FYI the belt thing works but only if you have the right type of belt. The MCMAP belt that every marine gets is a prime example and I have seen used to great success in Iraq. They actually teach you to use it if you have used the available tourniquets (every marine carried at least 1 on deployment) there is a high chance (knowing their penny pinching) that the MCMAP belt was designed with that in mind. Also you have to use a stick to twist the belt (pencil is used in practice)
Here in Ukraine we have ran into issues with inclusive dressings (chest seals) failing to stay in place due to excess sweat saturating the adhesive material. Solution we have been using is duct tape, or gun tape, wrapped around the torso. I know, hardly a earth shattering hack but I thought it was worth mentioning. Cheers 🍻
@@haparcheledupwar We have been cautioned never to that due to complications associated with the wrap not sealing properly, not venting air, & making burping the wound a lot more difficult. Also, if applied, it requires near constant attention, which is not something we can realistically provide in our operational environment. We would only use such a makeshift chest seal only if we had no more proper chest seals left, which is a very unlikely situation to face, thankfully.
The only other use I've found for tampons is helping with nosebleeds. It's great at absorbing the blood and containing the mess that oftentimes gets thru tissues or gauze
I have had successfully used tampons for nose bleeds. I did a lot of sport medical ( rugby this method was used frequently). Never ever even considered it for a gsw. I have successfully used the precordial thump. Times have changed and there are to many technical advancements today that are easily available to replace these techniques. Great video
as a part of my training in the ARMY, I attended field medic lvl 1. because of this, and the experiences I had as a combat paratrooper, I never leave my house with out a decent first aid kit, with some bleed control items. my main EDC kit ( mounted on the back of my power wheelchair) has a "booboo kit" component, as well as a trauma/bleed kit. and I have 2 tourniquets in the trauma pouch. I firmly believe that EVERYONE should have at least the red cross basic first aid training, and carry an IFAK at all times. you never know when you will need it, and the one time you dont have it will be that one time you wish you did.
Completely agree, first thing i did when i bought my first car was buy a general first aid kit and safety equipment (nylon ropes, extinguisher, tools, extra fluids for the car). Better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.
100% agree, I *ALWAYS* carry a first aid kit, one thing alot of people don't think about is training however, if you carry something regardless how insignificant you might think it is TRAIN TRAIN AND MORE TRAIN to the point that you hopefully never need to use it but when you do it's 2nd nature
In the Dutch military, every soldier was required to know military med aid know how to treat bullet wounds how to apply emergency bandage and trained in the C-ABCDE Protocol soon switching to the MARCH protocol. Our cargo pants have department to put emergency bandages, and it mandatory to carry emergency bandage on your person at all time.
@@SharpShooter-NLD every U.S. military member is trained in combat first aid as well, but the unit I was a part of had every member attend an advanced combat medic course. we were most often well in front of, or completely with out any other unit for assistance, and our medical training exceeded that of most ambulance paramedics and even some basic nurses. I firmly believe that not just military, but everyone over 16 should have at least basic first aid and emergency training.
@@OtherThanIntendedPurpose Nice i understand, can relate to it we have yearly mandatory knowledge training in military aid, i see the benefit also for civilian application i also have a med kit in my car and a cat just incase. From one brother in arms to another thanks for your service. Massive respect for completing advanced med training.
I am embarrassed to admit that I am one of those tampon guys... I will argue that it seemed effective at the time, but I was using it in conjunction with coagulant and more packing material... So maybe it was useless in the end. I got word that the trauma surgeon complained about the mess I made of the wound. We soon received guidance not to use tampons or coagulants again.
They do work, maybe not as good as some other treatment methods depending on the level of bleeding you are trying to control, but they do work better than nothing, just don't tell that to an EMT or someone who has never been in the field. Besides I have never heard of a surgeon who doesn't complain about any field treatment method, those guys expect us to carry entire er's on our backs for patrolling on foot for 10+ miles a day with 100 lbs of gear already 7 days a week. The idea is that the tampon provides some pressure to the wall of the wound channel, multiple ones can be used in conjunction with a pressure wrap of some sort on the top. I have seen this work on pigs and humans for some bleeds, and in the early days of the war, some doc's would carry quite a few as they didn't take up much space and did have a practical applications on wounds that may not be bleeding much and something you didn't want to open an entire pack of compressed gauze for. As PrepMedic pointed out, t-shirts can work too... but I can attest if I was shot and didn't have severe arterial bleeding and just needed something to absorb and put some pressure on the site, Id rather take a tampon in the wound than even the cleanest t shirt in my typical 5-10 man patrol after just a mile of patrolling, besides, pretty sure everyone's t shirt is going to be soaked in sweat anyways even if it did manage to stay reasonably clean.
I would love to see a an actual wound dressing/packing that is in something like a tampon applicator. There was one being developed that I remember but I’ve been out of the EMT/police world since 2013. A spray expanding foam would also be good.
In the stop-the-bleed class I took we were taught to use coagulant bandages for packing wounds at junctions etc. Is that no longer the preferred move? Or are you just referring to coagulant powders?
I served in the US Army from 80-88. We only carried a muslin gauze pad and were told IF we had to apply a tourniquet to use our belt and any stick (like a tent pole) and release the pressure every 10 minutes then reapply. The 1st aid kits that we carried on vehicles were more like booboo kits than anything. Sad when you realize that we were a front line Border Patrol unit. Now? I never leave the house without a basic trauma kit.
I served in the Boy Scouts from 03-04. I only carried a tampon and a single chop stick. Got me through any fundraiser and the Great Gift Wrapping of 03….what a bloody time. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 you’re a joke is what I’m saying
I think you misinterpreted what he was saying, he was pointing out how much first aid and bleeding control has changed since he served. He wasn’t saying that’s all that is needed or what they were doing was right, just that it has changed over the years
Belts can work as tourniquets as long as they're used in conjunction with some form of tightening lever. The military actually teaches this as basic combat first aid. Give the end a half twist before threading through the buckle so it stays flat on the skin while twisting, then use some kind of strong stick (screwdriver, stick, couple of rifle punch rods, whatever is handy) to tighten it like a CAT tourniquet. Not the prettiest solution, but I personally know someone who successfully used this method to save a life after a mortar strike.
@@trenthanson4322 We weren't taught this but everyone was supplied with a tourniquet. Although we were taught to make makeshift tourniquets from shirts and sticks (etc.). And never use your own to help someone, always use theirs if possible. Will save you if you get hit too and someone patches you up. Also you should always mark the time of apply if possible. I think you have like 2-6 hours and then its amputation time. Its been 4 years so my memory is a bit fuzzy by now. (Finnish defence forces) Kinda sad that I didn't get invited to train again, but being a bmp mechanic its not uncommon for them to just use the current ones for the job. (almost everyone conscript goes to train again now that the yellow enemy *cough* russia invaded Ukraine.)
The belts made of cheaper materials, rather than a good supple leather, would not twist well. They'd just crease and break. Much more effective to grab a material scrap, a rope, or something of the sort. I have to think even a long sock would work if you get it down tight enough.
Not everyone seems to know how we put tourniquets in the USMC. For one, you are using their combat belt. Secondly, you need to know where the arteries are. When applying pressure, grunts are taught to use their knee if possible and use their weight to apply pressure while the tourniquet or belt is applied. Yes it hurts. I've seen people use boot bands and tie them with pens, sticks, whatever. Even a spare barrel off a m240B. I've seen tourniquets break and snap. But hardly. Or if you take enough causalities, you might run out. Seen that happen too.
Great video! My best hack (not that I invented it, but whatever) is for cannulation. If there is a vein I can feel but can't see, I mark two points on it by pressing down really hard using a pen lid or similar (not the actual pen itself- no ink is being applied). This should leave two circle-shaped indentations in the skin where the vein is, which you can then sterilise with an alcowipe and pick up your cannula without losing your spot. Massively improved my success rate.
I’m a field tech for a local AED service company in Texas, cool to see you mention AEDs as 90% of people I speak to daily have no idea what it is or why to use it.
As usual, great info. During my SABA courses I open up a tampon and then have a student in the third row hold some z or s-folded packing gauze as I walk backward to the front of the class and almost rhetorically ask which would you rather in your wound that needs packing. But I DO like the putting it in water example. I may steal that!
Due to the prevalence of people being stabbed when I was on patrol ( police ) in London, our vehicle carried medical kits were gradually improved and first aid techniques updated as we were often the first on scene and could have a substantial delay until a medical team arrived. With knife attacks, it was often the case that it was dozens of wounds such as 20+ stabs to the abdomen and torso and the current practice was to no longer apply chest seals or improvised chest covers ( plastic taped on three sides ) due to the catastrophic bleeding being the priority first aid and the apparently low rate in which the chest seals/patches actually helped. Treat for the bleeding and request immediate medical support basically as the practical effort to attach 20 chest dressings was undoable.
