usafmedic45
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The dreaded double post!
Why do YOU carry a personal jump/trauma bag?
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Pneumothorax
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only 26? why not 30? might have a full church bus accident u have to triage
exactly. if u get an infectious disease or hit by a semi truck what good are u to that patient? LOL.
too much work, just cut them off and say... trust me im a trained medical professional
JPINFV
Gadfly
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too much work, just cut them off and say... trust me im a trained medical professional
Yes... I have a similar shirt actually.
medichopeful
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Do you know where I can buy that? I feel I could do a lot of good and save a lot of lives at every scene I come across :wacko:
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Melclin
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With the exception of the "full size SAM splint" I like her suggestions. quite practical, and something you could easily tuck into your glove box.
I used to have a first aid kit in my car, that was mostly for hangover curing (disolvable aspirin, berocca and a liberal helping of sodium bic, co-administered with a large plate of lasagne - best cure ever). I found though that everyone else kept nicking stuff out of it, so I stopped restocking it.
I do have alcohol swabs in my wallet, mostly for when I've touched something disgusting, but they come in handy for everything. Cleaning glasses, cuts, got some permanent marker of a whiteboard at uni, fixed my cousin's blackberry with some swaps once.
usafmedic45
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You're welcome.
I can see you don't agree with my stance, but do you think it makes me a bad person simply because I don't believe we are beholden to endanger ourselves? Key phrase here: "endanger ourselves"...if I can do it safely, in keeping with the accepted practices of our profession, then I will help. If not, then I am simply another passerby with a cell phone. It is not a matter of "I don't help when off duty", it's a matter of "I don't endanger myself as a standard practice, on or off duty" Any problem with that?
usafmedic45
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Same here. Well, the paycheck doesn't hurt my desire to show up to work either. LOL
No, it isn't. It's like a LOT of other jobs, but not all of them. But then again, being an electrician and waitress don't have a whole hell of a lot in common with each other either....
We are trained from the first day of class to not endanger ourselves in the name of "saving a life". Ethical compulsions or not, our first responsibility is always to ourselves. BTW, once people start telling me how I should feel about something, I begin to question what agenda they are trying to advance and generally start tuning them out, especially when it involves risking my life or decreasing the balance in my bank account.
He's also not risking his life by helping those people out. Learn to pick better examples.
Amazingly, some of us are actually *pauses to allow shocked gasping* in it for a paycheck. Well, maybe not EMS, but health care in general. It's a job just like anything else.
The difference you are missing, that is leading to this idea that we do not want to help whenever the opportunity presents itself, is that some of us- most of us, it seems- are not willing to die simply because a minority of us (mostly the newbies and the emotionally and academically vacuous amongst us) think we are some how more beholden to offer ourselves as sacrificial lambs at some imagined altar. Calling 911 and staying safe while doing so is helping. It's better than the alternative which is walking away and not doing a damn thing about something that does not concern or even involve me.
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usafmedic45
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Do that for a few shifts then take them and fill them with water. Chances are you'll find leaks in them. Gloves, especially nitrile, don't hold up well to friction, heat and other abuses that they encounter in pockets. The patient is going to benefit far more from that space being taken up by a cell phone than by a couple pair of gloves.
LucidResq
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I know this is digging back, but it's a good point. Several of us have mentioned a willingness to, in a serious accident, call 911 and then perhaps hold c-spine or jaw-thrust... I have a traffic vest that was issued to me and I do keep it in my trunk. I have never used it, but if I were to decide to assist at an accident as described, I would definitely be wearing it.
Hopefully I would actually have gloves... I tend to steal gloves from my car to dye my hair or pick up dog poop in the yard.
Random whacker story... did I ever tell you about the time I argued with one because he was adamant that the service he vollied for carried 50% lidocaine.... for parenteral use (not that the idea of such an amount of lidocaine for topical use isn't equally insane...).
It's one thing to tell a stupid person that they're wrong (even offering, do you mean 0.5%.... maybe?!), it's an entirely different thing when you explain to them all the reasons they're wrong and they won't stop freaking arguing with you that they're right....
Had to get that off my chest. Sorry.
First and only aid
I have a larger first aid kit that stays at home for use on the family...for those times that it's past band-aid stage, but I don't need to call for an Engine, Rescue, and a trip to the ER...like today my kid brother getting a fairly good laceration on his hand. It's handy to have the stuff around.
When I'm not on duty I usually just have some gloves, trauma pads, and cpr mask in the car...for the rest of the world.
