Never used a tampon but there is a reason I have Kotex in my first aid kit. Learned its many uses a hundred years ago when I was boxing.

 

sigmund freud is probably having a siezure in his grave over this tread!

this idea originated a long time ago, before IFAK on every vest, Quickclot, medivac choppers were'nt 3minutes out, people saw a lot of buddies die. A lot of wounds in combat are not litttle punctures.
Nobody's said to stick a Tampon in every wound.Tampons were usually applied right after that last shot of Morphine that sent your brother off to the ever loving arms of Jesus. A bunker gets pretty nasty with a couple gallons of Blood on the ground....or you.
And if you have the kind of friends that would try to stick a Tampon in a 7.62 hole, your already dead.
Please, let us Speak no more of the things we knowest not of.

 

I am extremely relieved to see a thread, not just a post, devoted to this. Thanks, rachelinnys.

 

You know tampon is Latin for Harpoon, right?

 

It only works with a used Tampon, Duh....:

 

Like Rover said the tampon idea originated from soldiers trying their best to save a buddy in a time when the issued first aid consisted of a single small minimally effective pressure dressing on the lbe harness.The current IFAK has two different options for wound packing,which is an effective means of stopping bleeding.The tampon is less than ideal but better than nothing. Even in civilian EMS I have seen packing save lives,and on one ocassion have seen a finger inserted in a neck wound get someone to the OR.

http://www.ptolemy.ca/members/archives/2006/bai/bai1.htm
Think you're going to do harm or good by packing this guy's arm wound?
I'd bet you think a tourniquet is still a last ditch and airway is the first priority in trauma.

 

Packing with gauze would be a good idea with that wound. But, do you know what a tampon does when it fills with liquid?

It blossoms out. It doesn't stay a nice little plug or packing, but it expands dramatically to create V shape. And it sheds fibers like mad.

You can do a lot more harm than good by packing a wound with a tampon.


Pick up an Israeli bandage, much better off than sticking something where it sure as heck doesn't belong.

 

I know someone that told me he is alive today because his buddies girl stuck one in him after he got shot.

 

That had nothing to do with it... it had to do with what the bullet hit. It just didn't hit anything important... I'm not saying don't try, but if you're shot in the chest, you either hit a big pipe or you didn't. if you got an amazing tampon that soaks up all the blood and stops it from leaving the body, you will just contain it in the chest, the bleeding will continue. A bullet injury is deeper than the length of a tampon, and it won't stop any major bleeding any better than gauze.

If you're shot in the abdomen and you got a liver lac, tampon won't do anything.

abdomen and hit a major blood vessel tampon won't help.

Abdomen and hit kidney spleen, or pancreas, tampon won't help.

Abdomen and hit intestines and no other injury, sepsis will set in over the next 2 days without medical care, tampon won't help.

I'm curious what injury a tampon will be used to save a life. What is the mechanism of action that will be the saving feature?

 

I do it just to upset the ER Doctor, Well that and leak on the floor.
Please do not confuse the fact someone would want to stay alive. I told the gal in the ambulance to give me one and why I wanted it and she just laughed and said sure drop your drawers and bend over that will give the Doc a real chuckle
But that's just me, Heck I would wear a diaper if I thought it would help.

 

I know for a fact a finger in the wound will plug it and possibly save your life. I've seen it happen on one occaison.

As far as tampons go I got no idea if its good or bad but I suppose if you or your friend is going to die and you're out of options anything is better then nothing.

On the other hand I know that in ER they sometimes won't stich you up but use a stapler gun if they're in a hurry. Would that work with the regular office stapler? Obviously its not for really deep wounds. You probably get an infection but better to worry about that then bleeding out. RIght?

 

FYI the surgical stapler is not the same as a table top stapler. the staples don't go through the tissue like they do with paper. They pull it together. Imagine a " [ " shaped staple. placed down the middle of an incision. Squeeze the trigger and it bends the staple pulling the skin together. maing more of a " C " shape.