Quick note: for multiple penetrating wounds such as those from knife attacks that have occurred on the same side, you can likely get decent results by sealing off all the wounds completely and then leave one butterfly dressing (your standard valve dressing) to accommodate for tension pneumothorax on that one side. One lobe is better than no lobe.
A patrolman saved my sister's life by using his belt as a tourniquet on her leg that was mangled in a motorcycle accident. Turns out I grew up with him, and was a very close friend of his brother. He used his nightstick to tighten it until emergency medical showed up.
I saved my buddy's life in 1998 with a tourniquet technique I had learned from a book. I took a bandana, twisted it around to make it tighter and thinner, tied it around his leg, above the wound, and then used a stick (we were at a park and there were sticks all over) to twist it as tight as possible. The EMTS, and later the ER staff, all told me that the tourniquet saved his life. I am not doubting you, but can you explain why packing the wound would have been better?
It depends on the extent of the injury and how long it will take to get proper medical help. A tourniquet cuts off all blood flow into the extremity, which is great for stopping the bleeding, not so great for saving the extremity if the nearest hospital is two or three hours away. It's generally better to try and limit the blood flow by packing the wound instead of completely cutting it off if it's going to take a few hours for the wound to be treated. The way I was trained as an EMT was to pack the wound as best you can and apply pressure to the artery to slow the blood flow so you don't risk permanent damage to the limb. If they are still losing a lot of blood then a tourniquet would be applied to completely cut off blood flow, because the risk of losing a limb isn't as important as preserving the patients life. Should also be noted that if you have a cooler of ice and are a few hours away from getting to a hospital, and someone is losing a lot of blood from an injury, you can tourniquet the limb and put it on ice to help preserve the tissue.
most people do not know how to properly make a tourniquet. that's the only reason. packing a wound is idiot-proof as long as they can maintain pressure and is still effective. you knew how to properly make one, and so it worked. also, tourniquets will not often cause limb loss if used for less than six hours, and if the limb was savable to begin with. plenty of time to get to the ER. the other guy is sorta wrong. (not really but sorta)
Use a TQ if you see the patient and think holy crap that's a lot of blood on the ground. At this point saving what blood that's left in the body is most important. Just go straight to TQ. If there isn't a lot of bleeding then try to pack the wound IF you know how to do it. Try and push down on whatever artery is bleeding to stop the bleed with gauze. Improvised TQ can cause nerve damage if not done right or still allow bleeding. The goal is to stop the bleed. TQ should also be about inch wide to prevent nerve damage and be most effective at stopping the blood flow to the limb. Not saying you did anything bad cause in the end the life is FAR more important then the limb. BUUUT if you don't know how to pack a wound but know the TQ stuff then go for it. Saving the life is the ultimate goal no matter how it's done. The rest is more for the recovery after.
About 50 years ago, I was about 12 years old, our neighbor had a heart attack. The adults did what little they knew to do, but nothing was working. When everyone was ready to give up his wife hit him in the chest 3 times with hammer blows of her fist. His heart started pumping, he was adware in a few minutes, and he is still alive today.
That was some good information brother.. I have never used a belt but have thought about it before. Now I carry a stop bleed kits in all my vehicles with all the proper equipment that I am allowed to use and have been trained to use properly
I would love to see you demonstrate how to pack a stab wound as if you were just an everyday civilian using t-shirts etc. Just because, if you haven’t already seen it, a video has been going around recently where a guy, called LT, in Australia I think it is, was stabbed in the carotid artery and bled to death. Is there anything the members of the public that were there could have done to possibly save his life until EMS got there? I think it would be extremely helpful for anyone who ends up in a situation like that.
I ain't no expert but I'm for sure there was no saving that guy from the video that came form Australia. That guy got the blade full on jabbed into his neck severing his carotid artery and lost so much blood so quickly he passed out in within 5 seconds. Surely even if there were EMS right there on sight he wouldn't have made it.
@FF Freedom I remember being taught to alternate hands back and forth while packing to maintain constant pressure. Pack with one hand, hold pressure with that hand while gathering material with the other, and then smoothly transfer pressure between the two hands so you never let off any net pressure during the process. Keep going until the wound is packed, and do the same constant-pressure transfer process to the bandage you're going to wrap around it, and continue to apply pressure as you finish the wrap.
@FF Freedom How important is it for the cloth to be clean? If your only option is a dirty t-shirt, and if they survive the bleed they'll be going to a hospital where they'll be pumped full of antibiotics anyhow, is having a proper sterile dressing more of a bonus if you're not days from proper medical treatment?
thank you so much for talking about the belts and feminine hygiene products... like seriously. I really appreciate it from one professional to another.
I'm not a medic or trained at all. but I drove up on a stabbing victim in the middle of the road. long story about what happened. I didn't know about wound packing but I did use my belt as a temporary tunicate. Let me re-state a temporary tunicate. I was able to really get tight and the bleeding did visibly slow. it stayed on for about 4 minutes when a police officer arrived and was able to apply a real turnicate. I also was applying pressure to a neck wound and elevating the truncated arm. I was there like that for about 20Min while the police secured the scene. the stabbing victim made a full recovery (except for PTSD). I'm not saying that a belt works but it worked for a long enough to apply the real tunicate. With what I know now I would have packed the wound with my shirt and used the belt to help hold the shirt in place. thanks for vid great information.
Hey awesome video! Just wanted to mention that a defibrillator doesn’t start the heart once it has stopped beating! A defibrillator or AED will detect irregular heart beats and shock them back into order. Kinda like how you can’t restart your computer if there’s no power.
Good video. I’ve been carrying IFAKs in some form in my vehicle and hunting bag for well over 20 years. Just a good idea. Back in the day the Marines taught cloth web belts for tourniquets. But you you have to use a twist and find something to crank it and tie it off. Not ideal but can work. If I had to use a belt I’d pack and belt. Point is to be able to have ideas if you don’t have a proper tourniquets. You need to be able to think and improvise. Bungee cords , workout bands, rope, chords … you need to be able to improvise … So yes keep with you proper IFAK gear but be able to think and improvise if you run out or proper gear just isn’t available….
I've had multiple classes of first aid training over the years from different organizations in different companies. We were always told not to use tourniquets belts for always specifically mentioned as not to try to use as a tourniquet but we were never really ever told why except for they just don't recommend using them. This is the first time anyone has ever explained why to not use belts.
without a doubt the best video ive watched all day. keep it up, people need to know this. i couldnt tell you how many people i know, actually KNOW who keep tampons in their go bags for the "just in case". very good info. keep dispelling the myths.
About the tampon one. Using it like a stop wont as you say work. BUT you can roll it out and use it as a stuffing in a pinch. by this i mean rolling out the tampon cause some of them are actually a cotton fabric "sheet" tightly packed into that shape. So yeah. Its hard to explain, but you can use it but its more like using what its made off, Not the actual tampon. By doing this you get whats basically a small piece of absorbant fabric that could stem bleeding by using it underneath a compress or like a small bandage depending on bleed. Id just use a t-shirt tbh, but it is possible. Impractical but possible. Using it as stuffing could work better than a t-shirt at least, but you would need a fair bit of tampons. Bullet wounds are known for taking a lot of the combat medics gauze supplies. I've seen someone stuff 5 rolls in some dude. 1: Roll out tampon so it becomes a sheet of fabric. 2: Either use it as stuffing or a bandage. 3 :With heavy bleeds use it with a compress/pressure bandage like hes using at 2:30 in place of the t-shirt (I don't see why you would other than maybe it being more sterile?). Depending on wound it might just be better to make shift a tourniquet with a scarf or one of the thin belts thats basically a rope.(Note down time off application and do not to leave on for longer periods as this can cause permanent damage and possibly death when removed.). This can give you more time to focus on stemming the bleeding. Its not a long term solution, its a short term one to buy extra time to get a better solution or solving the problem. I know he says no to belts, but if the belt is the type a lot of women wear (those super slim ones) or if its a fabric belt then theres no real reason not to. Just use it as you would a normal tourniquet, tie it around, use a stick as a windlass and twist it, then use the remaining lengths to tie the stick so it doesn't release the pressure. Just don't use a normal leather belt those won't work, like he said in the video they are too rigid for you to be able to twist the stick. The windlass aka STICK is like the most important part of a proper tourniquet. Anything you can tie around and twist to increase the pressure enough can work. On a different note, just as a makeshift pressure bandage. Layer the t shirt at the bottom covering the whole wound then something more robust on top and then the belt. This is to apply a more even pressure over the whole wound. You want the whole wound covered and with pressure on. The belt is probably too slim to provide that so using something hard will help apply a more even pressure that covers the wound. This could be something as simple as a sheet of hard plastic. With plastic it will bend and contort to the arm while still applying a more even pressure. A plastic phone case for example. It sounds absurd but if you think about it, its not that different to the pressure bandage he's using at 2:30. A fabric on the wound, a surface that applies even pressure over the wound. If enough people think its stupid ill make a video as proof. prep medic could tell me I'm stupid and to not listen to me, in that case don't, He's probably got more experience than me. But i don't see any way he would disagree with my way of making a make shift pressure bandage or my point about certain types of belts as tourniquets. Do your own due diligence, I'm no expert and you shouldn't trust what I say as a sure fire method. Its just some pointers to something that can work.
