to be rescue/first aid/emergency medical tools.

First up is several pairs of gloves. (well, now, anyhow!) I am allergic to latex, so I have nitrile gloves. Current practice is to wear gloves anytime you might reasonably anticipate exposure to blood or other bodily fluids: tears, urine, stool, saliva, gastric contents, or any other moist, body-origin material you might imagine (and perhaps a few you might not!). I have so thoroughly incorporated this into my life that I get uneasy caring for my own children (or, at my advanced age, grandchildren!) without gloving first. These are in a zip-lock bag, safety pinned (now!) just inside the top flap of my green bag.

The upside to all this is that scrupulous gloving and thorough hand washing have so far proven highly effective at preventing the spread of the most common blood-borne infections. Diseases spread via airborne droplets (for example, Legionnaires disease), of course, require additional precautions. Others are spread by organisms coming to rest upon environmental surfaces and then accessing a vulnerable host (just like you and I are vulnerable hosts to “the common cold”) by means of unconsciously touching our faces after touching a contaminated surface. For myself, after 30 plus years of patient contact the worst I have brought home has been an occasional upper respiratory infection due to my conscientiously applying the glove/hand wash/hands away from my face regimen.

The next item I'll feel a burning need to have in my hands is a bag-valve-mask (BVM). This is a manually operated ventilation tool. It is employed by sealing the mask over the unbreathing patient's face, squeezing the self inflating bag, and thereby forcing air into your patient's lungs. Repeat at a rate of approximately 12-20 times a minute. Advantage: no kissing strangers, required for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. You are able to maintain situational awareness of such things as evolving environmental hazards (like leaking gasoline), or indicators of your patient's improving condition (...he said, thinking positively!). On the downside, using a BVM is difficult in untutored hands. It is easier (compared to mouth-to-mouth) to force air into the patient's stomach, which will elicit vomiting. Aside from the aesthetic issues this presents, vomiting in a profoundly unconscious patient (such as one so unconscious as to have stopped breathing) presents the opportunity for aspiration into the lungs of that which has been vomited, which may be deadly.

Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: maija on June 24, 2009, 01:47:01 PM
Part 2 -

Training in use of a BVM will be part of the EMT class I mentioned earlier. I'll wait here while you go find out when your local community college or rescue squad will be having their next class. Plan on being a part of that class. You will be making your community, and thereby your family, safer.

You can buy your own, and Gall's will ding your for around $15 for a disposable model. In the hospital, we use these once and discard them. You might choose to meticulously clean yours and re-use it. Your local rescue squad or ambulance may shop locally, and you might want to do likewise. Ya know, if you were to volunteer with your local rescue squad, you might be able to obtain things like this at your agency's cost. All this on top of the good karma from helping to provide a necessary community service. And,, besides, becoming known to the locals (police included) as one of “the good guys”. Your phone book likely will provide the contact information you require. I'll still be here when you get back.

One of the adjuncts to using a BVM is called an oral airway. Oral airways come in sizes, which may be selected according to the size of the patient. Their purpose is to hold the flaccid tongue of a profoundly unconscious patient forward, so that it does not sag against the rear of the throat and thereby block the passage of air into and out of the lungs. The problem it may trigger is, should your patient be other than profoundly unconscious, he or she will vomit. Among other disasters this may cause, the enzymes from the stomach, designed to digest proteins, will (unsurprisingly) begin to digest the proteins found in the delicate tissues of the air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs, with effects you are likely to be able to imagine on your own. Very Bad Thing. [JWR Adds: Plastic airways usually come in sets of six sizes, and usually color-coded these days, available for less than $5 per set on eBay. Buy a couple of sets. Someday you may be very glad that you did!]

Another way to fail when employing an oral airway is to bunch up the patient's tongue in the rear of the throat. This blocks air flow, strangling your patient. This device must be restricted to only profoundly unconscious patients, and only if you are schooled in its use. You can buy them individually, or in sets. Before shipping, they go for around $5.00/set. You might elect to buy them one at a time, but at $5 a pop, they aren't a particularly major investment.

When I'm confronted by an actively bleeding patient, I reach for a Carlyle dressing. Mine are the old style The Carlyle iteration includes muslin (cloth) ties to secure as any other tied bandage. The 21st century version is called an Israeli Dressing, and is available from various sources. (see my shopping list/spreadsheet for representative sources) It consists of a sterile dressing incorporating an elastic bandage to secure the dressing to the wound. Should you shop gun shows or surplus stores for your equipment, be wary of old dressings. They present potential issues of failed sterility as well as mustiness or mildew occasioned by improper storage or imperfect packaging. The contemporary Israeli Battle Dressings are available from Cheaper Than Dirt or from Gall's for $9.00 or $10.00 each.

Another wound care product is QuikClot . This is a mineral product, bound to a dressing, which enhances clotting, and thereby slows and limits blood loss in the bleeding patient (common in trauma, surprisingly enough!) One article (QuikClot Use in Trauma for Hemorrhage Control: Case Series of 103 Documented Uses. Journal of Trauma-Injury Infection & Critical Care. 64(4):1093-1099, April 2008.) reflected the occurrence of burns in several patients, but the manufacturer's web site reports that changes in packaging and delivery system have addressed this issue.

An alternative you might consider is Celox. It appears perhaps to be a reasonable alternative to QuikClot. It is derived from shrimp shells, although it seems to not produce allergic reactions in folks otherwise allergic to seafood. I have no personal experience with either product, but the reports are interesting. This goes on my “further research” list!

The preceding items are to be found in the outside pocket or very top of my jump kit. I don't want to be searching for them when I feel the need for them Right Freaking Now. Beneath the don't-wanna-wait-for-them items, I have supplies of somewhat lesser immediacy. These allow me to assess the situation in greater detail, or address issues that may come to light that are of less time sensitivity.

Triangular Bandages are useful for slings of injured arms, or may be folded into narrow strips and then used as a means to secure splints or dressings (as “cravat bandages”). If we were to consider them as a backpacker might, they may be used as expedient dust masks, bandannas, head coverings, or washcloths. I buy muslin by the yard at Wal-Mart, and cut it from one corner to the other, forming (surprise!) 2 triangles approximately a yard on a side. I keep 6 to 8 in my kit.

Bandage shears are the most obvious of the prehospital medic's tools. You can go with Lister style bandage scissors, often found as “nurse's scissors”, or the plastic and steel “super shears”. Prices range from $4.00 and up. Frequently employed to trim dressings to the proper size, cut away clothing from wounds, and to cut bandages.

Did you ever notice that a tongue blade/tongue depressor is almost exactly the width of a finger? And just a bit longer than your Mark 1, Mod 0 finger? Exactly like it were designed to be a finger splint, isn't it? In addition, should you tape three of them together one on top of the other, you have a dandy tool for tightening that “Spanish windlass” you are going to learn about, when your EMT class teaches you how to apply and improvise a traction splint for a fractured femur (thighbone). Finally, if you are unhappy at the thought of wiggling somebody's fractured femur (broken thighbone) so you may place ties (cravats: remember them?) for a splint, tongue blades are thin, stiff, and very helpful at limiting the wiggling as you place ties beneath the broken bone of your choice. I keep a handful handy.

You can pay a couple of bucks for them at the corner pharmacy, or you might be able to talk your way into several for free, like when you are volunteering at some public service event with your local volunteer fire department, emergency medical service, or amateur radio club.

Stethoscope/Blood Pressure Cuff. A stethoscope allows you to hear the sounds made as air moves into and out of the lungs, and note changes from normal. These changes might occur because your patient has a collapsed lung, or has pneumonia, or heart failure. When you get that far into your EMT class (hint, hint), you will learn how to evaluate these changes, and what sort of treatment decisions you ought to consider when you notice them. In addition, you will learn how to measure, and interpret, your patient's blood pressure.

I am certain you will know somebody who will go out and get the cardiology deluxe stethoscope, with the multi disc cd player, mag wheels, and gold trim. Do not join them in this folly. Spend $10-40 at the same place the local student nurses get their stethoscopes, and spend the difference on your spouse, whose enthusiastic support you will require, anyhow. If you can show your spouse how your expenditure of family money and time on supplies, education, and volunteering promote values that you both agree upon, the both of you will thereby make your family more crisis resistant. If your family is more crisis resistant, then you are not only NOT a drag on community emergency services during an emergency, you all might even be an affirmative community asset during bad times. That cannot fail to be a Good Thing when you get to explain yourself to The Jewish Carpenter. Me, I'm going to require all the help I can get. I'm volunteering!

Adhesive tape (1 inch, 2 inch) secures dressings, holds loose ends of bandages, and provides a single use notepad (tear off a length, tape it to your thigh, and jot notes. You will not lay it down somewhere to be forgotten). If you listen to some friendly and knowledgeable athletic trainer, you can learn how to use it to support sprained ankles or knees if the preferred treatment (rest, ice, elevation) is not possible. Before you employ these tricks, bear in mind that physicians frequently cannot differentiate a sprain from a fracture, even after an x-ray. In my view, except under the most dire possible circumstances, walking on a fractured (or sprained) extremity is a Very Bad Thing. Two rolls each are at hand when I open my green bag.

I keep 12 to 15 Gauze pad, sterile, 4x4 in my kit. I employ them as eye pads, padding beneath splints, or as (oddly enough) dressing for wounds. Occasionally I encounter a wound bleeding so enthusiastically that a couple of gauze pads will be overwhelmed. Fortunately, I haven't come across such a wound off duty, but in the hospital we use a “boat” of sterile gauze. This is a plastic tray of ten sponges in one pack. The tray also may be used as a clean basin for wound irrigation/cleansing solution. In the hospital we use sterile saline, you may elect to use the water from your retort pouch, or fresh from the bottle as you purchased it for storage. I would certainly give it some thought.

If you happen to be the purchasing agent for your entire survival community, ambulance service, or the entire Boy Scout Council, you might find the case price from Galls to be a useful bit of information. 1200 sterile 4x4 pads for $89.99 works out to around 7.5 cents each.