Stapling does not stop bleeding. It is just a fast way to close the skin.

 

To answer my own question it looks like it can be done. The staples used are not so different from the regular office ones (judging by the look). It took me quite a bit before finding a solid article on the topic. Written by a vet and discussing closing wounds on cats and dogs (under 30kg) but still understandable to a lay man. Anyways you can read the article here.

I suppose its worth a try in emergencies and with some alcohol at hand to sterilize the stapler/staples and wound it might actually work very well.

In this part it explains how to properly apply the staples:

Steps in staple closure

Perform the preparation of skin and hair (by widely prepping) if this has not been done prior;
Irrigate the tissues just prior to closure;
Use an Adson, Brown-Adson or other similar forceps to pick up the edges of the wound and gain approximation;
While holding the apposition, place a staple in the skin to appose both sides of the wound (there will be a slight mounding effect brought about by the staples. This is preferred to having any gap between the staples;
Complete the skin closure by placing one staple approximately every centimeter (Photo 1, p. 6). In some incisions where there is some tension or thinness there may be a need to place two staples every centimeter.

Emergency cases In the emergency management of traumatic wounds, the advantages of staple closure of small lacerations versus suturing are speed, no laceration surgical pack or suture is necessary and most often, only a small amount of sedation, if any, is needed. The same is true for the amount of local anesthetic required. In many cases, I just spray lidocaine or ethyl chloride into the laceration enough to provide analgesia. With proper application of skin staples there is a small gap between the top of the staple and the skin, allowing for swelling. Patients then tolerate the staples better with less effort to try and remove them.

 

one would also figure if tampons made good bullet wound plugs they would be standard on every ambulance.

 

You are missing the point.Like I said tampons are not ideal.
However if for any reason I don't have proper supplies,and someone has one in their purse or pack guess what is going to get used.The complications potentially caused by using a tampon can only occurr if the person is alive .
Again I'm not saying to go out and buy these to put in your kit,purpose made supplies will almost always work better.

As far as things that work better being "standard" on every ambulance ,don't get me started on that. Every service I have ever worked for has entirely different gear and protocols ,all of the were resistant to change to varied degrees.Unless the state mandates something it's not on there and even then it will be one of a dozen different designs or brands. Assuming a "standard of care" from one place to another is urinating into the air current.

 

Well, if you've got an ambulance...

On the other hand, if you only have what you can carry, have already depleted your supplies on various casualties, and need to do SOMETHING, well...all those who have never been there can't question anyone who has. Israelis and other combat bandages take up a lot of space and add a lot of weight. And sometimes medic bags get destroyed or otherwise rendered unusable.

Does a tampon create certain issues? Sure. Does the very environment that most people in firefights find themselves in create even worse? Yes. Does the expansion of a tampon create new damage to a gunshot wound? No. The wound has already expanded out and collapsed back far beyond the tampon's expansion abilities. Will the ER not be thoroughly cleaning the wound and snipping tissue to repair the damage? One would hope they employ such techniques. If you don't have an ER, then...

Tampons, super glue, and the like are for situations outside of ambulances and emergency rooms. Places where driving on paved roads, with sirens and laws and short time periods, is well beyond the available options. And again, all available resources have to be carried and ammo, water, equipment, and food take priority over an ambulance's supply of trauma kit.

All pros and cons have to be weighed. Most definitely with things like Quick Clot and fish pads. People need to have a working knowledge of various scenarios and possible solutions to trauma of a wide range of flavors. And they need to have an intimate knowledge of every person on their team and any existing contraindications for any and all conditions. The best training for overcoming the psychological effects of trauma to people close to you is to have more than one solution to any possible problem. Trying to recall The Way under certain conditions creates it's own friction.

That said, if your skill set tells you to turn immediately to a tampon and you haven't depleted or never had other items on hand, then the wrong person got shot.

 

I cant believe nobodys put QuickClot in a cheese whiz can yet!