Ok so this isn’t a first aid hack as such I used to carry an A4 notepad and coloured sharpies in my big kit so as I had something I could give to kids to distract them while I worked on them or others. It helps calm everyone down and make resolving things go more smoothly
I put a hello kitty Pin/badge holder on the side of my hat. I was giving Vaccination injections. I'd distract the kid & ask them what color is the kitty's glasses. * and the kids are refocused & calm. A co worker said my pin was juvenile & immature. 🙄🤔🤨
100% agree about the tampons. A bitter disappointment in Iraq, when I eventually realised that they just get in the way and do nothing to stop medium-large cavitation bleeds. Someone should design something like it - perhaps a celox type material - but you simply don’t get the back-pressure with what basically amounts to soggy wool in a cotton bag.
@@lateo74 The downsides: It's very situational (narrow tract wounds), takes up a lot of space, and cost a lot. I'd rather have normal rolled gauze over carrying an X-Stat. Source: I'm a 68W.
This is good to hear. An old school medic (civilian and army - he said Iraq was just another Tuesday compared to home b/c he worked as a medic in Hazel Park, MI). (Edit: the point of this anecdote was to say that he utilized tampons for GSWs and lauded them as effective). I also heard a story about a Boy Scout who used his belt to create a tourniquet to save someone after they had an amputated limb, so this whole time I was under the impression that those would work.
They’re better than nothing but very difficult to get tight enough. Commercially available TQ’s have been shown to be far more effective. But again, it would be better than nothing to buy time.
The first code I attended as a med student, just walked into older ladies room as alarm went off and V. Tach on monitor, I thump-vented her with one thump into normal sinus rhythm. She was alive and I felt great. I never saw it work after that!!
Hopefully you have reached people who think that some of these attempts will save lives. One of the biggest one is the tampon trick. Good on you for this video. People NEED to know these things.
When I did a first aid course 35 years ago, the thump to the chest was recommended. When I did an AED course 10 years ago and the advanced paramedic teaching the course said it is not recommended practice at all now. So much of what I learnt 35 years ago is no longer recommended 😂
Good video. Also nice to know that many things about first aid I was taught in the military (2007) is very outdated lol. Time to study and learn modern "hacks" that can save lives.
I heard the tampon myth before enlisting in the late 90's....a few of us did carry sugar and maxi pads to improve the field dressing we were issued....in those days soldiers only carried one field dressing...no IFAK or torniquets.
Firefighter and emt here, we use those petroleum packs as chest seals and 5x9s as pressure bandages. I was in the army and even as cheap as the army is we still had legit chest seals and pressure bandages. You don't need that stuff all the time, but dang when you do need it it would be awesome to have real medical supplies
The tampon one made my jaw drop the first time I herd about it. It baffles me why anyone would want to stick a product with a black box warning for toxic shock syndrome into any wound. Thank you for calling bullshit.
@@yuiopoli9601 'were designed for'. Yes. About 5 times as large as they are now and they still didn't work but they realized you could cork a cunt with them if they were smaller and here we are. Just because something was designed for a task doesn't mean it was good at the task.
@@yuiopoli9601 Although they are not much use these days due to far better alternatives, back in early 1900s, tampons were excellent for certain types of penetration trauma because not only do they absorb a lot of blood, they were small, cheap, easy to store/carry, they were sterile, sealed and easy to apply. At the time, the materials used in feminine products were well suited to wound care. Cellucotton, the substance used in Kotex (sanitary napkins), was devised for the purpose of improving bandages in World War I. So it was not BS at the time, it was better than what they had available. These days medical equipment has improved to where there are now much better alternatives. As for toxic shock, those warnings are for women who leave the tampon in for days/weeks etc (and yes, some women do leave them in for that long!). There is no real risk of toxic shock when they are used for small amounts of time (up to 6-8 hours). Toxic shock is caused from bacteria and can develop in as little as 12 hours in certain circumstances but its really rare. Plus, just think about it, what is more likely to cause toxic shock? A sterile cellucotton in a wound or a t-shirt covered in dirt, sweat, blood etc...
Had today to discuss the tampon thing with some colleges in the army, they said it applied „some“ pressure and it’s better than nothing, and it is a steril product, it isn’t is as sterile as a normal gauze, gauze isn’t expensive but tampons are. But it is a thing medics practice in Germany apparently or has been trained over the years so much so they carry it in their ifak, and said for emergency, to that I said no for that I have a tq that works
My uncle ( the toughest man I know ) did the thump to himself several times before his wife caught him doing and when she took him to the hospital he went in to surgery and had 5 stents put in. I know it doesn’t count because he was still conscious but it did fix the what ever problem he was having at the time
I saw a video on using a belt as a TQ. It was self locking. Tried it on myself for practice. Problem is I couldn't get it tight enough at all. Another problem was that once I put it on my arm I couldn't undo it with one hand. I did use it when I had a decent cut on my arm that needed pressure and I didn't want to hold it forever. All I had was gauze pads. It worked great for that.
One option to improvise a tourniquet would be a triangular scarf, an obligatory piece in amy German first aid kit in cars, business,... We usually use it to immobilize arm fracures. But thes are made of non flexible very stable. This hack from German EMR and first aid classes in Germany is to roll this cloth and then put it around the injured arm or leg. Then two nodes are made to connect the two ends on on the upper side as tight as possible. After that between those two nodes a stable and straigt object fitting in there is inserted, it is then turned in one direktion until the bleeding stops. This object, e.g. a ballpoint pen has to be fixed for example with sticking plaster. But i do not know wether this item iis available in America, so I can not say whether you can use that.
Triangular scarfs are being rotated out of first aid kits in the Norwegian military, in favour of just proper tourniquets. A lot more expensive, but about a 100 times more effective, hard to to do wrong, and you can apply one to yourself (Albeit with great difficulty). Scarfs can absolutely be effective, but it's a bit more difficult and fiddly, something you really don't want in a panic situation. Considering all I've read about tourniquets and how it's essentially the one piece of item that by far increases your rate of survival the most, I've started to put one in every first ait kit I have around, and always keep one in my uniform pocket
When a guy got his forearm sliced open at my previous job (steel mill), we used a long sleeve shirt and a pen to make a tourniquet. Paramedics said it was pretty effective. Having something to twist in the fabric is extremely important if you want it tight enough to block high-pressure flow. Belts are just too stiff to tighten that way.
I have a suggestion Here,in Ukraine,our guys sometimes struggle with getting full IFAKs or meds in general. Could you make a video where you use...Whatever you might have on you?Laces from shoes,shirts,jackets and stuff?It could be very useful and practical even for civillians. For example:How to stop bleeding in a limb with shoe laces properly
That's crazy about the tampon thing. I've always heard "carry tampons for bullet holes". Thank you for not only debunking that but physically showing us what it does. I've been buying quikclot and Gauze to keep in my kits anyways, so I'm good.
I got Israeli t7 gauze, it is a pressure bandage and it has inside a gauze you can easy take out and use it for wound packing, all in one if you need to pack and put pressure
I recently did a hunting education course and the instructor insisted everyone carry a trauma kit when in the field….. his consisted of powdered celox, tampons, and ace wrap……
Before I learned much about trauma treatment, I took my hunter safety course. The guy said the typical "if you put a tq on they'll lose the limb for sure". I knew it was wrong but didn't have the knowledge to argue so I just left it. Really wish I knew more back then
I've used bootlaces with a stick as tourniquets successfully. Tampons... no, never used those. Sanitary PADS as clean dressings for redressing cleaned wounds when the kit was depleted on the hike back, yes.
In the 70's we first started using the BP cuff as a Constricting Band before the "constricting band" was a thing. Necessity is the mother of invention.
I carry vet bond tissue adhesive in my camping/hiking/kayak bag. I use to keep CA glue in there but the vet bond dries less rigid. fairly cheap and can get you out of a bind when your in the middle of no where.
I just found your channel and I immediately trust your advice. Some people I watch, I just feel like they googled that together 10 minutes before the video just to have a topic. Now I am not a paramedic, and I don't plan on a holiday in Ukraine anytime soon, I don't even have a car to put a proper medkit. Did you ever make a full video on first aid for everdyday situations? We had first aid training when I did my coastal skipper, but that was not really extensive and I also forgot half of it already probably. Vaguely remember when and how to do chest compressions and treat minor cuts, but there are so many things that can happen in everyday life and I don't want to be entirely unprepared for that.
