First Aid

[john k]

try one of these combat tourniquets, arrest the flow then apply your dressing and monitor the circulation to the end of the limb, release the pressure when needed.

On the last first aid course I did they covered tourniquets and the advice given was once you apply a tourniquet you should leave it to the medics to release it.

That was a couple of years ago. Has the advice changed?

[Jamie Jones]

Got all my medical stuff from these people.. looked on their website then spoke to them on the phone to get advice on the pro’s & con’s of the different stuff they had.. http://www.spservices.co.uk/

[Haironyourchest]

2 hours ago, john k said:

On the last first aid course I did they covered tourniquets and the advice given was once you apply a tourniquet you should leave it to the medics to release it.

That was a couple of years ago. Has the advice changed?

I'd imagine that is to prevent the reindroduction of dead blood back into the system, like in suspension trauma or crushing injury. I forget the medical term, but it's very dangerous. A touriquet could do the same thing, if it was applied too tight. I believe the idea with a tourniquet is tight enough to compress the artery, but just enough slack to let the smaller veins still circulate. This is obviously a tall order for a non medical professional to achieve in the field, so I guess they have to assume every tourniquet that shows up in A&E has been overtighened. I can't remember the time span before "bad blood" starts kicking in, will look it up.

[david wood]

toxic shock syndrome - its like if you have body part trapped theres a small window to release in before you need doctor/paramedic on site to administer drugs to counteract issue

[Woodsearcher]

12 hours ago, carlos said:

what sort of saw work are you doing? tricky big windblown hung up trees etc would probably be best done with two people whereas already fallen stuff thats small would be a lot less risky.

id say a celox bandage and an israli would do along with your phone in your pocket.

Hi sorry for my late reply, I will be doing already fallen trees.

 

Thanks I've now bought the last two you mentioned.

 

I wear proper gear,  I just want to be safe as possible on my own.

 

Cheers

[Woodsearcher]

27 minutes ago, Haironyourchest said:

I'd imagine that is to prevent the reindroduction of dead blood back into the system, like in suspension trauma or crushing injury. I forget the medical term, but it's very dangerous. A touriquet could do the same thing, if it was applied too tight. I believe the idea with a tourniquet is tight enough to compress the artery, but just enough slack to let the smaller veins still circulate. This is obviously a tall order for a non medical professional to achieve in the field, so I guess they have to assume every tourniquet that shows up in A&E has been overtighened. I can't remember the time span before "bad blood" starts kicking in, will look it up.

I went on a first aid course a few years back and the guy said 'noooo don't do that, that's what we use to do', he was an ex military medic.

 

I will stick to compression dressings, hopefully I will never need to open them.

 

 

[Woodsearcher]

https://www.cprseattle.com/blog/tourniquets-should-you-use-one-in-an-emergency

 

 

[Haironyourchest]

29 minutes ago, Woodsearcher said:

I went on a first aid course a few years back and the guy said 'noooo don't do that, that's what we use to do', he was an ex military medic.

 

I will stick to compression dressings, hopefully I will never need to open them.

 

 

Yeah my first aid instructor was "Life or Limb"....there's a lot of debate about this and has been for a long long time. I would not be so quick to discount the tourniquet just because some ex military guy said something negative. Educate yourself and make you own decision. There is a lot to learn...

 

I just read a fascinating article called "Tourniquet use on the battlefield" which is a PDF and I cant link to it. The history of the tourniquet...very interesting. The thing is, its always better to use applied direct pressure, but if you are alone you cannot do this and still use your phone, etc, or even stay conscious potentially.

Edited January 1, 2019 by Haironyourchest

[Woodsearcher]

31 minutes ago, Haironyourchest said:

Yeah my first aid instructor was "Life or Limb"....there's a lot of debate about this and has been for a long long time. I would not be so quick to discount the tourniquet just because some ex military guy said something negative. Educate yourself and make you own decision. There is a lot to learn...

 

I just read a fascinating article called "Tourniquet use on the battlefield" which is a PDF and I cant link to it. The history of the tourniquet...very interesting. The thing is, its always better to use applied direct pressure, but if you are alone you cannot do this and still use your phone, etc, or even stay conscious potentially.

It's all scary stuff, to be honest I think I might be being stupid chainsawing alone.

 

I Always have a fully charged phone and let someone know where I will be.

 

Got to get on with life though, can't walk around wrapped up in cotton wool.

 

I try my best with safety, most people I know use chainsaws with no protection nothing not even a phone on them. 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2019 by Woodsearcher

[Haironyourchest]

10 minutes ago, Woodsearcher said:

It's all scary stuff, to be honest I think I might be being stupid chainsawing alone.

 

I Always have a fully charged phone and let someone know where I will be.

 

Got to get on with life though, can't walk around wrapped up in cotton wool.  

One glance at the rear seat, or your phone, and you could drive off a cliff or into an oncoming truck. One slip on a ladder and you could fall and break your neck. One wrong move in Jujitsu class and you could end up bed-bound for six months (happened to a guy I know) Chainsawing is no more dangerous than any other potentially dangerous activity, unless you're gung-ho about it, and that goes for everything. It's just scary because it's loud, novel, and there are horror movies about it. Its just physics. Physics can be outsmarted every time, without fail, but it requires constant humility and patience, all the time. If an accident happens under those conditions its a act of God and might just as well have happened driving to the shops. Carrying a trauma kit is an acknowledgement that an act of God can happen, and if it does, we are prepared to meet it with a will to survive. I keep my trauma kit in the car, along with four strobe beacons, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, torches, tyre repair kit and so on. That gear might save someone else's life some day, who wasn't prepared.