Triple padding/ABD padding, sterile, 5x9 inch. These multiple layer absorbent dressings are designed for wounds producing a lot of drainage of either blood or other fluid. They are my first choice for a bulky dressing or splint padding. I keep 6 in my kit. The frugally minded may note that “sanitary napkins” are designed to absorb drainage, are “medically aseptic”, and are available nearly everywhere.

And, on a related note, tampons from the “feminine hygiene” shelf at your local store are also constructed to absorb fluids, and contain them. Should you confront a penetrating wound, “tamponading” a wound is a widely known concept among inhabitants of the medical world. Packing such a wound with a tampon using sterile technique might prove to be life saving, and provide hemorrhage control options not otherwise available. (http://snopes.com/military/tampon.asp)

Roller Gauze, 4 inch is typically used to secure a dressing (see Gauze Sponge, above) to the wound. I pack 6 in my kit, and they have “found careers” as bandages to secure dressings, securing splints when I run out of triangular bandages, and upon occasion as packing/dressings for vigorously bleeding wounds. In fact, when one is employed as the dressing, and another as the bandage, I can not only dress the wound, but also (since the bulky roll provides a pressure point) apply direct pressure to the bleeding site. This provides an alternative to the Carlyle or Israeli Dressing, cited above

Vaseline Gauze (sterile, 3x9 inch) is intended to seal wounds penetrating the chest, in order to prevent collapse of your patient's lung(s). When you seal the defect in the chest wall, your patient will not draw in air through the wound when s/he inhales, and thereby not fill the space between the lung and the chest wall (the pleural space) with air. When you can avoid this, inhaling draws in air through the mouth, trachea and bronchi, and that inflates your lungs, and we think that is a good thing. Myself, I pitch the gauze and tape three sides of the foil package, sterile side towards the wound, forming a flutter valve sort of effect. In this way I allow excess pressure in the pleural space to vent to atmosphere (stopping further lung collapse, I hope), and seal the hole when the pressure inside the chest is less than atmospheric pressure (like when the patient inhales). The only way left to equalize that pressure is by inflating the lungs, already described with approval above.

The other use for Vaseline gauze is when my lips or hands are dry, in which case I use the Vaseline to remedy that little problem.

We all can think of uses for the common elastic bandage, 4 inch and 2 inch. Two inch is useful for sprains of your wrist or thumb, and the 4 inch is used for an ankle twist/sprain. In addition, I can use them to secure a splint (there is that rule of threes, seen in other posts on this blog, again!), as the “swathe” part of a sling-and-swathe to immobilize an injured shoulder, or as part of a pressure bandage over a dressed wound that does not want to stop bleeding.

Large Bulb Syringe (for which you can substitute a turkey baster) functions as an expedient means of removing fluids from the airway of someone who is not managing to do so effectively on their own. It will not work nearly as well as a battery powered or pump action suction, such as you might find on your local rescue squad rig, but it won't cost you $50-$60 (for the manually pumped version) either. Second best is superior to nothing.

Mylar “Space blankets” protect you or your patient from the hypothermia-inducing effects of the wind, slowing heat loss. Generally colored bright orange on one side and silver on the other, there are signaling opportunities as well. In a pinch, you can improvise shelter from one or two. Amazon sells the "Space Brand" blanket inexpensively. Equip your jump kits, and each member of your family with one or two.

Any accident so severe as to convince suspicious old me (alumnus of Detroit's EMS) to stop and offer assistance will not be fixed with a couple of Adhesive Bandages (aka “Band Aids”). I have six in my jump kit, two entire boxes at home (and parceled out among my camper, car, and household kits).

I keep a couple of Ice Packs around, as assorted adventures may bring on modest orthopedic injuries. Ice is helpful for strains, sprains, or overuse of an over aged joint (...not that I would know anything, firsthand, about that...). Choices include “instant cold packs”, or that old picnicker's standby, a zip lock bag full of ice from the cooler.

Either option has drawbacks. I do not generally drive about with a cooler of ice at hand, although when camping I am likely to do so. Instant cold packs are kind of fragile, and you might find, when you go to place one in service, that you have a leaking mess on your hands. On the other hand, they are more likely to be there when you want one.

The foregoing lists the contents of my “jump kit”. I keep one kit in my vehicle, and another at home. In addition, there are Subordinate Kits, kept in camper, car and home, for lesser sorts of occasions. I have customized each by adding more dressings, triangular bandages, roller gauze, and gloves. In addition, I improved over the baseline “Wally World” $15 first aid kit, by adding zip lock bags of various household medications. I labeled each bag with the name of the med, the out date of that particular bottle, directions for use, and date of packing. I made my selections by inspecting my own medicine cabinet, and pondering which meds I had wished I had kept handy the last time I was out camping, for example. Most everything commonly needed is therefore in the Camper Kit, Car Kit, or House Kit.

The jump kits are reserved for “Holy Fertilizer!” sorts of events. They are not mere “boo-boo boxes”. Reserved in this way, I will not find myself hunting (and swearing) in crisis, as I need this or that widget, which some child (or adult) has used, and not restocked.

LONGER TERM CONSIDERATIONS
Some of us might contemplate longer term medical preparations. For those, I recommend Dr. Jane Orient's article. Once I get beyond the 20 year old pricing, the are only a couple of improvements I could suggest. One is in the arena of recently developed antibiotics (as in quinolones). Even in that light, it seems to me to be a very good basis for developing a longer term medical kit (and training plan) for your particular circumstances.

Another substitution I would make, is to delete surgical masks, and substitute NIOSH N-95 masks. I found a carton of MSA Safety Works No. 10005403, Pack of 20 Harmful Dust Respirator Model 10005043 for $18.97/each carton at Home Depot. You may find similar products locally.

Additionally, I would add loratidine (you may recognize the brand of Claritin) as a non-sedating antihistamine. (Personally, I would prefer my personnel pulling OP duty to be non-sedated.) I'd also add the most frugal of the following : ranitidine, famotidine, cimetidine, in lots of 1,000 tabs, as a superior stomach acid blocking medication, to supplement the antacid Dr. Orient suggested over 20 years ago. As the “big gun” for acid stomach problems or GERD, I'd lay in a supply of Prilosec OTC. This class of stomach medication is the yardstick against which all others are presently measured.

If you are planning establishing a longer term medical cache, it is imperative that you do so only in concert with a physician, or other personnel licensed to prescribe. The guidance you will receive will help you avoid causing more illness than you relieve. Medications are a double bitted axe, and may cut on the upstroke as well as on the downstroke. Be aware.
Title: Asherman Chest Seal?
Post by: Crafty_Dog on June 30, 2009, 09:35:46 PM
One of our DBMA Assn members posted the following on the DBMAA forum and I thought to ask the knowledgeable players here for feedback.

TAC
CD
====================================


Woof,
 I just recently heard about this device invented by a Navy Seal Team Doc, called the Asherman Chest Seal. This is a dressing for a sucking chest wound that has a oneway tube. A box of ten will set you back $150 www.greatmedicalsupplies.com
Title: Re: Asherman Chest Seal?
Post by: Kaju Dog on July 02, 2009, 05:49:14 PM
One of our DBMA Assn members posted the following on the DBMAA forum and I thought to ask the knowledgeable players here for feedback.

TAC
CD
====================================


Woof,
 I just recently heard about this device invented by a Navy Seal Team Doc, called the Asherman Chest Seal. This is a dressing for a sucking chest wound that has a oneway tube. A box of ten will set you back $150 www.greatmedicalsupplies.com


WOOF! 

Guro Crafty,

You should have a couple of these in the pack I gave you  :wink:   :mrgreen:

PS

They are great!  I have had the unfortunate need to use them on more than a few Wounded Warriors while I was in Iraq.  The main thing to remember is to wipe the area as dry as possible before sticking it on.  And always check for an Exit wound!  They can be used for both entry and exit wounds.

Before the ACS came about, we would use a piece of plastic and tape on 3 sides to allow for burping the trapped air from the chest cavity.   

On a similar note you can also use a needle to decompress the chest, cut a finger off of a surgical glove and put the needle through the finger tip, add a bit of vasaline or surgi lube/KY whateva inside the finger sleeve as to not allow air in while still allowing air to escape.

This will buy you some time but should only be performed by a trained professional!

I'll be happy to share this at the next adventure as time permits.

If C-Sleavy Dog is up for it?   :lol:
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on July 02, 2009, 11:17:21 PM
That pack you gave me is one of the most awesome presents any one has ever given me.

I do confess to being a bit intimidated by it though :oops: :lol:

I need flight time with it , , ,
Title: New SF manual
Post by: Crafty_Dog on July 13, 2009, 02:46:16 PM
From a post on the WT forum:

============================================

The Latest Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook



Jim,
Among the books listed by the recent "favorite books" survey respondents was the US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook (ST31-91B). This book is obsolete and has been supplanted by the Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook.

The best summaries as to why the one is obsolete I've found are:
“That manual is a relic of sentimental and historical interest only, advocating treatments that, if used by today’s medics, would result in disciplinary measures,” wrote Dr. Warner Anderson, a U.S. Army Colonel (ret.) and former associate dean of the Special Warfare Medical Group.
“The manual you reference is of great historical importance in illustrating the advances made in SOF medicine in the past 25 years. But it no more reflects current SOF practice than a 25 year-old Merck Manual reflects current Family Practice. In 2007, it is merely a curiosity.”

“Readers who use some of the tips and remedies could potentially cause harm to themselves or their patients.”