I too am victim of the tampon myth, and a belt would be my first go to for an improvised TQ, provided that I needed my shoelaces. Genuinely learned something today, thank you, sincerely.
In the army we're taught that shoelaces are too small and don't do the trick. Need to have something over 1/2 an inch. We've all got cats on us, new IFAK even comes with 2 now instead of one, plus the one on your person already, but a strip of cloth is better for improvised tq rather than shoe laces
@@JohnSmith-xv2ob A real do all piece of equipment is 1" tubular nylon webbing. It can turn into tourniquets, litters, hoist straps, and many more things. You can daisy chain it to fit a few hundred feet onto the side of a bag or ruck.
Great video! Id like to see a ems “hacks” video from you! Stuff along the lines of ie.folding over ecg and holding it up to the light, bp cuff on saline bag for pressure infusion etc
Iam still a fan of glueing minor cuts with regular superglue. worked in nam still works today. and if the cuts big enough to consider superglue, i aint concerned about the potential skin irritation that may result from using the cheap cyanacrylat instead of the expensive dermabond. or the non-invasive suture style where you basically suture two strips of tape together instead of the gaping wound itself (obviously only good as a temporary fix for fleshwounds).
Yes it works, but it doesn't allow the tissue to breathe. Cells perform better when in contact with more oxygen and superglue prevents that. This impedes healing by delaying it. The other methods you mentioned don't have this drawback. I would use superglue in the field only when cleaning out the wound and dressing it is not an option.
I could see a belt helping keep wound packing in place or adding to the pressure of a wound packing maybe. I was taught two sticks and a rope (or t-shirt or other fabric) for improvised tourniquets (that was over 20 years ago, now). Not sure how legit either of those are at this point; it seems like tourniquet best practices have changed at least a couple times. I hear tampons are ok at keeping a nosebleed from making a big mess.
Great advice ,But a web belt and a bayonet in sheath will work. Once applied and secured with shoestring or another belt. been there done that in Marine Corps in 1991.we were not issued tourniquets back then and alot of improvised tourniquets have saved lives in wars in the past. luckily technology has came a long was. Semper Fi
5:00 the heart can actually be in a few different rhythms (or arrhythmias) during a witnessed cardiac arrest; VT, VF, and Complete Heart Block, or even a rapid SVT which of course would then deteriorate into VT>VF. Complete Heart Block is not a shockable rhythm, but it certainly can be the precursor to a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. I have witnessed this myself on the monitor on a septic patient who went into a cardiac arrest upon sitting up from lying down.
Complete heart block is not a pulseless rhythm. Neither is SVT. If you see either of those rhythms and the patient doesn’t have a pulse, it is PEA. There are only 4 pulseless rhythms: v-tach, V-fib, PEA, and asystole.
If you have no tourniquet, improvise one. A belt won't work, as it's too rigid, but some form of sturdy fabric - like a scarf - tied into a loop, around the limb where a tourniquet would be, place a stick or something similar through it as a handle and turn. Clearly, you need something to keep the improvised tourniquet in place, so it doesn't come loose, but this way, you can build up far more pressure than possible with a belt.
Thank you. The tampon thing drives me nuts. I frequent a prepper board, and someone always offers up that "helpful" suggestion. I have zero medical training, but given the things I see posted all over the net, I do NOT want any random lay person trying to treat me if I end up badly injured out in public. Yikes!
Tampons for bullet holes came from an old Saturday night live bullet hole tampon gangster skit,... It was always meant to be a joke but it became urban legend.
A belt or tampon could work for some injuries at some times in some applications. For example a belt being wrapped around an improvised dressing for a pressure bandage, or to just hold a dressing in place. The tampon is only for very specific non arterial wounds when you have to go too far to let it bleed, it’s a very rare situation... story time. I was on a remote work site on the side of a densely forested mountain. One of our 3 person crew fell and was impaled through the neck by a cut off bush stalk about 4 inches long. Through some guardian angel work it missed everything critical. The guy jerked back up and the stalk being still rooted in the ground pulled out. We had to get him about four miles on foot to the truck/wood line. There wasn’t pulsing blood but dude was leaking badly. A tampon and some tape ended up being the bandage and we got him out with some badass scars. Crazy and a 1 in a million thing but it did work
Please don't take this as criticism of what you guys did, that worked, obviously. But it sounds more like one of those advisory tales that ends with the teller looking at camera and, in a serious voice, warning people to take a properly made up first aid kit whenever they go into the woods or onto a work site.
My guess is that reason why it worked, was that wound was clean poke would, not blown out mess of the bullet wound so tampon did what mentioned expand blocking some of the worst bleeding, but it will seep trough since its not solid non absorbing material like t shirt. Same with belt if applied wrong like shown it does fuck all to create pressure, only preventing backflow. I'm no expert and it was said belt is poor solution, but in the end tourniquet is just peace of non stretching material that can be made as loop, with bit extra length to get something like branch to turn it tight. With this mechanical leverage you can get it pretty damn tight, so i'm not agreeing with it being useless to detrimental to patients life, only if used wrong. Further more you can cause more damage to limb with tourniquet since it cuts the blood flow to limb, by the design. How ever if hospital is hours away person patched might end up loosing their leg due lack of blood circulation so its really double edged sword. So packing the would should be first thing to do and if it still keeps bleeding like fountain you fucked up the packing, or it needs tourniquet. I really should get into first aid lessons for firearm wounds and just for average accidental injuries...so should everyone else.
Packed wound with pressure applied via strips of clothing, balled up and placed directly on top of the packed wound, with the knot tied off to the side will do more to save a life than wasted time on trying to make a tourniquet.
The people advocating for tampons in the comments have never seen an arterial hemorrhage and it shows.....
Advocating for use of tampons in arterial haemorrhages on my arch nemesis and other assorted enemies
I read that's where they where originally designed for... Good to know it was a flop apparently.
They were invented over a thousand years ago as feminine products.
Good for kindling.....
FYI the belt thing works but only if you have the right type of belt. The MCMAP belt that every marine gets is a prime example and I have seen used to great success in Iraq. They actually teach you to use it if you have used the available tourniquets (every marine carried at least 1 on deployment) there is a high chance (knowing their penny pinching) that the MCMAP belt was designed with that in mind. Also you have to use a stick to twist the belt (pencil is used in practice)
Here in Ukraine we have ran into issues with inclusive dressings (chest seals) failing to stay in place due to excess sweat saturating the adhesive material. Solution we have been using is duct tape, or gun tape, wrapped around the torso. I know, hardly a earth shattering hack but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Cheers 🍻
Have you tried those Russell seals? I hear they're far stickier than HyFin's
@@mynamesnotimportant6941 we do not have access to them, but if we do I’ll be sure to try them out. Thank you for the suggestion.
or use clean plastic wrapper(doubled) to cover the gsw(chest) alternative to chest seal then sealed with duct tape :)
@@haparcheledupwar We have been cautioned never to that due to complications associated with the wrap not sealing properly, not venting air, & making burping the wound a lot more difficult. Also, if applied, it requires near constant attention, which is not something we can realistically provide in our operational environment. We would only use such a makeshift chest seal only if we had no more proper chest seals left, which is a very unlikely situation to face, thankfully.
@@James-zg2nl very correct James. Thank you for some factual advise
The only other use I've found for tampons is helping with nosebleeds. It's great at absorbing the blood and containing the mess that oftentimes gets thru tissues or gauze
That sound like it might work..
I have had successfully used tampons for nose bleeds. I did a lot of sport medical ( rugby this method was used frequently). Never ever even considered it for a gsw.
I have successfully used the precordial thump. Times have changed and there are to many technical advancements today that are easily available to replace these techniques.
Great video
🤓
This was on the first or second episode of Beavis and Butthead
You guys must have giant monkey nares in order to shove tampons up there.
as a part of my training in the ARMY, I attended field medic lvl 1. because of this, and the experiences I had as a combat paratrooper, I never leave my house with out a decent first aid kit, with some bleed control items. my main EDC kit ( mounted on the back of my power wheelchair) has a "booboo kit" component, as well as a trauma/bleed kit. and I have 2 tourniquets in the trauma pouch. I firmly believe that EVERYONE should have at least the red cross basic first aid training, and carry an IFAK at all times. you never know when you will need it, and the one time you dont have it will be that one time you wish you did.
Completely agree, first thing i did when i bought my first car was buy a general first aid kit and safety equipment (nylon ropes, extinguisher, tools, extra fluids for the car). Better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.
100% agree, I *ALWAYS* carry a first aid kit, one thing alot of people don't think about is training however, if you carry something regardless how insignificant you might think it is TRAIN TRAIN AND MORE TRAIN to the point that you hopefully never need to use it but when you do it's 2nd nature
In the Dutch military, every soldier was required to know military med aid know how to treat bullet wounds how to apply emergency bandage and trained in the C-ABCDE Protocol soon switching to the MARCH protocol. Our cargo pants have department to put emergency bandages, and it mandatory to carry emergency bandage on your person at all time.
