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 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?
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DOD picks QuikClot Combat Gauze
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U.S. Department of Defense Picks New QuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM) as First-Line Hemostatic Treatment for All Military Services
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.
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.
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.
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
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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
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
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5huVSebZpM
Immersion Hypothermia Skills that can save a life
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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
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Tony Nester
Ancient Pathways Survival School
http://www.apathways.com
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
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."
At least all the martial arts sticks and hand wraps you guys carry make good splints (;
[/quotAt 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 :)
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.