[swatsurgeon]

Originally Posted by Red

So you feel that compression bandages have no use in battlefield medecine?

Absolutely not...I was referring to the cinch tight elastic 'tourniquick'. I didn't see the 'bandage' on the web site referred to. The thing I am referring to is a 1-1.25 inch wide rubber band with hooks on the ends. I received 2 of them as samples when I did a head to head on all civilian available tourniquets and the 1st one snapped in half when I stretched it to occlude blood flow around a leg and the second failed to reduce arterial blood flow as assessed by doppler despite it being on what I considered maximum tension. It also does not follow the guidelines specified by DOD for specs that all tourniquets should have. We have learned most of the valuable material in the civilian world on tourniquets from the DOD as well as compression dressings. Most are simply big 'sponges' that are really good at absorbing the patients blood and really poor at applying directed pressure over the bleeder.. For exposed tissue that needs containment, apply a pressure bandage, for big bleeding apply a tourniquet.

and BTW Red, do watch how you phrase questions here, we do deal on a 'higher' playing field, we are not amateurs and questions like you posed are potentially inflammatory. You should ask yourself why a trauma surgeon or 18D, or other field medic here is here at all....experience, experience, experience. Battlefield use of a compression dressing has indications, I would never argue that. Asking me if they should be used is paramount to asking if a sidearm should be carried when someone has a long gun.
Read, listen and ask when no answers are found with the search button and before you ask it, ask yourself how it will sound to the moderators and those active and retired that are the basis of this site.

ss