# ACE wrap tourniquet?



## OnceAnEMT (Jan 29, 2015)

I'm trying to avoid getting a CAT for my SAR pack as it is not exactly a multi purpose item. I do however already carry ACE bandages of various sizes for multiple reasons. I don't have one in my room at the moment to run a little test, but I am curious, do y'all think that an ACE bandage would hold up as an effective tourniquet, when wound up by a sturdy rod/pole? Anyone done something similar? 

Thanks!


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## InNoViSiOn (Jan 30, 2015)

Not sure id trust an ace bandage because of the elasticity. Have you considered a triangle bandage? A shemagh would accomplish the same task. 

Check this out.


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## OnceAnEMT (Jan 30, 2015)

I carry cravets as well, but although it can be a tourniquet, it will not be wide enough to be a "good" tourniquet.


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## redundantbassist (Jan 30, 2015)

No. Carry the right tool for the job. An arterial bleed is not the time when you should be trying to jerryrig something out of ace wraps or cravats.


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## NomadicMedic (Jan 30, 2015)

So wait a second, this guy is promoting the fact that some half assed TQ with a cravat, key ring and a beener is a workable replacement for carry in a dedicated blowout kit instead of a CAT? I agree with the above post. Buy the right tool for the job, if you think you'll have any opportunity to use it. 

Unless of course, it's just more "tacti-cool" to roll your own out of pieces and parts. 

And what did he mean when he said the safety pins could be used as an airway adjunct? I must've missed that part in paramedic class.


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## Carlos Danger (Jan 30, 2015)

DEmedic said:


> And what did he mean when he said the safety pins could be used as an airway adjunct? I must've missed that part in paramedic class.



You weren't taught that you could safety pin the tongue to the lower lip in lieu of an oral airway? Jeez, you got ripped off.


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## NomadicMedic (Jan 30, 2015)

Oh. Right. I forgot about that. I just found the picture in my PHTLS book...


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## InNoViSiOn (Jan 30, 2015)

Yeah I have no idea what he meant about the airway adjunct with the safety pins either...  He wasn't a medic he was a firearms instructor and unfortunately he died a couple years ago and wouldn't be able to comment on what he meant. 
I agree with having the right tool for the job as well and I feel like the OP was asking for something with many uses for a good improvised tourniquet and I thought Mr. Gomez's idea was good. OP, for a SAR kit, dish out the funds and buy a couple CATs or SOFT-T.  The video I posted was geared towards EDC medical carry and who here actually carries a CAT on their body every day?  I got some in my car and backpack but unless I have cargo pockets it isn't convenient.  I know some guys who wear an ankle blow out kit that could fit a CAT.


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## NomadicMedic (Jan 30, 2015)

If you're high speed enough to need to carry quick clot and a 14ga swizzle stick, you can carry a CAT, too.


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## InNoViSiOn (Jan 30, 2015)

DEmedic said:


> If you're high speed enough to need to carry quick clot and a 14ga swizzle stick, you can carry a CAT, too.



Yeah good point.  Probably would've been a good idea for him to carry a CAT as well but I think he was in the mindset of compactness.  Where just the windlass on a CAT is longer than the chest dart package I don't think he liked the bulk for EDC. For those that conceal carry a gun every day it's a good idea to carry a medical kit as well.   I might experiment with the ankle carry and see how it works for me with a CAT.  Right now it's just the TK4 and soon the RATS if I like it.


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## Tigger (Jan 30, 2015)

I have no idea if an ace wrap would work (though I lean towards the negative), and don't plan to find out. A CAT is not that big nor heavy so I carry it while backpacking just the same. Sometimes there's no substitute for the real thing.


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## Brandon O (Jan 30, 2015)

Stretchiness is not a desirable trait in a tourniquet.


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## OnceAnEMT (Jan 30, 2015)

Thanks for the input. Just to clarify, no, I'm not in support of the gentleman in the video  I think y'all got the picture that I am looking for small and multipurposed. 

My thought with the ACE wraps was that yes, they are elastic, but like all elastic there is a yield point that it becomes not-so-elastic. Put it on tightly and you'd have no trouble. But if y'all don't think its that feasible, then I trust the experienced judgement.


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## Brandon O (Jan 30, 2015)

Good critical thinking, but mastering your hardware means knowing what you're trying to do and what traits each tool has. A good tourniquet would be wide, inelastic, strong, easy and exact to tighten and secure, and unlikely to come undone.

A triangular bandage is not very good but maybe adequate. An Ace wrap would probably be one of my last choices. I like a blood pressure cuff with tied or clamped tubes, but that's just me. Tinker with your stuff; the first time you jury-rig something shouldn't be when you need it.

Anyway, as others have said, all of these options are garbage compared to a real tourniquet.


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## OnceAnEMT (Jan 30, 2015)

Because I carry a BP cuff I did consider that, but that also relies on it holding its pressure, which is always a toss up with that method. Probably will just bite it on this one and get a CAT.


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## Tigger (Jan 31, 2015)

Having used a BP cuff as a second tourniquet (with properly affixed CAT already on), I do not like it. At the pressure needed to be effective it took a lot of maintenance to keep it useful.


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## Jim37F (Jan 31, 2015)

CAT tourniquets are not exactly large and bulky items. Unless your SAR bag is so overpacked you can barely zip it closed as is, you should be able to easily fit 4 (one for each limb) into a backpack without having to take anything out or even notice any extra weight either. 

Think about it this way, if it was YOU who was bleeding out and a rescuer came up, would you want them to treat you with an actual tourniquet built for the purpose, or try to jerry rig something using a bandage that's better designed for orthopedic injuries and not really designed to stop a small bleed much less a life threatening hemorrhage?


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## OnceAnEMT (Jan 31, 2015)

Jim37F said:


> Think about it this way, if it was YOU who was bleeding out and a rescuer came up, would you want them to treat you with an actual tourniquet built for the purpose, or try to jerry rig something using a bandage that's better designed for orthopedic injuries and not really designed to stop a small bleed much less a life threatening hemorrhage?



Like a glove finger as a one way valve, a ski pole & tree instead of a KTD, or a notebook as a hard splint?

There is nothing wrong with being resourceful. The important thing, as mentioned, is to know what you are doing when its time to do it for real. Hence why the topic was made, seeking input. 

Any recommended CAT vendors? Looking at $20 on Amazon, just curious if anyone can beat it while staying genuine.


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## MonkeyArrow (Jan 31, 2015)

Grimes said:


> Any recommended CAT vendors? Looking at $20 on Amazon, just curious if anyone can beat it while staying genuine.


I'd check ebay as they have a lot of old soldiers coming and selling their IFAKs, which contain genuine CATs. Be careful though, there has been an increase in fake CATs made for the airsoft/milsim world (don't ask why you would carry a fake blow out kit with fake supplies). If the price seems to good to be true, it is probably a fake.


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## redundantbassist (Jan 31, 2015)

Remi said:


> You weren't taught that you could safety pin the tongue to the lower lip in lieu of an oral airway? Jeez, you got ripped off.





Grimes said:


> Like a glove finger as a one way valve, a ski pole & tree instead of a KTD, or a notebook as a hard splint?
> 
> There is nothing wrong with being resourceful. The important thing, as mentioned, is to know what you are doing when its time to do it for real. Hence why the topic was made, seeking input.
> 
> Any recommended CAT vendors? Looking at $20 on Amazon, just curious if anyone can beat it while staying genuine.


There's nothing wrong with being resourceful, but there is something wrong with planning on being unprepared.

$24.99 free shipping: http://shop.skinnymedic.com/CAT-Tourniquet-cattourniquet.htm


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