All the best supplies in worl world will mean nothing without training. I know it gets said alot in here but with medical stuff it really rings true. I Would try to get some quick clot depending on the wound it's a fast life saver. Just be careful not to inhale it...
Do you mean improvise one when the time comes? Or make one ahead of time to carry in your med-kit. The 2nd option I can understand if you're handy, but you better be confident in your handyman skills too, the last thing you want is a tourniquet breaking. Most reputable tourniquets out there now are combat tested and they work. When a tourniquet is needed seconds count, so trying to improvise one can often times mean you wasted too much time.You can also make a tourniquet fairly easily, so I don't see much point in buying one, even the one handed sinch type are simple to improvise.
Well, considering I know other things, a tournequet is a last resort ;-)
I disagree. Combat medicine from the last decade shows that tourniquets save lives with a minute chance of damage to the affected limb while in use for several hours. On a wound to an extremity, such as a deep laceration, impalement, or gun shot wound, a tourniquet should be applied, first.
If an individual receives a laceration to their femoral artery, you would have to cease pressure on the wound (if you were the only person giving aid) to apply a tourniquet. They would bleed out before you decided to use that "last resort".
A superficial wound is the exception to first applying a tourniquet. If you are unsure if a wound is only superficial, apply a tourniquet. The response time of medical professionals is typically under 30 minutes, and folks in the ER will know how to handle the tourniequet.
I'm speaking from training in non-combat, but for a quick question: if a person is bleeding out enough to require a tourniquet, are they going to be cognisant enough to apply it themselves?
Typical changes in LOC occur at about 2 1/4 Liters of blood loss in an average person.
At rest, the typical femoral flow is about .6 to .75 L/min, if in a stressful situation exacerbated by by hypovolemia, I would thin a self application of a tourniquet is wishful thinking at best.
Trying to hold pressure while fumbling through things to get a pack open and applied. If you can remain calm and collected, I would guesstimate that a person would have about a minute, minute and a half before a significant change in LOC would happen.
I'm not saying its not possible, just highly illogical. Now, carrying one for someone else is a huge help, but if I am helping someone else, I want to hold pressure and promote clotting, not cutoff circulation. Circulation helps with the inflammatory response, which helps with clotting, which helps with stopping the hemorrhage.
Of course my experience is not on a battlefield so :-)
Venous bleeding is usually slow oozing type bleed dark in color. Arterial bleed will typically be bright red and will usually spurt.A superficial wound is the exception to first applying a tourniquet. If you are unsure if a wound is only superficial, apply a tourniquet. The response time of medical professionals is typically under 30 minutes, and folks in the ER will know how to handle the tourniequet.
Hence why having a top of the line tourniquet that can be applied quickly that isn't prone to fumbling hands is paramount. I can make my own tourniquet, but for $32 I can have a SOFTT-W tourniquet (the latest & greatest of combat tourniquets) that I can apply very quickly.I'm speaking from training in non-combat, but for a quick question: if a person is bleeding out enough to require a tourniquet, are they going to be cognisant enough to apply it themselves?
Typical changes in LOC occur at about 2 1/4 Liters of blood loss in an average person.
At rest, the typical femoral flow is about .6 to .75 L/min, if in a stressful situation exacerbated by by hypovolemia, I would thin a self application of a tourniquet is wishful thinking at best.
Trying to hold pressure while fumbling through things to get a pack open and applied. If you can remain calm and collected, I would guesstimate that a person would have about a minute, minute and a half before a significant change in LOC would happen.
I'm not saying its not possible, just highly illogical. Now, carrying one for someone else is a huge help, but if I am helping someone else, I want to hold pressure and promote clotting, not cutoff circulation. Circulation helps with the inflammatory response, which helps with clotting, which helps with stopping the hemorrhage.
Of course my experience is not on a battlefield so :-)
Sounds like you are needing on for the patrol car, There are a couple sites that have the premade CLS bags (Combat Life Saver) bags. Most of the ones sold do not have the IV bags, which as a patrolman, you shouldnt be doing as is.Thanks for a lot of great info. I know the training is a must which I will be going through. We are not provided kits and will put our own together. Another person from my department went through a class and got different input from different people. This is why I'm asking out here because I know there are many people with different experiences. Keep it coming because I'm taking notes.
buy lots of "Quik Clot" or "Celox" and plenty of "Kerlix" gauze.