@@SharpShooter-NLD every U.S. military member is trained in combat first aid as well, but the unit I was a part of had every member attend an advanced combat medic course. we were most often well in front of, or completely with out any other unit for assistance, and our medical training exceeded that of most ambulance paramedics and even some basic nurses. I firmly believe that not just military, but everyone over 16 should have at least basic first aid and emergency training.
@@OtherThanIntendedPurpose Nice i understand, can relate to it we have yearly mandatory knowledge training in military aid, i see the benefit also for civilian application i also have a med kit in my car and a cat just incase. From one brother in arms to another thanks for your service. Massive respect for completing advanced med training.
I am embarrassed to admit that I am one of those tampon guys... I will argue that it seemed effective at the time, but I was using it in conjunction with coagulant and more packing material... So maybe it was useless in the end. I got word that the trauma surgeon complained about the mess I made of the wound. We soon received guidance not to use tampons or coagulants again.
Live and learn. We all make mistakes along the way. Trauma surgery complains about everything so 🤷♂️
They do work, maybe not as good as some other treatment methods depending on the level of bleeding you are trying to control, but they do work better than nothing, just don't tell that to an EMT or someone who has never been in the field. Besides I have never heard of a surgeon who doesn't complain about any field treatment method, those guys expect us to carry entire er's on our backs for patrolling on foot for 10+ miles a day with 100 lbs of gear already 7 days a week.
The idea is that the tampon provides some pressure to the wall of the wound channel, multiple ones can be used in conjunction with a pressure wrap of some sort on the top. I have seen this work on pigs and humans for some bleeds, and in the early days of the war, some doc's would carry quite a few as they didn't take up much space and did have a practical applications on wounds that may not be bleeding much and something you didn't want to open an entire pack of compressed gauze for. As PrepMedic pointed out, t-shirts can work too... but I can attest if I was shot and didn't have severe arterial bleeding and just needed something to absorb and put some pressure on the site, Id rather take a tampon in the wound than even the cleanest t shirt in my typical 5-10 man patrol after just a mile of patrolling, besides, pretty sure everyone's t shirt is going to be soaked in sweat anyways even if it did manage to stay reasonably clean.
I would love to see a an actual wound dressing/packing that is in something like a tampon applicator. There was one being developed that I remember but I’ve been out of the EMT/police world since 2013. A spray expanding foam would also be good.
In the stop-the-bleed class I took we were taught to use coagulant bandages for packing wounds at junctions etc. Is that no longer the preferred move? Or are you just referring to coagulant powders?
@@soonerfrac4611 Expanding fucking foam?!
So a tampon in a wound is literally an insult in an injury, got it 👍
Pretty much.
Tampons in wounds = NO
Pads outside wounds = YES
Bahahahahaha
I served in the US Army from 80-88. We only carried a muslin gauze pad and were told IF we had to apply a tourniquet to use our belt and any stick (like a tent pole) and release the pressure every 10 minutes then reapply. The 1st aid kits that we carried on vehicles were more like booboo kits than anything. Sad when you realize that we were a front line Border Patrol unit. Now? I never leave the house without a basic trauma kit.
I served in the Boy Scouts from 03-04. I only carried a tampon and a single chop stick. Got me through any fundraiser and the Great Gift Wrapping of 03….what a bloody time. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 you’re a joke is what I’m saying
I think you misinterpreted what he was saying, he was pointing out how much first aid and bleeding control has changed since he served. He wasn’t saying that’s all that is needed or what they were doing was right, just that it has changed over the years
Belts can work as tourniquets as long as they're used in conjunction with some form of tightening lever. The military actually teaches this as basic combat first aid. Give the end a half twist before threading through the buckle so it stays flat on the skin while twisting, then use some kind of strong stick (screwdriver, stick, couple of rifle punch rods, whatever is handy) to tighten it like a CAT tourniquet. Not the prettiest solution, but I personally know someone who successfully used this method to save a life after a mortar strike.
there's also this method ruclips.net/video/BT5y86D8_cA/видео.html
Not military or anything but that always seemed to me to be the common sense thing to do if using a belt as a tq
@@trenthanson4322 We weren't taught this but everyone was supplied with a tourniquet. Although we were taught to make makeshift tourniquets from shirts and sticks (etc.). And never use your own to help someone, always use theirs if possible. Will save you if you get hit too and someone patches you up. Also you should always mark the time of apply if possible. I think you have like 2-6 hours and then its amputation time. Its been 4 years so my memory is a bit fuzzy by now. (Finnish defence forces)
Kinda sad that I didn't get invited to train again, but being a bmp mechanic its not uncommon for them to just use the current ones for the job.
(almost everyone conscript goes to train again now that the yellow enemy *cough* russia invaded Ukraine.)
The belts made of cheaper materials, rather than a good supple leather, would not twist well. They'd just crease and break. Much more effective to grab a material scrap, a rope, or something of the sort. I have to think even a long sock would work if you get it down tight enough.
Not everyone seems to know how we put tourniquets in the USMC. For one, you are using their combat belt. Secondly, you need to know where the arteries are. When applying pressure, grunts are taught to use their knee if possible and use their weight to apply pressure while the tourniquet or belt is applied. Yes it hurts. I've seen people use boot bands and tie them with pens, sticks, whatever. Even a spare barrel off a m240B. I've seen tourniquets break and snap. But hardly. Or if you take enough causalities, you might run out. Seen that happen too.
Great video! My best hack (not that I invented it, but whatever) is for cannulation. If there is a vein I can feel but can't see, I mark two points on it by pressing down really hard using a pen lid or similar (not the actual pen itself- no ink is being applied). This should leave two circle-shaped indentations in the skin where the vein is, which you can then sterilise with an alcowipe and pick up your cannula without losing your spot. Massively improved my success rate.
I’m a field tech for a local AED service company in Texas, cool to see you mention AEDs as 90% of people I speak to daily have no idea what it is or why to use it.
As usual, great info. During my SABA courses I open up a tampon and then have a student in the third row hold some z or s-folded packing gauze as I walk backward to the front of the class and almost rhetorically ask which would you rather in your wound that needs packing. But I DO like the putting it in water example. I may steal that!
Due to the prevalence of people being stabbed when I was on patrol ( police ) in London, our vehicle carried medical kits were gradually improved and first aid techniques updated as we were often the first on scene and could have a substantial delay until a medical team arrived.
With knife attacks, it was often the case that it was dozens of wounds such as 20+ stabs to the abdomen and torso and the current practice was to no longer apply chest seals or improvised chest covers ( plastic taped on three sides ) due to the catastrophic bleeding being the priority first aid and the apparently low rate in which the chest seals/patches actually helped. Treat for the bleeding and request immediate medical support basically as the practical effort to attach 20 chest dressings was undoable.
Quick note: for multiple penetrating wounds such as those from knife attacks that have occurred on the same side, you can likely get decent results by sealing off all the wounds completely and then leave one butterfly dressing (your standard valve dressing) to accommodate for tension pneumothorax on that one side. One lobe is better than no lobe.
london, also known as stabby town
>be bri'ish
>get stabbed
A patrolman saved my sister's life by using his belt as a tourniquet on her leg that was mangled in a motorcycle accident. Turns out I grew up with him, and was a very close friend of his brother.
He used his nightstick to tighten it until emergency medical showed up.
Well presented, as usual. Hopefully, some people will get the message about the false bleeding control hacks and that they are finally put in the bin.
I saved my buddy's life in 1998 with a tourniquet technique I had learned from a book. I took a bandana, twisted it around to make it tighter and thinner, tied it around his leg, above the wound, and then used a stick (we were at a park and there were sticks all over) to twist it as tight as possible. The EMTS, and later the ER staff, all told me that the tourniquet saved his life. I am not doubting you, but can you explain why packing the wound would have been better?
It depends on the extent of the injury and how long it will take to get proper medical help. A tourniquet cuts off all blood flow into the extremity, which is great for stopping the bleeding, not so great for saving the extremity if the nearest hospital is two or three hours away. It's generally better to try and limit the blood flow by packing the wound instead of completely cutting it off if it's going to take a few hours for the wound to be treated. The way I was trained as an EMT was to pack the wound as best you can and apply pressure to the artery to slow the blood flow so you don't risk permanent damage to the limb. If they are still losing a lot of blood then a tourniquet would be applied to completely cut off blood flow, because the risk of losing a limb isn't as important as preserving the patients life. Should also be noted that if you have a cooler of ice and are a few hours away from getting to a hospital, and someone is losing a lot of blood from an injury, you can tourniquet the limb and put it on ice to help preserve the tissue.
most people do not know how to properly make a tourniquet. that's the only reason. packing a wound is idiot-proof as long as they can maintain pressure and is still effective.
you knew how to properly make one, and so it worked.
also, tourniquets will not often cause limb loss if used for less than six hours, and if the limb was savable to begin with. plenty of time to get to the ER. the other guy is sorta wrong. (not really but sorta)
Use a TQ if you see the patient and think holy crap that's a lot of blood on the ground. At this point saving what blood that's left in the body is most important. Just go straight to TQ. If there isn't a lot of bleeding then try to pack the wound IF you know how to do it. Try and push down on whatever artery is bleeding to stop the bleed with gauze. Improvised TQ can cause nerve damage if not done right or still allow bleeding. The goal is to stop the bleed. TQ should also be about inch wide to prevent nerve damage and be most effective at stopping the blood flow to the limb. Not saying you did anything bad cause in the end the life is FAR more important then the limb. BUUUT if you don't know how to pack a wound but know the TQ stuff then go for it. Saving the life is the ultimate goal no matter how it's done. The rest is more for the recovery after.
