JJR512
Forum Deputy Chief
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I've seen some other EMTs (of all levels, -B, -I, & -P) carrying around Kelly forceps in their EMS pants or in one of those holster kits that hangs from a belt and has trauma shears, a penlight, and one or two other things. One day I asked someone what it was for, and they basically said it's just for holding something or clamping something and you don't have enough fingers. He gave an example of a bleeding artery that might need to be clamped off while we take care of some other problem.
I just kind of said "huh" to that, but one day when I was buying some other things, I saw these were pretty inexpensive so I got a pair, and yeah, they've been in my EMS pants, in the other little slot behind my trauma shears. But I have to admit, I'm still not really sure what they're for, and it's really more that they're there just to have something to occupy the other slot on my EMS pants more than anything else.
So a couple questions:
1. Is the example the guy gave me plausible? Would you really use a non-sterile item to clamp an artery? I didn't think this sounded right at first, but then I realized that we'd normally just pinch it or apply pressure with gloved fingers that aren't sterile, so maybe it's fine.
2. Have you ever actually used Kelly forceps in the field for EMS-related purposes? If so, could you please describe the situation?
Also, Wikipedia has the following to say regarding the serrated clamping surface of forceps. Because it's Wikipedia, and there's no reference listed for this particular "fact", I wanted to find out if this is true or not:
I just kind of said "huh" to that, but one day when I was buying some other things, I saw these were pretty inexpensive so I got a pair, and yeah, they've been in my EMS pants, in the other little slot behind my trauma shears. But I have to admit, I'm still not really sure what they're for, and it's really more that they're there just to have something to occupy the other slot on my EMS pants more than anything else.
So a couple questions:
1. Is the example the guy gave me plausible? Would you really use a non-sterile item to clamp an artery? I didn't think this sounded right at first, but then I realized that we'd normally just pinch it or apply pressure with gloved fingers that aren't sterile, so maybe it's fine.
2. Have you ever actually used Kelly forceps in the field for EMS-related purposes? If so, could you please describe the situation?
Also, Wikipedia has the following to say regarding the serrated clamping surface of forceps. Because it's Wikipedia, and there's no reference listed for this particular "fact", I wanted to find out if this is true or not:
Serrated forceps are used on tissue; counter-intuitively, teeth will damage tissue less than a smooth surface (you can grasp with less overall pressure).