Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Fiercely Loyal
I am not any anyway claiming a professional knowledge just giving personal experience from a conventional unit. So far it has been an extremely uphill battle for supplies. Hemcon bandages and ACS are like gold. Medics have been unlikely to give things to Soldiers. On a mission in Southern Iraq we made a stop. One person asked for a band aid then suddenly there is a crowd of folks on my Humvee asking for food water and medical supplies. After hollering at the medic to take it somewhere else he closed up shop. Just IMHO if you happen to stop and someone is asking for medical aid, be very SA. Also there is some type of burn dressing with a cooling liquid that works like a charm. We were called to react to an IED detonation on QRF. One soldier had an amputation but was screaming about the burns. Within 3-5 minutes of dressing being applied he was screaming about the tourniquet instead. Hope this helps.
|
Fiercely Loyal,
Those are watergel burn dressings that you're speaking of, and you really should know something about burn care/treatment before you begin throwing out advice about it. Yes, it will probably help to relieve his pain, but in burn victims with any more than 10% BSA you are going to put him or her at risk for hypothermia. (Yes even when it's 140 degrees in Iraq.) Think about it - your skin regulates your temperature. Your skin, and its ability to regulate temperature, is now compromised by the burn and now you're going to place liquid on it. Again, this depends on the percentage BSA, but the point is that you need to educate yourself on when to use the watergel dressings. In reality they are rarely indicated for use. I realize that you're trying to help soulsedition, but what happens when someone out there takes your advice and applies the watergels to a WIA with 30% BSA. Guess what, you just helped put this guy into hypothermia and with it a decreased ability to clot, advanced him into shock, and he's now dead - although you've succeeded in the fact that he's not complaining about the pain anymore.
Also, soulsedition, remember that it's the basics that save lives. The Ascherman Chest Seal is alright, but it's an occlusive dressing. Those (occlusives) can be made by you with very little ingenuity - and with supplies that you probably already have available.
All the high-speed stuff you have (or don't have) isn't going to do a lick of good for you or your guys if you don't know when to apply it. If you don't know when to use a pulse-ox then you probably don't need to be carrying one. Swatsurgeon gives good advice. Be good at the basics. Whatever TQT you use, whether it be the CAT, the SOF-T, the MAT, be efficient at using it. The best TQT is the one that works for you and your guys. If you're using the CAT - train with it like the other posters said. Make sure the one in your blow-out kits/aidbag is brand new, and make sure it will fit the legs of your bigger guys.
As for what you will be able to aquire when you get there - go through your COC and talk to the guys you're replacing. Every area is different, and what goes in Baghdad doesn't always go in Tikrit or Kirkuk, and vice versa. This applies to the situation on the ground as well as supply issues. Find a way to get this info. It's your responsibility.
Read Capt Frank Butler's (USN retired) paper on Tactical Combat Casualty Care. Then read the more recent updates to it. Then read it again and again. Know the guidelines by heart - and more importantly know when to apply the guidelines. I recommend you attend a TCCC course if you can. But learn the basics first. TCCC guidelines can easily be found on the net with a Google search. Have I mentioned learn the basics? Anyway, good luck to you.