@@ghostanime84 Yes, that's why I spun the bandana around several times to make it thinner and tighter, as described in my original post.
@@Pharto_Stinkus ohhh ok I was thinking like rope thin lol my bad I get it.😆🙏
About 50 years ago, I was about 12 years old, our neighbor had a heart attack. The adults did what little they knew to do, but nothing was working. When everyone was ready to give up his wife hit him in the chest 3 times with hammer blows of her fist. His heart started pumping, he was adware in a few minutes, and he is still alive today.
I have major respect for all medical professionals, thankyou for helping us and saving our lives
That was some good information brother.. I have never used a belt but have thought about it before. Now I carry a stop bleed kits in all my vehicles with all the proper equipment that I am allowed to use and have been trained to use properly
I would love to see you demonstrate how to pack a stab wound as if you were just an everyday civilian using t-shirts etc. Just because, if you haven’t already seen it, a video has been going around recently where a guy, called LT, in Australia I think it is, was stabbed in the carotid artery and bled to death. Is there anything the members of the public that were there could have done to possibly save his life until EMS got there? I think it would be extremely helpful for anyone who ends up in a situation like that.
I ain't no expert but I'm for sure there was no saving that guy from the video that came form Australia. That guy got the blade full on jabbed into his neck severing his carotid artery and lost so much blood so quickly he passed out in within 5 seconds. Surely even if there were EMS right there on sight he wouldn't have made it.
@FF Freedom I remember being taught to alternate hands back and forth while packing to maintain constant pressure. Pack with one hand, hold pressure with that hand while gathering material with the other, and then smoothly transfer pressure between the two hands so you never let off any net pressure during the process. Keep going until the wound is packed, and do the same constant-pressure transfer process to the bandage you're going to wrap around it, and continue to apply pressure as you finish the wrap.
@FF Freedom How important is it for the cloth to be clean? If your only option is a dirty t-shirt, and if they survive the bleed they'll be going to a hospital where they'll be pumped full of antibiotics anyhow, is having a proper sterile dressing more of a bonus if you're not days from proper medical treatment?
@Shrimp Lord [GurApostle 9th of the twelve] Makes sense: only use a dirty wound dressing if it's either that or they bleed out, yeah?
thank you so much for talking about the belts and feminine hygiene products... like seriously. I really appreciate it from one professional to another.
The tampon as a compact device debunked, now I can remove this item from my bug out kits, thanks for the tip.
I'm not a medic or trained at all. but I drove up on a stabbing victim in the middle of the road. long story about what happened. I didn't know about wound packing but I did use my belt as a temporary tunicate. Let me re-state a temporary tunicate. I was able to really get tight and the bleeding did visibly slow. it stayed on for about 4 minutes when a police officer arrived and was able to apply a real turnicate. I also was applying pressure to a neck wound and elevating the truncated arm. I was there like that for about 20Min while the police secured the scene. the stabbing victim made a full recovery (except for PTSD). I'm not saying that a belt works but it worked for a long enough to apply the real tunicate. With what I know now I would have packed the wound with my shirt and used the belt to help hold the shirt in place. thanks for vid great information.
Listening to your videos Before and After EMT school really makes a big difference. I actually know what you're talking about now.
Helpful and professional, as always! Thank you.
Hey awesome video! Just wanted to mention that a defibrillator doesn’t start the heart once it has stopped beating! A defibrillator or AED will detect irregular heart beats and shock them back into order. Kinda like how you can’t restart your computer if there’s no power.
Good video. I’ve been carrying IFAKs in some form in my vehicle and hunting bag for well over 20 years. Just a good idea.
Back in the day the Marines taught cloth web belts for tourniquets. But you you have to use a twist and find something to crank it and tie it off. Not ideal but can work. If I had to use a belt I’d pack and belt. Point is to be able to have ideas if you don’t have a proper tourniquets. You need to be able to think and improvise. Bungee cords , workout bands, rope, chords … you need to be able to improvise …
So yes keep with you proper IFAK gear but be able to think and improvise if you run out or proper gear just isn’t available….
the t-shirt and a thumb saved Scott from kentucky balistics life
Just stick a thumb in it ;)
I've had multiple classes of first aid training over the years from different organizations in different companies. We were always told not to use tourniquets belts for always specifically mentioned as not to try to use as a tourniquet but we were never really ever told why except for they just don't recommend using them. This is the first time anyone has ever explained why to not use belts.
Veteran medic here. In the Danish army we call wound packing "Tamponing" But yeah, there's a lot of stories among the younger fellas going aroung😆
Nice video! Using tampons as wound packing material, is the very popular myth)))
Good stuff as always. Don’t be that guy sticking tampons in your buddy’s chest 😅
without a doubt the best video ive watched all day. keep it up, people need to know this. i couldnt tell you how many people i know, actually KNOW who keep tampons in their go bags for the "just in case". very good info. keep dispelling the myths.
About the tampon one. Using it like a stop wont as you say work. BUT you can roll it out and use it as a stuffing in a pinch. by this i mean rolling out the tampon cause some of them are actually a cotton fabric "sheet" tightly packed into that shape. So yeah. Its hard to explain, but you can use it but its more like using what its made off, Not the actual tampon. By doing this you get whats basically a small piece of absorbant fabric that could stem bleeding by using it underneath a compress or like a small bandage depending on bleed.
Id just use a t-shirt tbh, but it is possible. Impractical but possible.
Using it as stuffing could work better than a t-shirt at least, but you would need a fair bit of tampons. Bullet wounds are known for taking a lot of the combat medics gauze supplies. I've seen someone stuff 5 rolls in some dude.
1: Roll out tampon so it becomes a sheet of fabric.
2: Either use it as stuffing or a bandage.
3 :With heavy bleeds use it with a compress/pressure bandage like hes using at 2:30 in place of the t-shirt (I don't see why you would other than maybe it being more sterile?). Depending on wound it might just be better to make shift a tourniquet with a scarf or one of the thin belts thats basically a rope.(Note down time off application and do not to leave on for longer periods as this can cause permanent damage and possibly death when removed.). This can give you more time to focus on stemming the bleeding. Its not a long term solution, its a short term one to buy extra time to get a better solution or solving the problem.
I know he says no to belts, but if the belt is the type a lot of women wear (those super slim ones) or if its a fabric belt then theres no real reason not to. Just use it as you would a normal tourniquet, tie it around, use a stick as a windlass and twist it, then use the remaining lengths to tie the stick so it doesn't release the pressure. Just don't use a normal leather belt those won't work, like he said in the video they are too rigid for you to be able to twist the stick. The windlass aka STICK is like the most important part of a proper tourniquet.
Anything you can tie around and twist to increase the pressure enough can work.
On a different note, just as a makeshift pressure bandage.
Layer the t shirt at the bottom covering the whole wound then something more robust on top and then the belt. This is to apply a more even pressure over the whole wound. You want the whole wound covered and with pressure on. The belt is probably too slim to provide that so using something hard will help apply a more even pressure that covers the wound. This could be something as simple as a sheet of hard plastic. With plastic it will bend and contort to the arm while still applying a more even pressure. A plastic phone case for example. It sounds absurd but if you think about it, its not that different to the pressure bandage he's using at 2:30. A fabric on the wound, a surface that applies even pressure over the wound.
If enough people think its stupid ill make a video as proof.
prep medic could tell me I'm stupid and to not listen to me, in that case don't, He's probably got more experience than me. But i don't see any way he would disagree with my way of making a make shift pressure bandage or my point about certain types of belts as tourniquets.
Do your own due diligence, I'm no expert and you shouldn't trust what I say as a sure fire method. Its just some pointers to something that can work.
Ok so this isn’t a first aid hack as such I used to carry an A4 notepad and coloured sharpies in my big kit so as I had something I could give to kids to distract them while I worked on them or others. It helps calm everyone down and make resolving things go more smoothly
I put a hello kitty Pin/badge holder on the side of my hat. I was giving Vaccination injections. I'd distract the kid & ask them what color is the kitty's glasses. * and the kids are refocused & calm. A co worker said my pin was juvenile & immature. 🙄🤔🤨
@@Favorite-catNip if it works roll with it they’ll come around later
100% agree about the tampons.