I have a larger first aid kit that stays at home for use on the family...for those times that it's past band-aid stage, but I don't need to call for an Engine, Rescue, and a trip to the ER...like today my kid brother getting a fairly good laceration on his hand. It's handy to have the stuff around.
When I'm not on duty I usually just have some gloves, trauma pads, and cpr mask in the car...for the rest of the world.
Hal9000
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mycrofft
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Belt as tourniquet
1. You need a belt that will clinch at the right length and not stretch or snap.
2. You need to leave a generous fist's space of slack, not cinch it down, then secure it to length (close the buckle). A 1.5 inch web belt is better because you won't have to cut a new hole for the wimpy buckle tongue.
3. The handle for the windlass has to be substantial, not a popsicle stick, and long enough to exert enough torsion, then get secured in place.
4. You need to apply enough torsion to stop arterial flow or it can make it bleed somewhat worse. This will cause the patient excruciating pain. Many folks will not do it.
5. The handle may not be parallel with the limb when it has enough torsion. You will need to find a practical way to secure it, or crank it up enough so it is parallel with the limb.
6. Then you need something to tie it in place.
All this while the pt is bleeding out, and usually in the dark, the rain, under fire, running from the toxic cloud, whatever.
How did we slip back onto tourniquets from why we carry kits?? Mea culpa, cinco es quatro.
1. You need a belt that will clinch at the right length and not stretch or snap.
2. You need to leave a generous fist's space of slack, not cinch it down, then secure it to length (close the buckle). A 1.5 inch web belt is better because you won't have to cut a new hole for the wimpy buckle tongue.
3. The handle for the windlass has to be substantial, not a popsicle stick, and long enough to exert enough torsion, then get secured in place.
4. You need to apply enough torsion to stop arterial flow or it can make it bleed somewhat worse. This will cause the patient excruciating pain. Many folks will not do it.
5. The handle may not be parallel with the limb when it has enough torsion. You will need to find a practical way to secure it, or crank it up enough so it is parallel with the limb.
6. Then you need something to tie it in place.
All this while the pt is bleeding out, and usually in the dark, the rain, under fire, running from the toxic cloud, whatever.
How did we slip back onto tourniquets from why we carry kits?? Mea culpa, cinco es quatro.
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mycrofft
Still crazy but elsewhere
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A better question:
"Does you first aid kit that stays at home compare to your jump kit?".
"Does you first aid kit that stays at home compare to your jump kit?".
usafmedic45
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:deadhorse:
Welcome to my entire existence on this forum.
:beerchug:
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I have the vest in case I need to be on the a highway or road for any reason like my car breaking down. I have stopped at major car accidents but not any in 3 years.
usafmedic45
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Actually the last thing you want in a tourniquet is something as rigid as leather. Not to mention the tendency of smooth surfaces to slip when you are dealing with a blood-covered extremity.
+1. Same here. I keep the raincoat I was issued by the VFD in the back of my POV for just such an occurrence.
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mycrofft
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Rich Corinthian leather.
B)
Most buckles and snaps tend to fail also, they need to be on the side, not around the handle.
Maybe a strap-type oil filter wrench with a ratchet...
B)
Most buckles and snaps tend to fail also, they need to be on the side, not around the handle.
Maybe a strap-type oil filter wrench with a ratchet...
usafmedic45
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What a waste of good craftsmanship....
As a side note, most people don't realize the amount of pressure it takes to compress a femoral artery. I have a very distinct and clear memory of kneeling on a Marine's thigh wound because it took almost my full body weight (185 lbs at the time) to compress enough to staunch the bleeding. The guy had legs like tree trunks and even someone in peak physical condition like I was (275 lb bench press, held the base pushup record at the time, etc) I couldn't push hard enough with my hands.
While it's an extreme example, it still makes a point that we need to be prepared for more than what we expect.
mycrofft
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We need realistic training.
We're way off kits, but they are part of the Wonderland mindframe. Bring in a bone-in ham and a pressure transducer and have trainees try to get enough torsion on it.
We have trained four generations of EMS workers to dress, TK and splint forearms.
How'd that thigh compression work for you? Was the pt helpful??
Oh, and about using dental floss....
We're way off kits, but they are part of the Wonderland mindframe. Bring in a bone-in ham and a pressure transducer and have trainees try to get enough torsion on it.
We have trained four generations of EMS workers to dress, TK and splint forearms.
How'd that thigh compression work for you? Was the pt helpful??
Oh, and about using dental floss....
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