this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2023
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A nice first aid kit with tourniquet. That thing saves some serious lives.
There's an ISO standard for first aid kits. Check them out.
Last few times I did my first aid certificate I was taught not to use tourniquet; in fact it wasn't taught at all. I guess in most situations it makes sense not to use it, in situations where it would make sense to use it I would not have first aid kit handy.
Most people in military combat end up dying from bleeding caused by an injury. It can happen in two minutes where they lose enough blood to die. A tourniquet will stop that bleeding as long as the injury is in an extremity and can be left on for hours without further damage, giving you enough time to get to a hospital.
Military combat is pretty different from the sort of injury you might get around the house.
Not if you live in America.
Only half joking, but you could easily slice yourself on some glass and hit an artery in your arm. Or in the kitchen with a knife slipping. It's just good to have around because it could save your life.
I'm a paramedic. The last time I used a tourniquet was on a teenager that put arms through a window. Their sibling locked them out of the house, so they were trying to force their way back in.
It's uncommon, but things like that happens more often than you think. Plate glass and any sort of powered (and to a lesser degree: unpowered) cutting tool are probably the worst offenders.
Though if you're going to carry a tourniquet make sure you're trained on how and when to use it properly.
I believe that is the only place I learned about tourniquets in first aid cert. In that case you can use a shirt and a piece of stick. I'm doubtful of "hours without further damage" though. They definitely have their place but for understandable reasons they're not recommended for regular first aid.
Interesting point about tourniquets is that improper use can be worse than just not using one. If it's tied too loose you compress the superficial veins but not the deeper arteries, increasing blood loss.
A tourniquet might be a good idea to have, but you shouldn't use it without training. It could be a good thing to have to hand to someone with training if it were needed, but that will only be useful in places with lots of people, like a protest or something. For your home first aid kit, maybe skip it.
I was in the military as are most of the man in my country. I can trust that not only I can use it usefully I can also trust that in the extreme case of me being seriously injured and someone find my tourniquet, I am in trained hands.
That's good. Most people aren't in that situation though, so giving general advice to have a tourniquet could cause harm I just wanted to try to make sure it doesn't.
I keep thinking I need to get a real one for my bug out bag and keep putting it off. "Well, hopefully today's not the collapse of society!"
This comment resonates with me.
Also pull out your first aid kit and look at whats in it.
I bolstered mine with some antiseptic, paper tape, strapping tape, more bandages and better bandaids.
And if you're camping like to have duct tape and toilet paper. Duct tape is great for fixing broken hike or tent poles.
Do you have any helpful links to get started? Looking up ISO standards?