JWR Adds: The new manual is a massive 680 pages. Here is the table of contents:
PART 1: OPERATIONAL ISSUES
PART 2: CLINICAL PROCESS
PART 3: GENERAL SYMPTOMS
PART 4: ORGAN SYSTEMS
Cardiac/Circulatory
Blood
Respiratory
Endocrine
Neurologic
Skin
Gastrointestinal
Genitourinary
PART 5: SPECIALTY AREAS
Podiatry
Dentistry
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Zoonotic Diseases Chart
Infectious Diseases
Preventive Medicine
Veterinary Medicine
Nutritional Deficiencies
Toxicology
Mental Health
Anesthesia
PART 6: OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS
Dive Medicine
Aerospace Medicine
High Altitude Illnesses
Cold Illnesses and Injuries
Heat-Related Illnesses
Chemical
Biological
Radiation
PART 7: TRAUMA
Trauma Assessment
Human and Animal Bites
Shock
Burns, Blast, Lightning, & Electrical Injuries
Non-Lethal Weapons Injuries
PART 8: PROCEDURES
Basic Medical Skills
Lab Procedures
APPENDICES
Thanks, - Frankie

JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning the new manual! I have updated both the survey results post and the SurvivalBlog Bookshelf page, accordingly. OBTW, I have had difficulty finding an original copy of the new manual at a reasonable price. The copies that are presently listed on Amazon are "secondary market", at grossly inflated prices. But the good news is that the GPO also publishes a paperback edition for $59. I would prefer the military 9.7" x 6.4" edition that is three-hole punched (and hence will lay flat when open--making it a better "working" reference), but the GPO paperback edition should suffice. There are also electronic editions available for PDAs and Windows for $73, and for Palm PDAs for $60. The Special Forces.com online store sells a smaller 7.5" x 4.75" format edition (a bit harder to read), but they do sell it in combination with a CD-ROM.



www.survivalblog.com
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: prentice crawford on July 23, 2009, 12:35:07 AM
Woof,
 I carry a tube of super glue in my kit for those times when getting stitched up at the hospital might be days away. It works pretty good on straight line cuts but don't try it on anything really deep or jagged, just bandage it up as best you can and get help to come to you. Remember only you are responsible for you so don't try this at home kids. :-D
                           P.C.
Title: Snake and other venomous bites
Post by: Crafty_Dog on July 30, 2009, 04:55:52 AM


http://lomalindahealth.org/medical-center/our-services/emergency/programs-and-divisions/venom-er/about-us/index.html
Title: Emergency Medical Training w/ Live Pigs
Post by: Body-by-Guinness on August 08, 2009, 10:55:18 AM
Doomed pigs used to teach first aid
Marines practice on wounded animals in war simulation
By Kristina Davis
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
2:00 a.m. August 8, 2009

As the blood began to surge from a femoral artery, Lance Cpl. Chad Pham dug his hand into the gaping wound to stanch the flow.

Fellow Marines were doing the same all around him, trying desperately to keep their pig patients from bleeding out and dying on stretchers in the dusty clearing of a Valley Center avocado grove.

Working as though the pigs were comrades who had just taken a blast from a roadside bomb, the members of Camp Pendleton's 1st ANGLICO unit realized a tourniquet would do no good on this kind of wound, inflicted by a scalpel. Instead, they packed the holes with gauze and leaned hard on the arteries.

“This was a guy that was standing next to you five minutes ago,” an instructor barked. “Make it work!”

As the training progressed, the sounds of battle blared through a loudspeaker and the pigs were shot with 12-gauge shotguns and rounds from a 7.62mm rifle, causing more grotesque injuries.

Though it has received little publicity, the training has become standard on numerous U.S. military bases and off-site locations across the country during the eighth year of war in the Middle East. It is intended to prepare front-line troops and corpsmen for the gore and pressure they will encounter treating wounds on the battlefield.

Military officials and Marines who have received the “live tissue” training maintain that nothing else could prepare them as well for battle.

“We believe very firmly that this training saves lives,” said Cmdr. Bryan Schumacher, 1st Marine Division surgeon at Camp Pendleton.

“You have to truly know how to put a tourniquet on so it stops the blood flow . . . but then you have to be able to do it when you're scared to death. You have to be able to do it when you're afraid for your own life, when you're worried about your buddy, when you're worried about your own performance because it's not a simulation anymore. It's real.”

The training also has sparked a nationwide debate, with critics who question the need to maim and kill animals when other training methods are available.

'The quick and the dead'

The pigs, which are connected to IV tubes delivering anesthesia, feel no pain, said officials with Deployment Medicine International, a private Gig Harbor, Wash.-based company founded by a trauma doctor that conducts some of the training. The pigs are euthanized when it is completed.

About 1,370 Marines and Navy corpsmen from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, are scheduled to go through the training this year under a $1 million contract with DMI, which declined to reveal how many contracts it has or total dollar figures. Another company also has government contracts worth millions for similar courses. The training attracted attention last month after neighbors complained about noise at the Valley Center grove, owned by Escondido police Officer David Bishop.

For the first time, three reporters were permitted to observe and participate in the DMI instruction this week.

The first three days of Marine training were in classrooms at Camp Pendleton, and the fourth day was at the 17-acre grove and used pigs. Giving the full names of instructors was not allowed, nor were photographs of any exercises involving pigs.

Twenty Navy doctors were also trained using both pigs and high-tech mannequin simulators that bleed and breathe like humans.

One of the first things the Marines learned is that other than instantaneous death, massive hemorrhaging kills more troops than anything else on the battlefield, and it happens quickly. By the end of the week, they had rapidly applied tourniquets on their own limbs and on others' at least 50 times.

“In this business, there's the quick and the dead,” a DMI instructor yelled during a 30-second drill. “Half your body fluids are on the ground now!”

On the final day, training focused on the unconscious pigs, which had blood gushing from wounds and their bowels spilling out.

“One of the benefits of live tissue is watching the faucet get turned off,” a trainer told the troops.

Navy corpsman Richard Cheek said his first exposure to massive bleeding was during live-tissue training in 2006 in San Diego County.

“It was shocking to see,” Cheek said. “It shows exactly what an injury does to an actual body.”

He left for Iraq the following March, he said, and the skills he learned while practicing on pigs came back to him when he responded to a car crash.

“There were lots of injuries, and I had to do an airway (tube),” Cheek said. “I had practiced a lot on pigs. It's not an easy procedure, but once I made the decision to do it, I was really confident in doing it.”

The Marines' emotional connection to the pigs was evident as they struggled to keep their patients alive – a psychological effect that can't be gained from simulators, training proponents say.

One pig, which they'd named General Dude, was brought back to life twice before it succumbed.

The pigs used in Valley Center are obtained from various research-grade vendors in the state and later disposed of at a rendering plant in San Bernardino County. The pigs weigh 140 to 200 pounds, about the weight of a typical Marine.

Other alternatives?

Despite the wholehearted support by the military, some question the usefulness and morality of the training.

“We think live-tissue training for soldiers, medics and physicians and other first responders is not necessary in order to provide the best training to prepare these folks to go into war zones and prepare them for trauma they'll see,” said Dr. John J. Pippin, a Dallas cardiologist with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit health organization.

Such critics argue that high-tech human simulators can provide similar training for combat. For medics, corpsmen and military physicians, Pippin said, training should focus on working in civilian trauma centers.

Most civilian medical schools in the United States have stopped using animals, Pippin said.

“We feel that if there ever was a role for (live-tissue training) – and perhaps there was before these other methods were available – we feel that time has certainly passed,” he said.

Earlier this year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to the Obama administration asking it to ban the practice. Also, 15 members of Congress, including Rep. Bob Filner, D-San Diego, signed a letter sent last month to the U.S. Army surgeon general and the secretary of the Army voicing their disapproval.

But Navy doctors who were trained this week using both simulators and live pigs said that while the simulator was good, it wasn't the same as a living subject.

“One thing is you have to actually keep the patient alive. It's a very artificial feeling otherwise,” Lt. Matt Andres said.

Kristina Davis: (619) 542-4591; kristina.davis@uniontrib.com

Kristina Davis: (619) 542-4591;





Find this article at:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com...county&zIndex=146179
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on August 08, 2009, 01:51:52 PM
So the PIG's out of the bag...   

I have had this training OEMS "Operational Emergency Training Skills" and it was by far the BEST TRAINING I have ever received as a Navy Corpsman.  Without this course, I can honestly say that some of America's Sons would not be alive today.

The old saying was, "The First Rule of Pig Lab - Don't talk about Pig Lab".

If they shut down this training, Lives will be lost.  GAURANTEED

 :x

Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Body-by-Guinness on August 08, 2009, 02:21:08 PM
I was taking a rifle class several months back, during the breaks we were showing each other our blowout kits. A couple of the gents who let drop they were in class to get tune ups before proceeding overseas had some very interesting things to say about dealing with gunshot wounds, but kept pulling up short when quizzed about where they obtained their training. I surmise now they went through something like what's described above.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on August 08, 2009, 10:03:54 PM
Kaju:

We have been in conversations with someone about providing blow out kits for us to offer here and today we forwarded to you what they sent to us for your evaluation.  Please let me know when it arrives.

TAC,
CD
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on August 09, 2009, 10:11:23 AM
Kaju:

We have been in conversations with someone about providing blow out kits for us to offer here and today we forwarded to you what they sent to us for your evaluation.  Please let me know when it arrives.

TAC,
CD

 8-)  Will do Sir.

Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on August 10, 2009, 07:38:23 PM
Crafty,

I received the package today.  I will email you my report in a couple days. 

I have visited the web site and looked over the inventory lists.

Q:  Is it ok for me to open a couple items to get a closer look?  Everything is still in its packaging for now.

Respectfully,
Dean KD "Doc"
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on August 11, 2009, 01:51:37 PM
PLEASE do whatever you want to evaluate the kits AND make whatever suggestions that occur to you.  These kits will be bearing our logo and you are our resident "go to" man for all of this.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on August 16, 2009, 09:38:00 AM
Woof,

Guro Crafty... You've got mail.   :-)

Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on August 18, 2009, 10:34:23 AM
Guro Crafty,

Just curious if you received my email?  I can resend it if you need me to.  Plus, I will be shipping the package back to you soon.   :wink:
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on August 18, 2009, 01:34:20 PM
Yes, I did; I've just been waiting for a convenient moment to call.

Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on August 18, 2009, 01:34:56 PM
 8-)
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on September 02, 2009, 08:20:50 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjBW7oHVTgU
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on September 10, 2009, 07:14:33 PM
WOOF,

Crafty - "You've got mail"
 :wink:
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: G M on September 13, 2009, 02:06:02 PM
Course outline: http://www.thebackup.com/pdfs/classes/TLS.pdf

http://www.thebackup.com/Tactical-Lifesaver-P52.aspx

The primary goal of the Tactical Lifesaver course is to improve the survivability of accidental and non-accidental life-threatening injuries encountered by law enforcement and corrections officers, with a secondary goal of decreasing liability for the officer's department. The course is not designed to turn officers into medics, but rather teach the time-critical skills that may permit survival long enough for victims to obtain definitive medical care.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

I recently completed the above "digital based" class. For me, it was worth the 50.00 and time invested. If you are an EMT, Paragod or TEMS, this would probably be a waste of time and money.