A bitter disappointment in Iraq, when I eventually realised that they just get in the way and do nothing to stop medium-large cavitation bleeds.
Someone should design something like it - perhaps a celox type material - but you simply don’t get the back-pressure with what basically amounts to soggy wool in a cotton bag.
The XStat is kind of what you're describing.
RevMedx XStat?
@@Vahkii any good? Looks like it should work :)
Celox has an applicator for deep wounds.
@@lateo74 The downsides: It's very situational (narrow tract wounds), takes up a lot of space, and cost a lot. I'd rather have normal rolled gauze over carrying an X-Stat.
Source: I'm a 68W.
This is good to hear. An old school medic (civilian and army - he said Iraq was just another Tuesday compared to home b/c he worked as a medic in Hazel Park, MI). (Edit: the point of this anecdote was to say that he utilized tampons for GSWs and lauded them as effective). I also heard a story about a Boy Scout who used his belt to create a tourniquet to save someone after they had an amputated limb, so this whole time I was under the impression that those would work.
They’re better than nothing but very difficult to get tight enough. Commercially available TQ’s have been shown to be far more effective. But again, it would be better than nothing to buy time.
No. An improperly applied TQ will actually increase bleeding by not allowing venus return to the heart while also not occluding arterial flow.
@@PrepMedic is there a way to properly apply a belt as a TQ?
The first code I attended as a med student, just walked into older ladies room as alarm went off and V. Tach on monitor, I thump-vented her with one thump into normal sinus rhythm. She was alive and I felt great. I never saw it work after that!!
Hopefully you have reached people who think that some of these attempts will save lives. One of the biggest one is the tampon trick. Good on you for this video. People NEED to know these things.
Amazing video!! I was waiting for this type of video 😊
When I did a first aid course 35 years ago, the thump to the chest was recommended. When I did an AED course 10 years ago and the advanced paramedic teaching the course said it is not recommended practice at all now.
So much of what I learnt 35 years ago is no longer recommended 😂
Good video. Also nice to know that many things about first aid I was taught in the military (2007) is very outdated lol. Time to study and learn modern "hacks" that can save lives.
That’s a good growth mindset to have. A lot of people hang onto past teachings and are not willing to change their practices
When I took my EMT class back in 1992, if you used a tourniquet, you failed. My how times have changed.
I heard the tampon myth before enlisting in the late 90's....a few of us did carry sugar and maxi pads to improve the field dressing we were issued....in those days soldiers only carried one field dressing...no IFAK or torniquets.
I used a cotton shirt for a bullet hole in my side and it worked pretty well.
Thanks for the tips! With a family full of nurses I’m actually kinda worried on the myths they believe now
Firefighter and emt here, we use those petroleum packs as chest seals and 5x9s as pressure bandages. I was in the army and even as cheap as the army is we still had legit chest seals and pressure bandages. You don't need that stuff all the time, but dang when you do need it it would be awesome to have real medical supplies
The tampon one made my jaw drop the first time I herd about it. It baffles me why anyone would want to stick a product with a black box warning for toxic shock syndrome into any wound. Thank you for calling bullshit.
It's because that is literally what they were designed for, that being wartime gunshot wounds. Those inventors were so full of BS it seeped out?
@@yuiopoli9601 'were designed for'. Yes. About 5 times as large as they are now and they still didn't work but they realized you could cork a cunt with them if they were smaller and here we are. Just because something was designed for a task doesn't mean it was good at the task.
@@yuiopoli9601 Although they are not much use these days due to far better alternatives, back in early 1900s, tampons were excellent for certain types of penetration trauma because not only do they absorb a lot of blood, they were small, cheap, easy to store/carry, they were sterile, sealed and easy to apply.
At the time, the materials used in feminine products were well suited to wound care. Cellucotton, the substance used in Kotex (sanitary napkins), was devised for the purpose of improving bandages in World War I. So it was not BS at the time, it was better than what they had available. These days medical equipment has improved to where there are now much better alternatives.
As for toxic shock, those warnings are for women who leave the tampon in for days/weeks etc (and yes, some women do leave them in for that long!). There is no real risk of toxic shock when they are used for small amounts of time (up to 6-8 hours). Toxic shock is caused from bacteria and can develop in as little as 12 hours in certain circumstances but its really rare. Plus, just think about it, what is more likely to cause toxic shock? A sterile cellucotton in a wound or a t-shirt covered in dirt, sweat, blood etc...
Had today to discuss the tampon thing with some colleges in the army, they said it applied „some“ pressure and it’s better than nothing, and it is a steril product, it isn’t is as sterile as a normal gauze, gauze isn’t expensive but tampons are. But it is a thing medics practice in Germany apparently or has been trained over the years so much so they carry it in their ifak, and said for emergency, to that I said no for that I have a tq that works
My uncle ( the toughest man I know ) did the thump to himself several times before his wife caught him doing and when she took him to the hospital he went in to surgery and had 5 stents put in. I know it doesn’t count because he was still conscious but it did fix the what ever problem he was having at the time
On your buddy's gravestone... "Here lies Bubba Thompson, his tampon failed and he bled out." LOL.
Good stuff. I use an auto-blood pressure device but will now purchase a manual one for the first tip. Thanks for that.
Glad I never had to use that tampon, I’ve been carrying around…. However, if your lady is suffering a monthly bleed, you’re still a hero 😂
Tampons (Dracula’s Teabags) are the Baine of my life 🤣🤣 good video as usual Sam 🍻
I saw a video on using a belt as a TQ. It was self locking. Tried it on myself for practice. Problem is I couldn't get it tight enough at all. Another problem was that once I put it on my arm I couldn't undo it with one hand. I did use it when I had a decent cut on my arm that needed pressure and I didn't want to hold it forever. All I had was gauze pads. It worked great for that.
We sometime use inflated foley catheter to provide pressure on junctional wounds and it works pretty well
One option to improvise a tourniquet would be a triangular scarf, an obligatory piece in amy German first aid kit in cars, business,... We usually use it to immobilize arm fracures. But thes are made of non flexible very stable. This hack from German EMR and first aid classes in Germany is to roll this cloth and then put it around the injured arm or leg. Then two nodes are made to connect the two ends on on the upper side as tight as possible. After that between those two nodes a stable and straigt object fitting in there is inserted, it is then turned in one direktion until the bleeding stops. This object, e.g. a ballpoint pen has to be fixed for example with sticking plaster.
But i do not know wether this item iis available in America, so I can not say whether you can use that.
Triangular scarfs are being rotated out of first aid kits in the Norwegian military, in favour of just proper tourniquets. A lot more expensive, but about a 100 times more effective, hard to to do wrong, and you can apply one to yourself (Albeit with great difficulty). Scarfs can absolutely be effective, but it's a bit more difficult and fiddly, something you really don't want in a panic situation.
Considering all I've read about tourniquets and how it's essentially the one piece of item that by far increases your rate of survival the most, I've started to put one in every first ait kit I have around, and always keep one in my uniform pocket
When a guy got his forearm sliced open at my previous job (steel mill), we used a long sleeve shirt and a pen to make a tourniquet. Paramedics said it was pretty effective. Having something to twist in the fabric is extremely important if you want it tight enough to block high-pressure flow. Belts are just too stiff to tighten that way.
I have a suggestion
Here,in Ukraine,our guys sometimes struggle with getting full IFAKs or meds in general.
Could you make a video where you use...Whatever you might have on you?Laces from shoes,shirts,jackets and stuff?It could be very useful and practical even for civillians.
For example:How to stop bleeding in a limb with shoe laces properly
Sling or neck strap from a bag is probably perfect.
Wow. You have killed me with this belt solution. I had no idea that belts are worthless in this situations. Thank you 🙏
That's crazy about the tampon thing. I've always heard "carry tampons for bullet holes". Thank you for not only debunking that but physically showing us what it does. I've been buying quikclot and Gauze to keep in my kits anyways, so I'm good.
I got Israeli t7 gauze, it is a pressure bandage and it has inside a gauze you can easy take out and use it for wound packing, all in one if you need to pack and put pressure
I recently did a hunting education course and the instructor insisted everyone carry a trauma kit when in the field….. his consisted of powdered celox, tampons, and ace wrap……
Before I learned much about trauma treatment, I took my hunter safety course. The guy said the typical "if you put a tq on they'll lose the limb for sure". I knew it was wrong but didn't have the knowledge to argue so I just left it. Really wish I knew more back then
I've used bootlaces with a stick as tourniquets successfully. Tampons... no, never used those. Sanitary PADS as clean dressings for redressing cleaned wounds when the kit was depleted on the hike back, yes.