 

Im bettin now somebody is calling all their buddies yelling on the phone "GET OVER HERE I JUST GOT THE BEST IDEAR EVER!! WE ARE GONNA BE RICH!!!!!!!"
lmfao
SHADOW

 

Packing wounds in the field just introduces more contamination into the wound, which creates infection, but that is why they make antibiotics........ saving lives sometimes is a compromise between best practices and absolute desperation.

Field sterile is sometimes using the side of a dressing with the least amount of dirt on it.

Tampons are a bad idea though.

 

Ok just my two cents. First of all my opinions of whether to use or pack Tampons and/or maxi pads in my own first aid kit comes from 2 seperate sources which I believe have more than enough knowledge about gun shot wounds and shtf scenes.

1. Navy SEAL cross training.
2. Air Force Pararescue Jumpers.

I have friends in both fields and both recommend the carrying and use of tampons and pads. why may you ask?

reasons:
1. Tampons expand and guess what are designed to stop a blood flow.
2. The are setrile. yes they will expand but that is a great thing, espically since, THEY ARE STERILE.
3. In a no S*** real world situtaion, who cares if you have a few pieces of sterile cotton in your arm. If you bleed out you wont have time to worry about infection.
4. I worked for a police department with a force of over 500 officers. most of the cops I knew, at least those that took the job seriously, had go bags with medicial/first aid kits with these things in there.
5. Quik Clot vs tampons. In a real world SHTF, how man of us will have enough saline soltion to rise out the left over quick clot?
6. Little known fact quick clot will actually burn the exterior muscles of the bullet wound making infection much more probable.

Just my two cents, but I have and will carry tampons for just this reason. Is it perfect by no means, but in a SHTF ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

Ok just my two cents. First of all my opinions of whether to use or pack Tampons and/or maxi pads in my own first aid kit comes from 2 seperate sources which I believe have more than enough knowledge about gun shot wounds and shtf scenes.

1. Navy SEAL cross training.
2. Air Force Pararescue Jumpers.

I have friends in both fields and both recommend the carrying and use of tampons and pads. why may you ask?

reasons:
1. Tampons expand and guess what are designed to stop a blood flow.

Which is why you don't want to put them into a wound that isn't made up of elastic tissue.

A vagina is made to expand to allow an infants body to pass through. Your chest cavity isn't.

2. The are setrile. yes they will expand but that is a great thing, espically since, THEY ARE STERILE.

They are not sterile. They are clean but by no means sterile.

3. In a no S*** real world situtaion, who cares if you have a few pieces of sterile cotton in your arm. If you bleed out you wont have time to worry about infection.

Again, not sterile.

4. I worked for a police department with a force of over 500 officers. most of the cops I knew, at least those that took the job seriously, had go bags with medicial/first aid kits with these things in there.

Yes for women. Not for bullet wounds.

5. Quik Clot vs tampons. In a real world SHTF, how man of us will have enough saline soltion to rise out the left over quick clot?

Quik clot is now in a pad, or gauze. No more loose powder. If you have loose powder it's time to change out your Quik Clot.

6. Little known fact quick clot will actually burn the exterior muscles of the bullet wound making infection much more probable.

Old Quik Clot did that, the newer stuff does not.

Just my two cents, but I have and will carry tampons for just this reason. Is it perfect by no means, but in a SHTF ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

It's far from perfect, and it's using an item that has not a bit of sense applied to it.

Tampons used in their normal function introduce bacteria that has been known to kill people. To use it to plug a wound, you're playing with fire.

Packing is not longer approved for wound care. Direct pressure from a pressure bandage (like the Israel Bandage) is much more suitable for field dressings.

Tampons shouldn't even be used by women in my opinion they are that destructive.

 

....... The only reason I would stuff a tampon in someone is if I shot them and was trying to extract intel out of them.

 

Funny we still get taught to pack a wound in our Combat Lifesaver Classes, and Everyone in my unit carried UNSCENTED tampons in our IFAK in Iraq.. Its a last ditch measure sure but definitely better than nothing. We also still use a form of Curlex gauze to pack wounds with.

