Sutures!

[helicopilot]

I think we have all heard the advise on keeping some feminine supplies in your kit for control of bleeding. On the the surface it seems logical. After reading this article http://preparednessadvice.com/medical/s ... Tz_P_BN99l I'm not so sure.
Thoughts?

The quote from the link that reads:

"I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; if you’re ‘soaking up blood’, you aren’t controlling hemorrhage. You are only keeping the floor clean. When someone asks the question ‘how much blood can this bandage soak up?’, they are completely missing the point, and don’t fully understand hemorrhage control."

Sums up my opinion. The large military field dressings we used to see everywhere (now replaced by better designed Israeli bandages) were designed so that you would tie the attached bandage extremely tight for a tourniquet-like effect. Of course, this knowledge got lost over time and soldiers were essentially thought blood soaking techniques.

[CSG]

I would be careful using ductape to support splints for broken bones as fractures tend to cause swelling and ductape isn't known to stretch much, as a result, you could have some issues with blood circulation being cut off.

if you splint properly the ductape should only barely touch the body part area the it broken. the main support should take the brunt of the weight.

[helicopilot]

I would be careful using ductape to support splints for broken bones as fractures tend to cause swelling and ductape isn't known to stretch much, as a result, you could have some issues with blood circulation being cut off.

if you splint properly the ductape should only barely touch the body part area the it broken. the main support should take the brunt of the weight.

The issue isn't the tape touching the skin as much as wrapping the limb's circumference so that there is no possibility of expansion with swelling. I suppose that if "set" and a while after swelling as come and gone, ductape could be used to make a cast of sort... (?)

[peppercorn]

well 2 pages on sutures and not a single pic. So here is mine, I got to watch them being done on my leg. Only 4, but interesting to see done none the less. Not something I am going to take up as a hobby. I will leave it to the pros

DSC01300.JPG (52.47 KiB) Viewed 2992 times

[Dakota]

Sutures and skin staples are a good addition to your serious kits and relatively easy to get. Now you have to practise!!!!

[HopeImReady]

I take the workplace first aid training every 2 years, and you accumulate quite a few of the small kits over the years (all the better to add to my kits ). As a girl guide I was taught to use feminine supplies too, but for serious bleeding control, I bought a bunch of pocket kits of Wound Seal, which is like Quikclot or Israeli bandage (but easier to find). Hope I never need it, though.