Clamps

[mikie]

What is the use for hemostats/clamps in EMS? I have seen them used in ORs but what about prehopsital?

At a county fair a while ago, I saw the state DMAT teams carrying them on their pants. I have also seen them on the Internet on various EMS related product shops (in many whackerpacks).

Thanks!

 

[seanm028]

The only thing I could think of would be in an OB kit for clamping the umbilical cord.

 

[MMiz]

If the :censored::censored::censored::censored: really hit the fan, you could use them to control bleeding. The serrated edge allows the clamps to compress a blood vessel. That said, I always smile when I see people carrying them in EMS.

 

[katgrl2003]

My last partner used to work at a boy scout camp, and he would clip them to his shirt to hang iv's from.

-Kat

 

[KEVD18]

theres very little to do with them in ems, and specifically at the bls level.

every ambulance ive ever worked on has an ob kit with clamps in it, so i need not bring my own.

sure, i could theoretically clamp a vessel in an extreme case. but unless theres a flashing neon sign pointing to the vessel i should clamp, i think that sort of above me. dressing, pressure points, elevation and tourniquet if applicable.

ive heard this "clip iv bags to my shirt" business before. i assume you mean during a carry down. my question is this: how much fluid or how many medications are you planning on administering while stairchair a pt? 50-100cc maybe(assuming a 10gtt set and 14ga)? heres a simpler solution. the saline lock. that is, if you must play before getting in the truck. i prefer to do most of my procedure in my office but i understand some people like to play to an audience so they do everything they can on scene.

 

[mycrofft]

Haemostats are newbie ornaments

like spring-loaded centerpunches and tapered bitesticks.
In most instances traumatically severed major vessels retract, making them nearly impossible to find then clamp, especially so in the field or without suction. TK and boogey with IV, O2 etc.

One renegade EMT instructor carried a towel clamp as a "come-along" to use on resistive patients' nasal septums. (I think he was full of excremento, it was wrong to say that and I challenged him, etc, save your ammo). I call that sort of instrument "the Ohmoe tool", as in Larry or Curly being grabbed by Moe in a noselock and falsettoing "Oh, Moe! Oh, Moe!".

 

[mikeylikesit]

lets see. Like Mycrofft said unless you want to go digging for that artery then don't use the hemostats. i have used them for sutures a few time for the grip...i know that most of those guys walking around with them never have and never will use them. they just like to hang their tape from them and look cool.

 

[MRE]

While not something you would be doing on a call in most cases, I've found forceps to be useful for removing splinters and fish hooks and other small items which are too big for tweezers. Especially the multi hook, multi barb setups which were completely uncalled for in our little pond. Try grabbing them with gloved hands and you were likely to get stuck yourself. Quite common when I was working at a Boy Scout camp.