Our first plan to manage massive extremity hemorrhage is to use a proven commercially available tourniquet. Barring that, create an improvised tourniquet using a cravat, or a strip of fabric, with a windlass for leverage. If no other tourniqueting materials …
It’s always better to have proven, dedicated medical equipment in an emergency. But when you don’t, you improvise.
At some point in your life, you will be someplace where you simply won’t have dedicated equipment available. In Army Special Forces, there is a PACE mnemonic used in planning: What’s the Primary plan? The Alternate plan? The Contingency plan? The Emergency plan? The Emergency Plan is sometimes referred to as the “Everything went to shit plan.”
If you have a fire in your house, it’s best to use a fire extinguisher to attempt to put it out while waiting for the fire department. However, you’ll settle for a bucket of water if you have to, rather than standing back watching the fire get out of control and potentially burn down your house.
Improvised techniques can save lives. The more you begin to see improvised equipment in your everyday surroundings, the quicker you’ll be able to respond and save a life without dedicated equipment.
The techniques posted here have some evidence and proof of concept to support their use in an emergency when better materials simply aren’t available.
Pelvic fractures occur in 8% of major trauma patients. You can improvise a pelvic binder. 🕖 Reading Time, 3 minutes IED induced injuries resulting in traumatic lower limb amputation are associated with a 22% rate of pelvic fracture; half of …
In our race to use tourniquets for controlling hemorrhage, we often lose sight of the value of good direct pressure as a hemorrhage control technique. Proven commercially available tourniquets are almost always going to be better options for controlling significant …
It is not a tourniquet if if does not have a windlass. 🕖 Reading Time, 7 minutes Recent news articles describe many cases of the public placing “tourniquets” without windlasses on injured individuals to stop bleeding. However, if you look …