How much blood loss is too much?
In December 1970, the US military published data on 7,800 soldier and Marine casualties from the conflict in Vietnam. In that data, specifically 10% of combat fatalities were from extremity hemorrhage. This dataset would later form the first TCCC guidelines in 1996. With the widespread adoption of tourniquets by the US. Military in the early 21st Century, death from massive extremity hemorrhage is now unusual in combat. This improvement has lead to greater awareness of massive hemorrhage from “junctional areas” like the neck, axilla/armpit, and groin, areas not amenable to circumferential tourniquet placement. To be facile at controlling massive hemorrhage, wound packing is a needed but often neglected skill set.
🕖 Reading Time, 4 minutes Manual inguinal compression of the vasculature can work to occlude distal arterial blood flow. It may not constantly occlude during the entire time the rescuer is applying pressure and might require “readjustment” of the rescuer’s …
Marie and her family enjoy the traditional Christmas evening gathering including dancing and a visit from Herr Drosselmeyer. Marie and her brother receive extravagant gifts, Marie’s is an exquisitely crafted nutcracker. Suddenly, there is a sound to the south of …
If you are going to carry a tourniquet, we feel two is the minimum load-out carried on the body. 🕖 Reading Time, 3 minutes The best data available indicates a 70% occlusion rate of a single tourniquet on a volunteer …
CAT Environmental Breakage 🕖 Reading Time, 3 minutes We receive frequent questions about shelf-life and environmental degradation of tourniquets. There has been some discussion in the US Department of Defense about declaring a five-year self-life for new, unused commercial tourniquets …
🕖 Reading Time, 9 minutes When a casualty steps on a blast mine or is very close to an explosive charge, the explosive force travels up the leg/limb of the casualty stripping skin, fascia, and muscle off the bone. This …
The term “junctional hemorrhage” refers to injuries and bleeding occurring at the transition zones between the extremities and the torso. 🕖 Reading Time, 4 minutes The term first appeared in the medical literature in December 2009. Although not an extremity, …