If you aren't someone with advanced medical training, then this is something I'd recommend to go along with your basic First Aid/CPR training, no matter if you are a LEO or armed citizen.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Tony Torre on October 30, 2009, 01:38:21 PM
Here's a cool article.

http://www.raems.com/altwound.html

Tony Torre
Miami Arnis Group
www.miamiarnisgroup.com
Title: Lessons from Fort Hood?
Post by: Crafty_Dog on November 08, 2009, 01:33:49 PM
Any lessons from the jihadi attack on Fort Hood?
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: G M on November 08, 2009, 02:07:04 PM
1. Shoot the haji into the ground ASAP.

2. Combat lifesaver "Platinum 5 minutes" can mean the difference between life and death.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on November 08, 2009, 02:14:43 PM
Here in Fayetteville  :wink: the local newspaper reported an account of one soldier who bravely assisted a wounded buddy in getting out and THEN WENT BACK IN TO SEE WHO ELSE HE COULD HELP ESCAPE.  Apparently he literally ran into the Jihadi's back  :-o :-o :-o and went skittering back out in a hail of bullets!!!    For his ability to act and think of his comrades in arms welfare at the risk of his own, the man is a hero.  To bad he didn't have a knife and some basic sentry neutralization training.

However, I was think more of the subject matter of the thread -- care to remind us about the Platinum 5 Minutes?
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: G M on November 08, 2009, 02:45:57 PM
There is the "golden hour" of getting emergency medical treatment for trauma victims. Those who get treated in that hour have much improved odds of survival. The "platinum 5 minutes" is that initial response in the first 5 minutes of trauma that can be that factor that allows someone to survive into the golden hour.

One need not be a EMT or Paramedic to do what is needed in the first 5. Stopping/controlling blood loss can, and should be done by anyone.

Bottom line, it's about keeping the blood inside so it continues to supply oxygen to the organs/tissues of the victim until EMS arrives.

IMHO, everyone should have this and the concept of triage drilled into them.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on November 08, 2009, 08:48:21 PM
I've been out and about today and just caugh wind of Guro Crafty's post.  I dont have time right now but look forward to reading your posts and following up with my .2C's soon for what it's worth.  Good replies by all so far, lets dig into this a bit deaper. 

Until tomorrow,
Goodnight
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on November 09, 2009, 03:00:13 PM
Subject: Fort Hood Account from JAG officer onsite

What happened.

Since I don't know when I'll sleep (it's 4 am now) I'll write what happened (the abbreviated version. the long one is already part of the investigation with more to come. I'll not write about any part of the investigation that I've learned about since inevitably my JAG brothers and sisters are deeply involved in the investigation).

Don't assume that most of the current media accounts are very accurate. They're not. They'll improve with time. Only those of us who were there really know what went down. But as they collate our statements they'll get it right.

I did my SRP last week (Soldier Readiness Processing) but you're supposed to come back a week later to have them look at the smallpox vaccination site (it's this big itchy growth on your shoulder). I am probably alive because I pulled a ---------- and entered the wrong building first (the main SRP building).

The Medical SRP building is off to the side. Realizing my mistake I left the main building and walked down the sidewalk to the medical SRP building. As I'm walking up to it the gunshots start. Slow and methodical. But continuous.

Two ambulatory wounded came out. Then two soldiers dragging a third who was covered in blood. Hearing the shots but not seeing the shooter, along with a couple other soldiers I stood in the street and yelled at everyone who came running that it was clear but to "RUN!" I kept motioning people fast.

About 6-10 minutes later (the shooting continuous), two cops ran up. one male, one female. we pointed in the direction of the shots. they headed that way (the medical SRP building was about 50 meters away). then a lot more gunfire. A couple minutes later a balding man in ACU's came around the building carrying a pistol and holding it tactically.

He started shooting at us and we all dived back to the cars behind us. I don't think he hit the couple other guys who were there. I did see the bullet holes later in the cars. First I went behind a tire and
then looked under the body of the car. I've been trained how to respond to gunfire...but with my own weapon. To have no weapon I don't know how to explain what that felt like. I hadn't run away and stayed because I had thought about the consequences or anything like that. I wasn't thinking anything through.

Please understand, there was no intention. I was just staying there because I didn't think about running. It never occur red to me that he might shoot me. Until he started shooting in my direction and I realized I was unarmed.

Then the female cop comes around the corner. He shoots her. (according to the news account she got a round into him. I believe it, I just didn't see it. he didn't go down.) She goes down. He starts reloading. He's fiddling with his mags. Weirdly he hasn't dropped the one that was in his weapon. He's holding the fresh one and the old one (you do that on the range when time is not of the essence but in combat you would just let the old mag go).

I see the male cop around the left corner of the building. (I'm about 15-20 meters from the shooter.) I yell at the cop, "He's reloading, he's reloading. Shoot him! Shoot him!) You have to understand, everything was quiet at this point. The cop appears to hear me and comes around the corner and shoots the shooter. He goes down. The cop kicks his weapon further away. I sprint up to the downed female cop. Another captain (I think he was with me behind the cars) comes up as well. She's bleeding profusely out of her thigh. We take our belts off and tourniquet her just like we've been trained (I hope we did it right...we didn't have any CLS (combat lifesaver) bags with their awesome tourniquets on us, so we worked with what we had).

(Hmmm, , , not quite like initial reports , , ,)

Meanwhile, in the most bizarre moment of the day, a photographer was standing over us taking pictures. I suppose I'll be seeing those tomorrow. Then a soldier came up and identified himself as a medic.
I then realized her weapon was lying there unsecured (and on "fire"). I stood over it and when I saw a cop yelled for him to come over and secure her weapon (I would have done so but I was worried someone would mistake me for a bad guy).

I then went over to the shooter. He was unconscious. A Lt Colonel was there and had secured his primary weapon for the time being. He also had a revolver. I couldn't believe he was one of ours. I didn't want to believe it. Then I saw his name and rank and realized this wasn't just some specialist with mental issues. At this point there was a guy there from CID and I asked him if he knew he was the shooter and had him secured. He said he did.

I then went over the slaughter house. - the medical SRP building. No human should ever have to see what that looked like. and I won't tell you. Just believe me. Please. There was nothing to be done there.

Someone then said there was someone critically wounded around the corner. I ran around (while seeing this floor to ceiling window that someone had jumped through movie style) and saw a large African-American soldier lying on his back with two or three soldiers attending.

I ran up and identified two entrance wounds on the right side of his stomach, one exit wound on the left side and one head wound. He was not bleeding externally from the stomach wounds (though almost certainly internally) but was bleeding from the head wound. A soldier was using a shirt to try and stop the head bleeding. He was conscious so I began talking to him to keep him so. He was 42, from North Carolina, he was named something Jr., his son was named something III and he had a daughter as well. His children lived with him. He was divorced. I told him the blubber on his stomach saved his life. He smiled.

A young soldier in civvies showed up and identified himself as a combat medic. We debated whether to put him on the back of a pickup truck. A doctor (well, an audiologist) showed up and said you can't move him, he has a head wound. we finally sat tight.

I went back to the slaughterhouse. they weren't letting anyone in there. Not even medics. finally, after about 45 minutes had elapsed some cop showed up in tactical vests. someone said the TBI building was unsecured. They headed into there. All of a sudden a couple more shots were fired.

People shouted there was a second shooter. a half hour later the SWAT showed up. There was no second shooter. That had been an impetuous cop apparently. but that confused things for a while.

Meanwhile I went back to the shooter. the female cop had been taken away. a medic was pumping plasma into the shooter. I'm not proud of this but I went up to her and said "this is the shooter, is there anyone else who needs attention...do them first". She indicated everyone else living was attended to. I still hadn't seen any EMTs or ambulances.

I had so much blood on me that people kept asking me if I was ok. But that was all other people's blood. eventually (an hour and a half to two hours after the shootings) they started landing choppers. they took out the big Africa American guy and the shooter. I guess the ambulatory wounded were all at the SRP building. Everyone else in my area was dead.

I suppose the emergency responders were told there were multiple shooters. I heard that was the delay with the choppers (they were all civilian helicopters). they needed a secure LZ. but other than the initial cops who did everything right, I didnt' see a lot of them for a while.

I did see many a soldier rush out to help their fellows/sisters. there was one female soldier, I dont' know her name or rank but I would recognize her anywhere, who was everywhere helping people. a couple people, mainly civilians, were hysterical, but only a couple. one civilian freaked out when I tried to comfort her when she saw my uniform. I guess she had seen the shooter up close.

A lot of soldiers were rushing out to help even when we thought there was another gunman out there. this Army is not broken no matter what the pundits say. Not the Army I saw.

Then they kept me for a long time to come. oh, and perhaps the most surreal thing, at 1500 (the end of the workday on Thursdays) when the bugle sounded we all came to attention and saluted the flag. In the middle of it all.

This is what I saw. it can't have been real. But this is my small corner of what happened.
Title: Hypothermia
Post by: Crafty_Dog on November 30, 2009, 08:41:48 AM
 Immersion Hypothermia Skills that can save a life

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hypothermia and Immersion Hypothermia are both killers. Most cases of hypothermia happen in the outdoors in 50 degree F weather and are preventable- dress properly (no cotton!), stay hydrated, and do something about it when you get wet or begin losing dexterity such as build a fire & shelter, get back to the vehicle, or into the sleeping bag. A good hypothermia recipe is to have a cup of hot chocolate with a tablespoon of butter and I always carry this solution in a thermos when on the winter trail.

Keep in mind that the statistics bear out that the classic "survivor" lost in the wilds each year is injured and hypothermic.

