38 years ago, today I had my first combat experience. I remember the day because it was my wife’s birthday. Great, huh? The trauma has been minimized but the lessons have lived on. We all have adversity in our lives. We must ask God what He would have us learn from these experiences. It helped me to mitigate the trauma. One of the things I learned from this harrowing experience was how to manage gunshot wounds. We experienced 200 to 300 against our 32. We lost 4 but several were wounded. It’s a miracle that many survived. We had some top-notch medics that made a huge difference in minimizing lives lost.
MARCH stands for Massive Hemorrhage, Airway, Respiration, Circulation and Hypothermia.
Remember this acronym to be able to assess the life-giving aid needed
Stay Calm and Assess the Situation
This is where the rubber meets the road. Some people are not built for the gore and the emergency of a situation. It does not have to be combat to be serious and life threatening.
Stay calm to assess the situation and make sure you and the injured person are in a safe place.
You can’t help if you’re in danger too. Once you’re sure it's safe, move quickly to the casualty.
Stop The Bleeding
Massive bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death in gunshot wounds. Your priority is to stop the bleeding, especially if it's from an arm or leg.
Related Medical Supplies:
- Tourniquet: If the bleeding is from a limb and it's severe, apply a tourniquet immediately. A good military gunshot wound kit will include a high-quality tourniquet which is ready to use and staged for fast application. Place it as high as possible and tighten as tight as possible.
- Compressed Gauze: If the wound is too high or too deep for a tourniquet (such as on the neck or torso), use compressed gauze to pack the wound. This helps stop internal
bleeding. Pack it tightly into the wound to put pressure on the bleeding vessel. After that, apply a trauma bandage to secure it in place.
· Blood stoppers: Surgical pads are the best for stopping serious bleeding. The pads that come in most first aid kits are woefully inadequate. Several surgical pads have the thickness to stop bleeding.
Seal the Chest Wound
If the gunshot wound is in the chest, you need to act fast to seal the wound as soon as possible. Gunshot wounds to the chest can cause a condition called tension pneumothorax, air gets trapped in the chest cavity and collapses the lung.
Related Medical Supplies:
- Chest Seal for Gunshot Wound: Most gunshot wound first aid kits come with vented chest seals designed specifically for a chest open wound.
Apply the chest seal directly over the wound, making sure the edges are completely sealed to prevent air from getting in. There might be an exit wound on their back—so check and apply another chest seal if needed. The vented type is recommended because it lets air and blood escape through the channel while preventing air from re-entering.
Check Breathing and watch for Tension Pneumothorax
Once you’ve controlled the bleeding and sealed any chest wounds, it’s time to check the casualty's breath and look for signs of tension pneumothorax. If the Casualty is having increasing difficulty breathing, this might be what is happening.
- Signs of Tension Pneumothorax: Difficulty breathing, rapid shallow breaths, bluish skin (cyanosis), and chest pain.
- Action: Ensure the vented chest seal is functioning properly, allowing air to escape. If breathing becomes more difficult, you may need to perform a needle decompression (with proper training and equipment,) and prepare for rapid evacuation.
In many cases, the person who is injured won’t make it to the hospital without immediate care. That’s why having a gunshot wound first aid kit nearby is so important. Whether it’s in your vehicle, home, or on you during outdoor activities, being prepared means, you can provide lifesaving care.
Gunshot Trauma Kit contents
· Bandage Scissors
· Curved Hemostat
· Venom Nitrile Gloves – No Latex
· Face Masks
· Alcohol Wipes
· Betadine Iodine
· Mylar Blanket – avoid shock
· Ammonia inhaler
· CPR Mask
· Red Marker
· Incident Report
· CAT Tourniquet
· H & H Dressing
· Adhesive Tape – Latex Free
· Israeli Bandage / Emergency Pressure Bandage
· #10 Scalpel
· Decompression Needle
· Roll Gauze
· Celox-A Sterile ABD Pads
· Double Chest Seal
- For Bleeding: Tourniquet, Compressed Gauze, Combat Gauze with Kaolin, gloves, trauma shears
- For Chest Wound: Chest Seal kit, gloves, trauma shears
It’s important to react quickly to a gunshot wound. Some cases would be something that needs immediate attention even for a through-and-through or a nick. Some may be minor blood loss but it’s not always clear what was hit inside the body.
It takes a little preparation in gear and learned skills that can mean the difference between life or death. It’s not always that dire, until it is. Get basic training and have the tools necessary to save a life if called upon. I can tell you from personal experience that’s it’s not a good experience to watch someone die in front of you and feeling helpless. Preparedness is the answer. Be prepared!
Semper Paratus
Check6
Burn
No comments:
Post a Comment