Thanks for the explanations. I’ve heard many of these but it’s always great to have the rationale behind it also.
In the 70's we first started using the BP cuff as a Constricting Band before the "constricting band" was a thing. Necessity is the mother of invention.
nice lifehack about blood pressure measurer and bleeding stop
I carry vet bond tissue adhesive in my camping/hiking/kayak bag. I use to keep CA glue in there but the vet bond dries less rigid. fairly cheap and can get you out of a bind when your in the middle of no where.
I just found your channel and I immediately trust your advice. Some people I watch, I just feel like they googled that together 10 minutes before the video just to have a topic.
Now I am not a paramedic, and I don't plan on a holiday in Ukraine anytime soon, I don't even have a car to put a proper medkit. Did you ever make a full video on first aid for everdyday situations? We had first aid training when I did my coastal skipper, but that was not really extensive and I also forgot half of it already probably. Vaguely remember when and how to do chest compressions and treat minor cuts, but there are so many things that can happen in everyday life and I don't want to be entirely unprepared for that.
Be great to have a video to have to download and keep on our phones to have for outdoor survival for when you have no signal
Hack debunking is a relative new niche who is kinda important, even more those life threatening hacks in the medical field
Excellent. Fact find: coconut as iv
Another which I have used... period pads as clean wound bandage held in place with gaff tape. Worked very well even on hair
Glad I found this, because I honest to God thought tampons were good for bullets, because a cop I knew was talking about it being a solution.
That is the most literal use of the term “insult to injury“ 😂
My squeemish self tryina watch this at 2 a.m. : “Why do I do this to myself?”
I too am victim of the tampon myth, and a belt would be my first go to for an improvised TQ, provided that I needed my shoelaces. Genuinely learned something today, thank you, sincerely.
In the army we're taught that shoelaces are too small and don't do the trick. Need to have something over 1/2 an inch. We've all got cats on us, new IFAK even comes with 2 now instead of one, plus the one on your person already, but a strip of cloth is better for improvised tq rather than shoe laces
@@chomp7927 Welp good to know that was a bad idea too! How is bailing wire then?
@@JohnSmith-xv2ob too thin. Thin things don't compress enough of the area to actually stop the blood flow. At least that's how we were told
@@chomp7927 So a literally metal wire tightened with a rod or pipe wouldnt be enough? Sheesh, I DO need more TQs.
@@JohnSmith-xv2ob A real do all piece of equipment is 1" tubular nylon webbing. It can turn into tourniquets, litters, hoist straps, and many more things. You can daisy chain it to fit a few hundred feet onto the side of a bag or ruck.
I think you can use a tie tied loosely.and then a stick used as a windlass to tighten the turniquett and secure the stick from unwinding.
Great video! Id like to see a ems “hacks” video from you!
Stuff along the lines of ie.folding over ecg and holding it up to the light, bp cuff on saline bag for pressure infusion etc
Please do more videos like this, especially covering common misconceptions or things that are/seem logical but isn't.
Ive seen a precordial thump take someone out of VT twice in 20 years as an ICU nurse.
Black pepper and raw honey or clove honey .
Ok, so everyone and their grandma needs to watch this
Iam still a fan of glueing minor cuts with regular superglue. worked in nam still works today. and if the cuts big enough to consider superglue, i aint concerned about the potential skin irritation that may result from using the cheap cyanacrylat instead of the expensive dermabond. or the non-invasive suture style where you basically suture two strips of tape together instead of the gaping wound itself (obviously only good as a temporary fix for fleshwounds).
Yes it works, but it doesn't allow the tissue to breathe. Cells perform better when in contact with more oxygen and superglue prevents that. This impedes healing by delaying it. The other methods you mentioned don't have this drawback.
I would use superglue in the field only when cleaning out the wound and dressing it is not an option.
I could see a belt helping keep wound packing in place or adding to the pressure of a wound packing maybe.
I was taught two sticks and a rope (or t-shirt or other fabric) for improvised tourniquets (that was over 20 years ago, now). Not sure how legit either of those are at this point; it seems like tourniquet best practices have changed at least a couple times.
I hear tampons are ok at keeping a nosebleed from making a big mess.
The belt seems like a useful thing to put over the packing!
The belts are useful in a medical issue. You don't want your pants falling down. Haha.
Great advice ,But a web belt and a bayonet in sheath will work. Once applied and secured with shoestring or another belt. been there done that in Marine Corps in 1991.we were not issued tourniquets back then and alot of improvised tourniquets have saved lives in wars in the past. luckily technology has came a long was. Semper Fi
I’ve heard/thought that an AED pad might work as an occlusive dressing, if it was removed from the AED to prevent any chance of shocking a bleed.
I was trained as a first responder in the 90's and we were trained to use tampons and pads for wounds.
Precordial l thump worked the one time I used it patient went back into sinus rhythm on his monitor, the defibrillator was off.
5:00 the heart can actually be in a few different rhythms (or arrhythmias) during a witnessed cardiac arrest; VT, VF, and Complete Heart Block, or even a rapid SVT which of course would then deteriorate into VT>VF. Complete Heart Block is not a shockable rhythm, but it certainly can be the precursor to a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. I have witnessed this myself on the monitor on a septic patient who went into a cardiac arrest upon sitting up from lying down.
Complete heart block is not a pulseless rhythm. Neither is SVT. If you see either of those rhythms and the patient doesn’t have a pulse, it is PEA. There are only 4 pulseless rhythms: v-tach, V-fib, PEA, and asystole.
A belt is a 2 to 1 mechanical advantage, vs something like 20 to 1 on a cat. So you'd need to pull really hard for a belt to work.
If you have no tourniquet, improvise one. A belt won't work, as it's too rigid, but some form of sturdy fabric - like a scarf - tied into a loop, around the limb where a tourniquet would be, place a stick or something similar through it as a handle and turn. Clearly, you need something to keep the improvised tourniquet in place, so it doesn't come loose, but this way, you can build up far more pressure than possible with a belt.
You could use your belt as an improvised way to hold an improvised tourniquet in place.
Thank you. The tampon thing drives me nuts. I frequent a prepper board, and someone always offers up that "helpful" suggestion.
I have zero medical training, but given the things I see posted all over the net, I do NOT want any random lay person trying to treat me if I end up badly injured out in public. Yikes!
Tampons for bullet holes came from an old Saturday night live bullet hole tampon gangster skit,... It was always meant to be a joke but it became urban legend.
Thank you Sir!
Good stuff! The saddest thing is I’ve actually heard an EMT seriously say se tampons in GSWs.
Thanks, very informative.
Love this, waiting for a sequel
A belt or tampon could work for some injuries at some times in some applications.
For example a belt being wrapped around an improvised dressing for a pressure bandage, or to just hold a dressing in place.
The tampon is only for very specific non arterial wounds when you have to go too far to let it bleed, it’s a very rare situation... story time. I was on a remote work site on the side of a densely forested mountain. One of our 3 person crew fell and was impaled through the neck by a cut off bush stalk about 4 inches long. Through some guardian angel work it missed everything critical. The guy jerked back up and the stalk being still rooted in the ground pulled out.
We had to get him about four miles on foot to the truck/wood line. There wasn’t pulsing blood but dude was leaking badly. A tampon and some tape ended up being the bandage and we got him out with some badass scars.
Crazy and a 1 in a million thing but it did work
Please don't take this as criticism of what you guys did, that worked, obviously. But it sounds more like one of those advisory tales that ends with the teller looking at camera and, in a serious voice, warning people to take a properly made up first aid kit whenever they go into the woods or onto a work site.
My guess is that reason why it worked, was that wound was clean poke would, not blown out mess of the bullet wound so tampon did what mentioned expand blocking some of the worst bleeding, but it will seep trough since its not solid non absorbing material like t shirt.
Same with belt if applied wrong like shown it does fuck all to create pressure, only preventing backflow. I'm no expert and it was said belt is poor solution, but in the end tourniquet is just peace of non stretching material that can be made as loop, with bit extra length to get something like branch to turn it tight. With this mechanical leverage you can get it pretty damn tight, so i'm not agreeing with it being useless to detrimental to patients life, only if used wrong. Further more you can cause more damage to limb with tourniquet since it cuts the blood flow to limb, by the design. How ever if hospital is hours away person patched might end up loosing their leg due lack of blood circulation so its really double edged sword. So packing the would should be first thing to do and if it still keeps bleeding like fountain you fucked up the packing, or it needs tourniquet. I really should get into first aid lessons for firearm wounds and just for average accidental injuries...so should everyone else.
My goto strategy to deal with a nosebleed is to cool my wrists under a faucet
PrepMedic: Tampons don't stop bleeding!
Earl Haas: 😡
add dried yarrow powder when wound packing
Packed wound with pressure applied via strips of clothing, balled up and placed directly on top of the packed wound, with the knot tied off to the side will do more to save a life than wasted time on trying to make a tourniquet.