Immersion Hypothermia is a real killer and you only have a limited amount of time on your hands. The best info comes from this U of Toronto Professor who has studied it the most and is on YouTube. Pass this vid around to those who spend time playing ice hockey, ice-fishing, or traveling the wilds in winter. It can be a lifesaver to know- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysnKtuUTt8k

Another test I do with my students on winter survival courses is to have them place their hands (minus gloves) in the snow for a count of 60 seconds. After this, they must get a fire going using their matches, lighter, or spark rod. With a loss of dexterity, the spark-rod wins out as it involves gross-motor movement compared to the lighter and matches. Try this test of your gear in the backyard next snowfall and see how the gear holds up when the hands are numb.

Cottonballs smeared with vaseline and used for tinder is the other half of the picture in successfully starting a fire when the forest is buried in snow and your hands are numb.

Tony
__________________
Tony Nester
Ancient Pathways Survival School
http://www.apathways.com
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Jonobos on November 30, 2009, 08:11:27 PM
That is an excellent post for those of us up north. Thanks!
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Rarick on December 01, 2009, 03:07:31 AM
The "less cold" temperatures can cause Hypothermia too.  The 600 range down into the 50's allow the slow loss of heat.  Uncomfortably Cool weather is when we started having the hypothermia show up when I was in the service.  Ignoring discomforts can allow some things to sneak up on you.
Title: Rapid chest compression technique
Post by: Crafty_Dog on March 12, 2010, 11:48:27 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5huVSebZpM
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on March 12, 2010, 07:34:56 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5huVSebZpM

WOW!  "Dont check for a pulse" @1:22  ???  WTFO! 

PLEASE CHECK FOR  A PULSE BOTH AT THE NECK AND THE WRIST.

I  cannot remember if I covered this in the DLO3 or not.   FFT?
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on March 12, 2010, 07:45:20 PM
That caught my curiousity, but I figured "It's the Mayo Clinic , , ," 

Kaju, are you saying something bad would happen if this technique were administered in the presence of a pulse?
Title: Re: Hypothermia
Post by: Rarick on March 13, 2010, 03:24:02 AM
Immersion Hypothermia Skills that can save a life

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hypothermia and Immersion Hypothermia are both killers. Most cases of hypothermia happen in the outdoors in 50 degree F weather and are preventable- dress properly (no cotton!), stay hydrated, and do something about it when you get wet or begin losing dexterity such as build a fire & shelter, get back to the vehicle, or into the sleeping bag. A good hypothermia recipe is to have a cup of hot chocolate with a tablespoon of butter and I always carry this solution in a thermos when on the winter trail.

Keep in mind that the statistics bear out that the classic "survivor" lost in the wilds each year is injured and hypothermic.

Immersion Hypothermia is a real killer and you only have a limited amount of time on your hands. The best info comes from this U of Toronto Professor who has studied it the most and is on YouTube. Pass this vid around to those who spend time playing ice hockey, ice-fishing, or traveling the wilds in winter. It can be a lifesaver to know- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysnKtuUTt8k

Another test I do with my students on winter survival courses is to have them place their hands (minus gloves) in the snow for a count of 60 seconds. After this, they must get a fire going using their matches, lighter, or spark rod. With a loss of dexterity, the spark-rod wins out as it involves gross-motor movement compared to the lighter and matches. Try this test of your gear in the backyard next snowfall and see how the gear holds up when the hands are numb.

Cottonballs smeared with vaseline and used for tinder is the other half of the picture in successfully starting a fire when the forest is buried in snow and your hands are numb.

Tony
__________________
Tony Nester
Ancient Pathways Survival School
http://www.apathways.com

When I was in the service the "creeping cold" was the usual case of hypothermia.  Temperatures between 60 and 50 degrees where the cold kind of crept in while people were occupied with other things. Same thing with heat casualties at the 80-90 degree marks (hot but not too hot or cold but not too cold).  We constantly were looking for guys "blowing their hands to keep warm" that did not have sweatshirts or sweaters on- if your hands are that cold and you do not have an extra layer...........  One of the other things- when we were doing things that precluded an extra layer like running and it was "middle cold" was wear a watch cap/beannie.   "when your hands/feet are cold, put on a cap" was a saying I learned long before the service, and it works.
Title: Heroic action
Post by: Crafty_Dog on April 07, 2010, 02:36:13 PM


This is an unbelievable story. The video  is incredible. This  story is about  PVT Channing  Moss, who  was impaled by a live RPG during a Taliban  ambush  while on patrol.  Army protocol says that  medevac  choppers are never to carry anyone with a  live round in   him.  Even though they feared it could explode,  the  flight crew ignored the protocol and flew him to the  nearest aid  station. Again, protocol said that in  such a  case the patient is to be put in  sandbagged area  away from the  surgical unit, given a shot of  morphine and left  to wait  (and die) until others are treated. Again,  the medical  team ignored the protocol. Here's a   seven-minute video put together by the Military Times,  which  includes actual footage of the surgery,  where Dr. John  Oh, a  Korean immigrant who became a naturalized citizen  and went  to West Point,  removed the live round with the help  of  volunteers and a member of the EOD (explosive  ordinance disposal)  team.
 
 
Click  link  below:
 
 
http://www.militarytimes.com/multimedia/video/rpg_surgery/
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: maija on April 07, 2010, 04:45:10 PM
Wow  :-o 8-)
Title: Re: Dirty Bomb radiation protection
Post by: Rarick on April 09, 2010, 06:33:03 AM
Question:

Los Angeles is a city likely to go into heavy gridlock in the event of Islamofascist attack.  If the attack is a dirty bomb, what are the realistic options for the citizen at home or caught in the mother of all gridlock on some LA freeway.  Picture a woman with children in a van.  What is she to do?  I've heard iodine potassium (IIRC) tablets protect the thyroid gland.  Is there some sort of mask that lessens inhalation of nasties into lungs?  Will a child wear these?  What else?

TIA,
CD

A dirty radiological bomb is about dust, get a dust mask that filters out the smallest particles.  Gas masks are good filters, the cartridges have chemicals to neutralize chemicals, but the filter properties is what you are looking for in a dirty bomb setup.  Paint respirators would work too- even with the paint cartridges.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on April 09, 2010, 06:42:52 AM
Thank you, good tips.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Rarick on April 10, 2010, 02:32:20 AM
It is just something I see a lot of, buying the medical masks at pricex3, when it does the same job as a box of a dozen (b85?) masks at the same price.   also using a Clevis to link and hold a couple of chains together when a couple of regular "A" class hardware bolts throught the links with doubled washers will do the same thing at a lot less cost.

I remember decontamination spray kits we had in the service that had the same exact manufacturer and inner workings as a flower mister we found down the road at the home and garden/ nursery (this was just as Reagan was starting to update things).  Yes it was commercial and heavy duty, but the service was paying triple the price, all that for some green paint and plain boxes........  (yet another reason why a lot of "off the civilian shelf" style procurement has started happening)
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: bluesbassist on April 18, 2010, 11:48:55 PM
Hi all. Great thread! I just finished EMT school and passed the NREMT-Basic exam. Looking forward to getting out there and learning how to actually "do the job."
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: G M on April 19, 2010, 01:14:24 AM
Hi all. Great thread! I just finished EMT school and passed the NREMT-Basic exam. Looking forward to getting out there and learning how to actually "do the job."

Good for you for stepping up to do this job. It's a sacred thing to run towards what others run from to save lives.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on April 19, 2010, 04:22:21 PM
Amen.
Title: Single men, you may be out of luck on this one , , ,
Post by: Crafty_Dog on September 28, 2010, 01:57:23 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/09/23/emergency-remove-bra/?test=latestnews
Title: Emergency Tips: face mask
Post by: DougMacG on September 28, 2010, 08:00:13 PM
Very funny, and practical. 

For those of us who don't have a quick release bra handy, I keep a very heavy duty ($30-40) face mask hanging within reach of the bed.  In a fire, they say it is the smoke that gets you before the flames.  If it works, I should be able to put it on in a matter of seconds of the first smoke alarm going off and maybe have a chance at rescuing a family member and/or getting myself out.  I also recommend having a baseball bat or 2x4 etc. by the escape window for every family member in case the window doesn't open easily to smash your way out the way a fireman would.

A fire in your home is slightly more likely than a nuclear meltdown, but they do make masks for biological/chemical warfare, also for carbon monoxide protection:

http://www.aosafety.com/aosafety.com/products.htm
http://www.safetyrescuegear.com/toxic_gases_escape_fire_hood_p/fire-smoke-safety-hood.htm
Title: Re: Emergency Tips: Continuous Chest Compression CPR
Post by: DougMacG on September 28, 2010, 08:28:14 PM
You never know when you will wish you were prepared for inevitable emergencies.

My daughter worked her first hour of her first job ever last weekend at the desk of a small tennis club and a man dropped to the ground with a heart attack, not breathing.  Lucky for her and the man, the club manager/ my friend, was there.  He dialed 911 handed the phone to her and headed out with a defibrillator I believe, while someone else had CPR started.

