Added tourniquet to my thigh pocket

[TMHeimer]

The tourniquet was abandoned as a first aid tool several decades ago around here. If you need to stop a serious bleed, a pressure bandage is much, much better than a torniquet which will cut off circulation. A torniquet should be a last effort, when all other measures have proved to be ineffective. Like, when someone has lost a limb.

I am certainly no expert but wonder if tourniquet may be useful in water and pressure bandage once the victim is dry?

 

[loosenit2]

The tourniquet was abandoned as a first aid tool several decades ago around here. If you need to stop a serious bleed, a pressure bandage is much, much better than a torniquet which will cut off circulation. A torniquet should be a last effort, when all other measures have proved to be ineffective. Like, when someone has lost a limb.

Where is "around here"? really curious. I am in the Army and we carry multiple tourniquet's along with hemostatic bandages (bandages with coagulants) along with a variety of other first aid supplies. Both have their place on a boat or shore first aid kit for various types of wounds, as long as you have an appropriate level of training to use them.

I have never considered using one underwater before, my first concern with a shark bite would be getting the victim out of the water as fast as possible. I would think that the possibility of further attacks would outweigh a bleed-out, particularly with sharks.

 

[Aviyes]

The tourniquet was abandoned as a first aid tool several decades ago around here. If you need to stop a serious bleed, a pressure bandage is much, much better than a torniquet which will cut off circulation. A torniquet should be a last effort, when all other measures have proved to be ineffective. Like, when someone has lost a limb.

Actually tourniquet use has come back around full circle and is taught as the number one step in any current Tactical Combat Casualty Care training in the military, high and tight. Even on the civilian side it is being recommended again, Civilian tourniquet use associated with six-fold reduction in mortality | Trauma System News

 

[PfcAJ]

Please, if the head of your dive buddy has a close encounter with the dive boats prop, don't use the tourniquiet!

Success ratio > 0%

Michael


Around the neck?

Michael

Head! Hahah

Ok MAYBE that won’t shake out

 

[tomfcrist]

The tourniquet was abandoned as a first aid tool several decades ago around here. If you need to stop a serious bleed, a pressure bandage is much, much better than a torniquet which will cut off circulation. A torniquet should be a last effort, when all other measures have proved to be ineffective. Like, when someone has lost a limb.

I don’t think an Israeli wrap would hold up well in a thigh pocket underwater

 

[pauldw]

So the thing is, everyone is right. Sort of. Tourniquets were taught decades ago. Then they did fall out of favor. That was because doing something like garroting a leg or an arm with a shoestring tended to do a lot of damage to the vessels and nerves under the tourniquet, and also when they were left on for a long time the limb would likely be lost. Direct pressure, and to some degree pressure points, because the recommendation. More recently, tourniquets have come back in the context of military combat care. However, that is because it's combat care, and the idea is to keep people in the fight by letting them quickly apply a tourniquet one handed, and then fight on. That's spelled out quite clearly in TCCC guidelines. But those tourniquets are wide enough that they shouldn't do much immediate damage, except for pain. Then, it's usually possible to evac quickly to a medical person who can take the tourniquet off in a reasonable period of time, while maintaining control of bleeding. (Also, all this is being done in conjunction with dressings that have a blood clotting agent.) So, if you're in combat and get a limb blown off, put on a tourniquet. That concept has been spreading to civilian practice, probably quicker that it should, since in most cases direct pressure is still best. And that can mean fingertips pushing hard on a specific spot, rather than just a palm. Most places in the US, a store bought tourniquet probably wouldn't do too much damage before someone in a definitive care setting would be able to get it off. This is sort of akin to how backboards used to be the thing for possible spinal injuries, and now there's serious rethinking about whether that's actually good and necessary; thoughts change on medical care, and TKs are coming back.

I don't know whether this should be necessary diving equipment. Tourniquets have become something of a fad lately, with people buying them up for police officers to wear on their belts, and whatnot. They might occasionally have a use, but won't do much good without practice. Don't use them for every bleed, since most bleeds aren't all that bad, but if it's horrendous, go to it.

Although I don't know much about dealing with shark attacks, as I'm more of a hiker, I do know about avoiding bear attacks. For that purpose, I just carry a jar of bacon grease, find someone camping a ways off, and smear it on their tent. Keeps the bears away from mine. Maybe something similar would work with a dive buddy.

REMEMBER: All bleeding stops eventually.

 

[JohnnyC]

Get a real tourniquet. CAT’s do nicely and they’re cheap. Don’t get fake tourniquets. Learn to use them. Don’t get the rubber band ones. They don’t work when wet without two hands and luck.

With limb viability somewhere on the order of 4-12 hours post-application, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be utilized when direct pressure is insufficient. Put it high and twist twist twist till the bright blood stops. It’s not rocket surgery.

As for shark bites, they wouldn’t be the reason I’d be seeking out a tourniquet, they are few and far between. However, it seems like people are getting run over by boats fairly regularly, and a tourniquet is a perfect response to a screw severing an artery.

I’ve had to apply 3 tourniquets over the last 2 years. I live in the middle of nowhere. Cars drive too fast. Having tourniquets gives you options, and options are a good thing. You may be the only person willing, or able to help. Anything that solves one problem so you can move on to the next is one step closer to saving one or more lives. Total cost to me? Maybe $100 in tourniquets and quikclot and Oales. That’s chump change to me, but the value for those people was immeasurable.

Being prepared to help yourself or other people is a good thing.

 

[pauldw]

Oales

I do like that dressing! Shame more people don't know about it.

 

[Scuba Cobra]

The tourniquet was abandoned as a first aid tool several decades ago around here. If you need to stop a serious bleed, a pressure bandage is much, much better than a torniquet which will cut off circulation. A torniquet should be a last effort, when all other measures have proved to be ineffective. Like, when someone has lost a limb.

This method of thinking went out the window almost 20 years ago. the 2019 TCCC guidelines can be found on google.

Agreed. I have both for range use and I carry sof-t and a r.a.t.s in my vehicles

Ditch the RATS trash.

Get a real tourniquet. CAT’s do nicely and they’re cheap. Don’t get fake tourniquets. Learn to use them. Don’t get the rubber band ones. They don’t work when wet without two hands and luck.

While I usually do suggest CATS, civilian diving is the one situation I do not. CAT's, in my experience do not hold up to repeated salt water abuse, even if properly washed after exposure. Maybe vacuum sealed would be an option. For AD personnel it's not an issue, I can just get more from CIF or Doc, others would have to pay out of pocket to replace them. I have not had an issue with SOFTW's however. I'm not sure if you are on P&S but this has been a topic that comes up a few times a year. Usually after a boater hits a diver.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Must be a heck of a lot of blue gills with big teeth in Kentucky..

I have had three dive buddies killed by GWS
1) Al Sneppersnoff a few feet from the swim step
2) Debbie Fransman- who was immediately rescued by life guards
3) Randy Fry who's head was bitten off- It was never found !

They all had such massive wounds with great tissue loss that a tourniquet or the application of a pressure dressing would not have been beneficial

So get real

A shark and a possible shark attack is an "Occupational hazard of recreational diving "
It could and will happen any place there is salt water

I understand from a history lesson from my childhood that Daniel Boone killed more that a few bears in the Kentucky woods-- So don't walk in the Kentucky woods with out your trusty shootin Iron

Good morning from California
SDM