 

Wound packing is no longer the way to go. It traps bacteria within the wound.

OK Everyone keeps saying tampon. What about sanitary napkin? Would this be a good idea for direct pressure? It would absorb blood and cover the wound. Pretty much a cheap battle dressing. As far as quickclot, it is my understanding that celluox (I think that's the name) works better and doesn't act like superglue. Any input please?

Sanitary napkin is good for direct pressure as you aren't shoving loose fibers up into a wound.

 

OK Everyone keeps saying tampon. What about sanitary napkin? Would this be a good idea for direct pressure? It would absorb blood and cover the wound. Pretty much a cheap battle dressing. As far as quickclot, it is my understanding that celluox (I think that's the name) works better and doesn't act like superglue. Any input please?

 

Okay, let me settle this once and for all. Quick Clot got a bad rap because their earlier product, the Quick Clot Granules, would float into peoples eyes, and cause burns on skin.

They have FIXED this problem. Celox is no safer than Quick Clot, they are essentially the same product, made by different companies. In my personal preference, I like Celox in the plungers, and Quick Clot Combat Gauze Z-fold.

Hope that helps.

 

"The complications potentially caused by using a tampon can only occurr if the person is alive ."

So let me get this straight. You are gonna shove a tampoooooon in a dead guys bullet wound? Mmmmmm ok.!?...
SHADOW

 

Deathmaul,



Nope he was quoting me, that wasn't what I meant.

 

while i agree its a bad idea if there are any other options available, i personally know of two people who are alive today due to putting tampons in a bullet, and a knife wound. one was a sgt in my unit before i joined. he was in a convoy back before you had to have uparmored outside the wire. during an ambush he took a round under the left arm that was low enough to miss the heart but got his lung(scw). the man in back put a tampon into it until they could get out of the kill zone and give him over to the medic. the other was just a dumb ass specialist who ****ed off an old marine known as "gunny" and got stabbed in the ass cheek for his efforts. they were in a very isolated position and had to wait for about 45min for the replacements to show up so they could take him to the fob. as such it was common practice for each vehicle that went outside the wire to have a box of tampons in it as a last resort. using them was considered the lesser of two evils.

 

I'd figure you wouldn't want to go digging for a bullet, period. No pun intended.

I'd guess that it gets hot when it's whizzing at the speed of sound, so it's 'clean' as it enters you. grimy-ass fingers, knives, and pliers goring around in the wound would just screw it up. Just leave it in for the emergency room, or carry it in you forever. Won't hurt much. Unless it's hugging an artery

 

Anyone who uses a tampon to plug a bullet hole is about as stupid as a pile of rocks. Learn REAL first responder / emergency medical care and get REAL supplies. Stop trying to wing it on the cheap.

 

What I was told by a top firearms trainer who has and still takes field medical classes.

 

I have never read or been told to pack a wound with a tampon but I have been told to cover and fix a tampon over the wound kinda like a pressure dressing.

 

Here is how I see it. Why would you use a tampon, when a pressure dressing is DESIGNED to stop massive bleeding from trauma? There is a reason EMT's and paramedics don't carry tampons.

 

Well, we did carry them, but for their intended purpose not for bullet wounds.

 

Put a tampon in a bottle of beer with about a 1/2" left in it. See what happens. I can't see how that would not make a traumatic hole worse then it is already.
How do you get a 1/2" peg in a 3/8" hole anyway?

 

OK, I've got a little experiment for you "expansionists"(LOL). Put the same tampon in the finger or a nitrile glove,then fill the thing with water and tie it off.

Again, a few of you are missing the point. Get good purpose made supplies,but if for whatever reason you don't have them use what you can get your hands on.

For the guy who asked if I meant plugging a dead guys wound.No ,obviously not,it means if you don't stop the bleeding because you are scared to cause infection they will die.Only the living have to worry about a secondary infection,save the man's life using what you have, then worry about it.