Backtracking here, a Marine friend of mine emailed this video a few weeks ago saying it is the newest, best and simplest way to perform CPR. Please watch and forward/share.  (If someone here knows better, please post.) 
-----

http://medicine.arizona.edu/spotlight/learn-sarver-heart-centers-continuous-chest-compression-cpr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcbgpiKyUbs
Title: Bruises
Post by: Crafty_Dog on November 20, 2010, 01:55:41 PM
Linda "Bitch" Matsumi recommends these:

http://www.traumeel.com/

http://www.alcis.com/

http://www.sombrausa.com/
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: tim nelson on January 04, 2011, 09:39:38 PM
this quick story i am going to share was inspired by a download link that is on the page Crafty just posted, about a book 'NATO Emergency War Surgery.' on:

http://modernsurvivalonline.com/top-10-downloads-you-should-have/

back in october 2 friends and i went into a large watershed wilderness. we expected to be out for 2 weeks, trapping beaver mostly for food and fishing as a supplement. well after travelling all day and carrying a large canoe between 5 lakes, at sunset one guy put his axe into his lower leg 4 inches long to the bone the whole way, the meaty part on the outer leg from the close to surface shin bone. anyways, we taped it up and moved him. he wasn't supposed to move as he did, but we were carrying the canoe and he walked away and ended up losing more than half his blood the hospital later said. that could have killed many people. and we made a stretcher and he was too heavy for 2 of us. it took 5 of us to carry him out during rescue for a mile or so and it was a workout.

so major lesson: don't move anyone with a serious wound even if its closed up and not bleeding much, it will trigger major bleeding and likely eventual death.

the rescue was quite an ordeal, we boated in, and it took from 6pm time of injury to 5 am next morning until an EMT was kneeling next to him.

http://elyecho.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=10757&TM=55111.63
Title: CPR
Post by: Crafty_Dog on January 12, 2011, 06:20:00 AM
New method of CPR.   Not necessary to check for pulse or utilize mouth to mouth resuscitation.

http://medicine.arizona.edu/spotlight/learn-sarver-heart-centers-continuous-chest-compression-cpr
Title: Who ya gonna call?
Post by: Crafty_Dog on February 12, 2011, 05:13:17 AM
Story by kptv.com


PORTLAND, Ore. --


Police officers trying to get help after a man crashed his car outside a Portland hospital were told they had to call an ambulance, authorities say, but doctors assert they were acting on the information provided to them.

Portland police spokeswoman Kelli Sheffer says Officers Robert Quick and Angela Luty were at Portland Adventist Medical Center to follow up on an unrelated injury crash when someone flagged them down. Quick and Luty were told someone had crashed their car into a utility pole outside the hospital and the driver was unresponsive, police say. While one officer tried CPR to revive the man, the other ran into the emergency room to ask for help. Hospital workers told the officer to call an ambulance and that they would not leave the building to treat him, Sheffer says.

The radio call between the officers at the scene and dispatchers was released Thursday.


Officer: "Hospital says they won't come out. We need to contact AMR first." Dispatcher: "They're en route. Code 3." Officer: "We've started CPR." Dispatcher: "Copy. Started CPR."

The officers continued to provide CPR to the 61-year-old man while they waited for paramedics' help, police say. The ambulance arrived six minutes later and paramedics took the man into the emergency room, which was 100 yards away.

Police say the officers were stunned.

"I think that would be a bit shocking for anyone when you're in that frame of mind and all the sudden, you're not able to get the help that you believe this person needs," Sheffer says.

Police say the man, identified as Birgilio Marin-Fuentes, was still alive when paramedics took him inside the hospital, but he eventually died. An autopsy showed Marin-Fuentes died of natural causes related to heart disease, according to a medical examiner.


The wreck was first reported at 12:47 a.m., but surveillance video suggests Marin-Fuentes crashed in the parking garage about 20 minutes before anyone noticed.

An emergency room physician defended the hospital's actions and says they followed protocol based on the information they had.

"'The message that our staff got was that a crash had occurred in our parking structure and that a potential trauma patient had been discovered," says Dr. Kelli Westcott, an Adventist physician.

She says they called 911 because ambulances are equipped with life-saving devices to pull someone from a wrecked car.

"That includes calling 911 because especially in the case of a trauma patient, they often need to be transported to the emergency department with specialized equipment: a back board, a cervical collar, things that trauma patients need," Westcott says.

Wescott also says they immediately notified security officers, who are trained in CPR, and a nursing supervisor and a charge nurse responded to the parking lot.

Judy Leach, a spokeswoman for Portland Adventist Medical Center, says the hospital doesn't have a policy against responding to emergencies in the parking lot.

"In fact, we always call 911 and send our own staff into these situations whether they are gunshot wounds, heart attacks or any other medical emergency. We have done so many times in the past year alone," Leach says.

Read: Statement From Adventist Medical Center

But Marin-Fuentes' family members still have questions.

“Sincerely, with pain in my heart, I feel what the hospital did to him is wrong. They denied him medical attention. To me that is not just for him or for other people,” says Faustino Luis Garcia, Marin-Fuentes' brother-in-law, also through a translator.

Congressman Calls For Investigation

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer is calling for an independent investigation of the incident.

“If these reports are true, it is not just heartbreaking, but incomprehensible that a hospital fully capable of treating this medical emergency left police officers with no medical equipment to tend to a patient.

"If the police statements are correct, this incident defies common sense and it may well defy federal law,” he wrote in a statement.

Copyright 2011 by KPTV.com. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Title: Skin Gun for Skin Burns
Post by: Crafty_Dog on February 18, 2011, 12:48:44 PM
http://www.tgdaily.com/general-sciences-features/53901-skin-gun-treats-burn-victims-in-days-not-months
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: C-Kumu Dog on September 02, 2011, 06:24:29 PM
I like this idea:

http://offgridsurvival.com/shtfsurvivalmanual/

Electronic storage is great, for years I have recommended things like survival laptops and tablets. With a good solar charger these devices can last for years in an off the grid environment.
If your anything like most of the survival minded people that come to this site, you probably bookmark and save a ton of good survival articles. While I love electronic devices, when the SHTF you need to have backups of all your valuable survival information.
You need your own SHTF Proof Survival Manual.
Lately I have been saving a ton of how to articles to my NOOK but I don’t stop there. The nook is great for storing survival books and articles but I also started laminating the most important articles and putting them into my own personal survival manual.
For under $40 bucks you can make yourself a good SHTF proof survival binder.
First, you need to buy a good laminator and a pack of lamination sheets.
You can get a Good Laminator on Amazon and a pack of 50 lamination sheets for around $40. This will allow you to put about 400 articles in your personal survival manual.
Second, I condense the articles down so I can fit at least 4 to a page (8 double sided) this gives you roughly 400 articles with only 50 pieces of paper. Remember the lamination adds some weight so you don’t want to go crazy here. Print only those articles that you think you will really need post SHTF.
I usually condense articles down in Microsoft word, or I shrink down specific pages from books so I can fit them into my 4up format. I then 3 ring punch the laminated pages and put them in a good zippered binder to protect them from the elements.
What kinds of articles do I add to my personal survival manual?
My NOOK can pretty much hold everything I need so I fill that up with as much information as I can get. For my Binder I take only the things that I think I will need in a post SHTF world.
Maps, Evacuation Routes and Bug Out Locations
Medical information and first aid instructions
How To articles
Pictures of edible plants
Communication frequency charts, notes and antenna diagrams / formulas
Primitive Skills & instructional materials
Trapping Diagrams
And anything that you may have a hard time remembering
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on September 02, 2011, 07:46:45 PM
Good point.  Would you please post that on the Survival thread on the SCH forum too please?
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: C-Kumu Dog on September 02, 2011, 08:52:46 PM
Done Guro!
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Cranewings on September 02, 2011, 11:59:07 PM
At least all the martial arts sticks and hand wraps you guys carry make good splints (;
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on September 03, 2011, 03:23:50 AM
At least all the martial arts sticks and hand wraps you guys carry make good splints (;
[/quot
At least all the martial arts sticks and hand wraps you guys carry make good splints (;

IIRC In most cases it's good to remember, "One Bone = Two sticks / Two bones = One stick" 
IE.  There are two bones in the lower/distal arm (Radius and Ulna)  If the Ulna is broken but the Radius is not:  "Two bones = One stick"  but if the Humerous is broken:  "One bone = Two sticks". 

Splinting Knees and elbows are fun to. 

I love the idea of using the sticks for splinting.  I wonder how that would have worked out for Growling Dog going through Air Port security. 

Woof :)
Title: Nanosolution halts bleeding
Post by: Crafty_Dog on January 15, 2012, 09:57:11 AM
http://www.technologyreview.com/prin....aspx?id=17597


Nanosolution Halts Bleeding
A biodegradable liquid developed at MIT and the University of Hong Kong offers a new way to quickly treat wounds and promote healing.
By Jenn Director Knudsen
A team of researchers at MIT and the University of Hong Kong have developed a biodegradable liquid that can quickly stop bleeding.


Composed of peptides, the liquid self-assembles into a protective nanofiber gel when applied to a wound. Rutledge Ellis-Behnke, research scientist in the department of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT and Kwok-Fai So, chair of the department of anatomy at the University of Hong Kong, discovered the liquid's ability to stop bleeding while experimenting with it as a matrix for regrowing brain cells in hamsters.


The researchers then conducted a series of experiments on various mammals, including rodents and pigs, applying the clear liquid agent to the brain, skin, liver, spinal cord, and femoral artery to test its ability to halt bleeding and seal wounds.


"It worked every single time," said Ellis-Behnke. They found that it stopped the bleeding in less than 15 seconds, and even worked on animals given blood-thinning medications.


The wound must still be stitched up after the procedure; but unlike other agents designed to stop bleeding, it does not have to be removed from the wound site.


The liquid's only byproduct is amino acids: tissue building blocks that can be used to actually repair the site of the injury, according to the researchers. It is also nontoxic, causes no immune response in the patient, and can be used in a wet environment, according to Ellis-Behnke. A paper outlining the findings is available online and will be published in the December issue of Nanomedicine.


Ellis-Behnke believes that first responders, say, on a battlefield or at a traffic accident, will save more lives with the nanosolution. Yet the most significant application may be in surgery, he says, especially on the liver and brain.


In fact, as much as half of the time during any operation is spent "doing some sort of bleeding control," says Ellis-Behnke. Consequently, such a liquid could "fundamentally change the pace of the operation."


Ram Chuttani, director of endoscopy and chief of interventional gastroenterology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, is familiar with their research. "Where I see huge applications is in patients who present with gastrointestinal bleeding," he says. "[Right now,] there's no ideal agent to endoscopically manage gastrointestinal bleeding."


"Technologically, this would be one of the easiest things for us to use," Chuttani adds. "It's an exciting agent, a very exciting agent...that's still quite far away. I'd definitely be an early adopter."




The researchers don't yet understand how the nanosolution works to stop bleeding, beyond that it doesn't clot the blood. "Maybe it's creating a nanoscale patch and knitting the materials back together," says Ellis-Behnke, adding that "this is just speculation." Clinical trials on humans are at least three years away, he says.


The research was funded by the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT as well as the Technology Transfer Seed Fund of the University of Hong Kong and the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong.


