hello, I am medic mark,ask me a question.

[SooBee]

Mark, I remember being handed a kit and told to go and give Mr X his injection. I had never been taught to inject more than an orange. So I grabbed a passing doctor and much to his surprise he found himself monitoring me so I could be sure I wasn't more dangerous than I had to be. We all have to learn sometime.

[medicmark]

yep I remember being told that too and practising on oranges and simulators, that stopped many moons ago as they realised it was dangerous and did not teach you the skill to do the task. now everything is competency based, someone with you whilst you do it in nursing its 4 years before you go alone, paramedics 3 years i think.

yes everyone has to learn, but not when the s has hit the fan, its like giving someone a gun who has no idea about it and saying strip it, put it back together and shoot it, both gun and injecions equally dangerous.

In A SHTF situation 1 would you want to do this if not trained and 2 would you need to- i am sure even in an apocalyptic disaster there's going to be some doctors, nurses and paramedics left.
Mark.

[SooBee]

Good analogy. I was married to a weapons instructor who taught me a little about weapon handling.

With injections I was worried I might deliver an air embolism but good sound procedures and practice got me over that hump. We had to take off on a wing and a prayer in those days. I was in my thirties but most student nurses were not long out of school and seemed to have the confidence of the totally ignorant. I was forever being told to 'just go for it'...it quite put me off being a patient!

[sethorly]

Mark - when should we use celox, and when should we not use celox. Cheers.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Mark - when should we use celox, and when should we not use celox. Cheers.

In what form celox gauze / powder?

On my recent first aid at work course we got told to use it if the first trauma dressing becomes saturated after trying direct pressure... Remove it pack with celox gauze then apply fresh trauma dressing and apply pressure for 5 minutes.... From my course book:

download/file.php?id=1161&mode=view

[sethorly]

Hi Andy, I have the powder. Thanks for the info - so it's a 2nd line of defence should normal dressing fail.

(I understand there'll be people reading my question and thinking that I ought not to have something I haven't been trained on (I won't tell them about my CAT!); although significant first aid training is on my wish list I am simply too busy, and if my loved ones are hurt I'll do whatever it takes.)

[Yorkshire Andy]

Hi Andy, I have the powder. Thanks for the info - so it's a 2nd line of defence should normal dressing fail.

(I understand there'll be people reading my question and thinking that I ought not to have something I haven't been trained on (I won't tell them about my CAT!); although significant first aid training is on my wish list I am simply too busy, and if my loved ones are hurt I'll do whatever it takes.)

Its Ok having it just dont go using it on strangers unless your trained,, Bit like my Sam Splint.. Current first aid doesn't include splinting But if one of the kids fell and broke their wrist i'd use it to stabilise the break as i can remember the bone jarring ride in the car to hospital at about 10 years old...




A work mate has just been on the 1 day EFA@W course and it also included tourniquets... Even if your not trained a passing First aider / medic on a day off may use it for example


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[medicmark]

Hi All, cellox or heamostatic agents, love this stuff as long as used properly, saying that I have used it to both stabilise and stop a blokes leg from dropping off and/or bleeding to death many years ago.

remember always KISS, if bleeding and can raise limb, pad and pressure, then indirect pressure.
If a wound to thorax pad and pressure- if its obvious shtf like an amputation or gunshot wound treat as such- tourniquet if appropriate, heamostatics and ensure ambulance en route.

personally I have granules, but after much talks with guys who have used it in war zones and the like the pads or gauze is the way to go as it doesnt get blown out by the wind, is not such a pain in the arse for the surgeon and it actually is better in packing and applying pressure internally than the granules.

as has been said before, you are all adults and responsible for your own actions so theres 2 scenarios every day life shtf and the other total shtf and its now john wayne time as no helps coming soon, or ever.

everyday shtf, please remember the public see pound signs first before gratitude so if you know what your doing/ experienced/confident/signed off- if the persons screwed remember the kiss principals as above.

scenario 2 triage your patients and do your best.

again good bits of kit.
downside goes out of date and does become less effective, I have experience of it, and its pretty expensive.

kep the questions flowing guys, happy to put my 2 peneth in

[sethorly]

Thanks Mark, I'll look into the gauze.

Andy - funnily enough a sam splint is on my to-buy bookmark menu (along with a tonne of other stuff!).

[Yorkshire Andy]

On the raising a limb the trainer got all excited on the fa@w requal course recently as the European guidance has removed the raise limb part as apparently been dropped

Having done a show me tell me

"My wrist is bleeding show me and tell me what you'd do"

Sit you down

Gloves

Check wound for debris

Wound dressing wrap apply pressure

And at the point of lifting his arm high he got excited