The U.S. military already uses several agents to stop bleeding, including ones made by Z-Medica and HemCon. Z-Medica of Wallingford, CT, uses zeolite-based agents in its pourable products, called QuikClot, and bioactive glass. HemCon of Tigard, OR, uses an organic substance called chitosan in its bandages.


Both QuikClot and bioactive glass, a silica- and calcium-based material, are porous, and thus work like a sponge to mop up blood and adhere to tissue at and around the wound site.


The chitosan in HemCon's bandages binds to tissue and seals wounds. (Chitosan is found in shrimp shells, but extensive tests have shown that people with shellfish allergies don't suffer allergic reactions to chitosan, according to HemCon's president and CEO, John Morgan.) HemCon plans to sell a consumer version of its product next year.


"Both [Z-Medica and Hem-Con's products] have saved lives in my hands," says Captain Peter Rhee, a military trauma surgeon based at the Los Angeles County Medical Center, who oversaw the first study using pourable agents to halt bleeding on animals.


The liquid solution made by the MIT and University of Hong Kong researchers could offer several advantages, however. One is speed. In studies, the nanoliquid took only seconds to work, while competing products take around two minutes. The nanoliquid can also be used on a wound of any shape, unlike HemCon's square bandages, which don't fit over oddly shaped gashes. And the nanoscale solution doesn't have to be removed from the patient, unlike Z-Medica's bioactive glass, which cannot remain at the wound site indefinitely.

Copyright Technology Review 2006.
Title: New battlefield tourniquet
Post by: Crafty_Dog on January 19, 2012, 07:34:05 AM
http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2012...tml#incart_hbx

Birmingham and Georgia physicians invent new tourniquet for the battlefield
Published: Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 8:00 AM
By Stan Diel -- The Birmingham News The Birmingham News

The abdominal aortic tourniquet should save lives on the battlefield, said its co-inventor, Birmingham's Dr. John Croushorn.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A Birmingham emergency medicine doctor and a Georgia physician have developed an inflatable tourniquet they believe will save lives on the battlefield by stopping bleeding from severe abdominal wounds.

Dr. John Croushorn, former head of emergency medicine at Trinity Medical Center and a former combat surgeon and helicopter door gunner in Iraq, on Tuesday said the inflatable device is an answer to gunshot wounds just below soldiers' body armor.

Insurgents often aim below the body armor, where damage to large, inaccessible blood vessels in the pelvis can be fatal within minutes. The device developed by Croushorn and Dr. Richard Schwartz, head of emergency medicine at the Medical College of Georgia, is placed around the body at the level of the belly button and inflated to compress the aorta.

The device mimics a long-standing combat medicine technique of using one's knee to apply pressure to the abdomen, cutting off all blood flow to lower extremities.

"Those wounds are devastating," Croushorn said in an interview. "They make very large holes and injure a lot of different things. So you just sort have to turn all of the blood flow off for a little bit."

Such wounds aren't the most common on a battlefield, he said, but they are among the most common causes of preventable combat deaths.

The device, which Croushorn said looks a little like a fanny pack, secures around the waist and is inflated using a hand pump. A gauge turns green when the pressure is sufficient to halt blood flow. Then the patient can be evacuated to a medical facility.

Studies on pigs have shown that the device can be left in place for an hour, which should be enough time to get the wounded to more sophisticated care.

Research on the device was bankrolled in part by the U.S. Department of Defense, and its path through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration bureaucracy was expedited because the military believed it could save lives on the battlefield. It won FDA "premarket" approval in October, a little more than a year after the application was filed. Most medical devices take three to five years to win premarket approval.

Croushorn and Schwartz have created a company to market the device, Compression Works LLC, and hope to have it in full production by April or May, Croushorn said. Military special operations commands, which have budgets separate from the military at large, already have placed orders, he said.

In addition to its military application, the device also may have civilian applications for victims of auto accidents and other such trauma, he said.

And it also could be proven to improve the survival rate for heart attack victims by increasing the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart during chest compressions, Croushorn said.

Both Croushorn and Schwartz have experience in military medicine. Croushorn served as command surgeon of Task Force 185 Aviation in the U.S. Army in Iraq in 2004, he said. He left the Mississippi National Guard as a major. Schwartz was a member of the Fifth Special Forces Group during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm,
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on January 21, 2012, 05:48:36 PM
Looking for basic input on the proper use of Quick Clot; when to use, when not to use.

I gather there are now "QC sponges" for civilian use, to lessen the risk of inappropriate use.

I am coming at this not only from a desire to inform myself, but also because I am moving forward on our catalog offering a trauma kit.  I'm thinking that QC should be included, but I'm also wondering about what info should be included.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on January 23, 2012, 09:34:11 PM
Looking for basic input on the proper use of Quick Clot; when to use, when not to use.

*QC is primarily for use in situations when there is an arterial bleed or external bleeding that cannot be controlled by a tourniquet or clamps due to location of the wound.  IE Femoral artery near the groin area like in the scene from Blackhawk down.

*Think of QC as the "Last Resort" for life threatening bleeding in a combat environment. Tourniquets become number 1. Don't use QC if you can stop the bleeding with less invassive techniques.  FYI:  A surgeon is going to have to clean out all the QC before getting to work.

I gather there are now "QC sponges" for civilian use, to lessen the risk of inappropriate use.

*It's hard to keep up with all the variations of QC and HemaCon products.

I am coming at this not only from a desire to inform myself, but also because I am moving forward on our catalog offering a trauma kit.  I'm thinking that QC should be included, but I'm also wondering about what info should be included.

*IMHO QC is a must for the kits but proper training is impotant with QC etc.  Not sure of the Civilian legalities but I did have to go and get certified to use QC as a Corpsman/Devil Doc.  

*Improper use can lead to 2nd-3rd degree burns to both patient and medical responder.  QC reacts on contact with moisture.  The applicators hands must be dry as well as the surface area around the wound openning.  The wound may have to be modified into a "bowl shape" with very close access to the source of the severed artery.  The QC is packed into the wound and with gauze or dressing material being pressed into possition until it turns into a clay like substance that clogs the leaking artery (aprox 2 mins time spent holding QC in place).  In addition moving the patient can cause the QC to become dislodged and bleeding resumes.

As with any tool, the value becomes apparent when the situation calls for it.  I plan on expanding on this more at the Winter Camp if Crafty deems fit to do so.

Hope this helps.
KD
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on January 24, 2012, 07:23:15 AM
Yes it does. 

BTW, if you're game I'm thinking we should be thinking about you being given more time than we first discussed.  Please email me.
Title: Trauma Kit
Post by: Crafty_Dog on February 07, 2012, 07:49:51 PM
Woof All:

I made a good connection at the SHOT Show for a trauma kit.  We have ordered 40 kits which should sell for about $40 each.  Each kit will include civilian grade quick clot.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on February 08, 2012, 09:17:04 PM
The Trauma Kits are in.
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Dr Dog on February 08, 2012, 09:26:26 PM
Awesome!  One for each car!
The thing I DREAD hearing when I'm out and about is "Is there a doctor in the house?" because most of the time I am helpless other than simple first aid when I have no equipment of any kind. Terrible feeling.  Been meaning to put one of these together for years and probably never will get around to it. THis is much better. I am curious if Kaju has any suggestions for additions or modifications when he gets a look at this. I will post anything obvious I see.

Dog Rick
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on February 09, 2012, 08:25:04 AM
Pretty Kitty is supposed to be taking pictures of the kit and its contents later today; then they will be posted in the catalog.
Title: WSJ: The Ulimate Ambulance
Post by: Crafty_Dog on February 14, 2012, 09:47:11 AM
Email Print Save ↓ More .
.smaller Larger  A new push is under way to improve the care people get after they call 911, when minutes can make the difference between life and death.

 The inside of the ambulance is changing as it is being stocked with new techniques and devices to improve trauma victims' survival.

There is plenty of room for improvement: Survival rates among sudden-cardiac-arrest patients, for example, vary widely among different regions in the country. One problem: Medical advances that save lives in hospitals and on the battlefields are often slow to become available to civilian emergency responders.

Emergency medical systems and ambulance companies are driving the efforts to change. A growing number of communities are training their 911 call centers to instruct bystanders by telephone in the best way to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, which has been shown to increase a patient's chance of surviving. Some emergency responders are equipping ambulances with new technologies like digital transmission systems to beam electrocardiograms to hospitals and quick-clotting bandages, developed for troops fighting in Iraq, to stop bleeding faster. Paramedics—the most skilled providers of pre-hospital emergency care—also are being trained to chill cardiac-arrest patients after resuscitating them, as is often done in hospitals; the procedure has been shown to increase patients' chances of surviving without brain damage.

Enlarge Image

Close.Cardiac arrest kills close to 300,000 people a year in the U.S., and trauma is the No. 1 killer of people under age 44. Of those who die, more than half do so in the first two hours, before they ever arrive at a hospital.

"The goal is to train the paramedics to be as good as physicians when treating patients in the field," says Andreas Grabinsky, head of emergency and trauma anesthesia at the University of Washington-Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where the city and county EMS providers offer free training programs to other emergency systems.

It is difficult to introduce innovations. Emergency medical systems are generally overseen by a state or regional agency and vary by community. Ambulances may be operated by fire departments, hospitals, volunteer groups or private companies. When a 911 call comes in, firefighters, who at minimum have basic emergency medical technician certification and may also be paramedics, are dispatched as first responders. Ambulances staffed by paramedics with advanced life support equipment are summoned either by their proximity to the call or on a rotation.

Enlarge Image

ClosePro EMS
 
Paramedics at Pro EMS, a Cambridge, Mass., ambulance company, train to use hand-held ultrasound devices, which can assess internal bleeding.
.Emergency responders must meet basic regulatory standards, but it is generally voluntary whether they equip their vehicles with the latest technologies and train their crews in the most up-to-date procedures and skills. A 2008 study led by Graham Nichol, director of the University of Washington-Harborview Center for Prehospital Emergency Care, found that survival rates for EMS-treated cardiac arrest in 10 major regions varied from a high of 16.3% in Seattle to a low of 3% in Alabama. New data for 2010, though not yet available by city, show the national average has been improving, according to Dr. Nichol.

Some ambulances are being fitted with machines that provide continuous chest compressions so paramedics can insert breathing tubes and perform other lifesaving procedures without pausing to restore breathing.

Another new device finding its way into some ambulances is a digital transmission system that speeds sophisticated electrocardiogram readings to the hospital so cardiac patients can get treated faster. When heart-attack victims require a balloon angioplasty, a procedure that opens blocked blood vessels, hospital staff often rush to get this done within 90 minutes, the time required to avoid heart-muscle damage. The transmission device is usually combined with a monitor to track the patient's pulse, heart signs and breathing.

The new digital technology helped save the life of 43-year-old Robert Douglas, who passed out at his home in Cambridge, Mass., in August, feeling weak with chest pains radiating to his left arm. Paramedics from the Cambridge fire department and ambulance company Professional Ambulance and Oxygen Service Inc., known as Pro EMS, performed the ECG at Mr. Douglas's home. Trained to interpret electrocardiograms, they transmitted to Mount Auburn Hospital images showing signs of a type of heart attack in which an artery is totally blocked by a blood clot. Doctors in the ER were able to get Mr. Douglas in for a balloon angioplasty within 42 minutes.

Enlarge Image

ClosePro EMS
 
Tthe paramedics are training to listen to lung sounds.
."Before this system, the communication was like a child's game of telephone," with paramedics and doctors at the hospital often not understanding each other's verbal descriptions, says Todd Thomsen, an emergency physician at Mount Auburn. "Had this system not been in place or had there been other delays, Mr. Douglas would have had a worse outcome." Mr. Douglas says he has recovered fully.

Pro EMS has been participating in a program at Emory University in Atlanta called the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival, or CARES, which the ambulance company says has helped it double its cardiac-arrest-survival rate in the last two years. CARES has been gathering data from 911 call centers, EMS providers and hospitals around the country since 2004 to compare results and to help communities improve emergency care.

At Pro EMS, which submits data to the CARES program as part of Cambridge's fire-department EMS system, staff members undergo about five times the national standard of 72 hours of continuing education, refresher courses and recertification in CPR and advanced life-support skills, says chief executive Bill Mergendahl. The company has also purchased 16 sophisticated monitors, including the ECG systems, cardiac- and breathing-monitoring devices and defibrillators at a cost of $25,000 each. "It can get expensive to add new technologies to EMS, but we are improving outcomes that lead to savings in health care all the way down the line," Mr. Mergendahl says.

The San Francisco fire department, which began participating in CARES in 2009, trained all 1,400 of its staff last year in updated CPR and advanced cardiac-life-support techniques. The department purchased electronic monitors that provide visual feedback about the effectiveness of chest compressions, and it is using new airway tubes that are easier to insert without interrupting CPR.

Fire department captain Justin Schorr says the emergency survival rate in the city has risen over the two-year period. But the city wanted also to measure survival in another way—-for victims whose cardiac arrest was witnessed and someone, either a bystander or EMS staff, intervened with CPR or a defibrillator. "We focused on how well we did when we had the best chance to help someone," he says, and results improved dramatically—from 9% to 23% over the period.

Researchers also are investigating possible new techniques to boost survival rates. For example, people admitted to the hospital ER at high risk for traumatic brain injury or hemorrhagic shock currently are given a dose of estrogen within two hours of injury, which has been shown to reduce dangerous inflammation. The Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium, a group of 10 regional centers based at the University of Washington that conducts clinical trials, plans to investigate whether estrogen given intravenously before the patient gets to the hospital would improve survival.
Title: Fire dispatch blamed for CPR delays
Post by: Crafty_Dog on September 14, 2012, 09:15:10 AM


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/lafddata/la-me-fire-report-20120914,0,5129089.story
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Kaju Dog on September 21, 2012, 10:07:17 PM
The DoD has the IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit)

Im thinking FFAK (Fighter First Aid Kit) for the DBs kit or maybe Doggie Bag?

Point is there is a first aid kit available here that one as a fighter could become familiar with at the Gatherings of the Pack.

KD
Title: Re: Emergency Tips and Emergency Medicine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on September 21, 2012, 10:55:14 PM
Though there may not be many gunshot wounds or stabbings, we do offer this Trauma Kit:

http://dogbrothers.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=47&products_id=166
Title: New improved Quickclot
Post by: Crafty_Dog on January 12, 2013, 04:32:43 PM


http://www.richardcyoung.com/lifestyle/lifesaver/survive-or-die-put-quikclot-in-your-bug-out-bag/
Title: Re: Emergency Tips, Emergency Medicine, Trauma Care, and First Aid
Post by: Crafty_Dog on April 15, 2013, 08:11:58 PM


http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/04/15/boston-marathon-blasts-doctor-credits-israelis-with-helping-set-up-disaster-team-video/
Title: SilverSeal anti-microbial for wounds
Post by: Crafty_Dog on May 02, 2013, 08:25:08 AM
News Release
 
 
Alliqua to Present Results Demonstrating Antimicrobial Properties of SilverSeal® at SAWC SPRING 2013
 
 
 
NEW YORK, NY - May 2, 2013 -- Alliqua, Inc. (OTCQB:ALQA) ("Alliqua" or the "Company") today announced it will present the results of two in vitro studies investigating the antimicrobial properties of the Company's SilverSeal® hydrogel dressing. Data from these studies indicate that SilverSeal may be capable of rapid and sustained efficacy in managing the occurrence of wound contamination by reducing the bioburden from multiple bacterial pathogens and by sustaining this activity for up to eight days. Complete data will be presented at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and Wound Healing Society (SAWC/WHS) meeting taking place May 1-5, 2013 in Denver, CO.
 
The first study tested the bactericidal activity of SilverSeal against pathogens commonly associated with wound infections, including MRSA and VRE. SilverSeal dressings were exposed for up to 24 hours to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE), Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Concentrations of E. coli, P. aeruginosa, MRSA, E. faecalis and K. pneumoniae had been reduced by >99.99%; and of VRE after 24 hours.
 
 "The ability of SilverSeal to control these bacterial pathogens is a very important finding in today's environment where health officials around the globe are voicing concern over the rising prevalence of resistant hospital-acquired infections, including surgical site infections," stated David Johnson, Alliqua's chief executive officer. "The timing of these findings is particularly opportune as we institute plans to increase our marketing of these dressing solutions through our growing sales organization to the acute care and post-acute care marketplace."
 
The second study measured the time during which silver ions are released from SilverSeal dressings in concentrations sufficient to provide antimicrobial activity. These findings indicate that SilverSeal delivers a sufficient, sustained concentration of silver ions to provide antimicrobial activity for up to eight days in both water and normal saline in vitro and supports a seven-day dressing change period.
 
The above results are summarized in two posters, both of which will be on exhibit May 2-4 in the Korbel Ballroom: "Silver Ion Release from a Silver Fiber Hydrogel Wound Dressing" (abstract #LB-27), and "Bactericidal Activity of a Silver-coated Nylon Fiber Hydrogel Wound Dressing" (abstract #LB-45).   
About Alliqua, Inc.
Alliqua, Inc. (ALQA) ("Alliqua") is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing, and distribution of proprietary transdermal wound care and drug delivery technologies. Alliqua's technology platform produces hydrogels, a 3-dimensional cross-linked network of water soluble polymers capable of numerous chemical configurations.
 
Alliqua currently markets its new line of 510K FDA-approved hydrogel products for wound care under the SilverSeal® brand. Alliqua's electron beam production process, located at its 16,000 square foot GMP manufacturing facility in Langhorne PA, allows Alliqua to aggressively develop and custom manufacture a wide variety of hydrogels. Alliqua's hydrogels can be customized for various transdermal applications to address market opportunities in the treatment of wounds as well as the delivery of numerous drugs or other agents for pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Additionally, Alliqua's drug delivery platform, in combination with certain active pharmaceutical ingredients, can provide pharmaceutical companies with a transdermal technology to enhance patient compliance and potentially extend the patent life of valuable drug franchises. Additionally, our subsidiary, HepaLife Biosystems, Inc., focuses on the development of a cell-based bioartificial liver system, known as HepaMate™.
 
For additional information, please visit www.alliqua.com. To receive future press releases via email, please visit: http://alliqua.com/contacts.
 
Any statements contained in this press release regarding our ongoing research and development and the results attained by us to-date have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
 
Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of words like "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend," or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties outside of the our control that can make such statements untrue, including, but not limited to, inadequate capital, adverse economic conditions, intense competition, lack of meaningful research results, entry of new competitors and products, adverse federal, state and local government regulation, termination of contracts or agreements, technological obsolescence of our products, technical problems with our research and products, price increases for supplies and components, inability to carry out research, development and commercialization plans, loss or retirement of key executives and research scientists and other specific risks. We currently have no commercial products intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease. The statements contained in this press release regarding our ongoing research and development and the results attained by us to-date have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. There can be no assurance that further research and development, and/or whether clinical trial results, if any, will validate and support the results of our preliminary research and studies. Further, there can be no assurance that the necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained or that we will be able to develop new products on the basis of our technologies. In addition, other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 16, 2013 and our most recent Form 10-Q filings with the SEC. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise our forward- looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
 
Contacts for Alliqua, Inc.  Steven Berger
Chief Financial Officer
646-218-1450
info@alliqua.com
Title: How to use a heart attack machine
Post by: Crafty_Dog on June 20, 2013, 04:45:18 AM


We all have walked by the Red Cross sign in airports indicating where a heart machine is located.  Do you know what is inside and how to use it?

Watch this video to learn...
http://www.heartrescuenow.com/
Title: Israeli Bandage use
Post by: G M on March 11, 2014, 03:54:34 PM
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2_EU1T-o-g&safe=active[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2_EU1T-o-g&safe=active

Easy to carry and use to keep the red stuff inside until EMS is on scene.
Title: This will be on the final
Post by: G M on October 03, 2017, 08:14:03 PM
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2017/10/bandaging-gunshot-trauma-and-your-ifak.html

Start practicing now.