Traumatic Medicine Articles

Rapid Tourniquet Use Saves Philadelphia Police Officer

Rapid Tourniquet Use Saves Philadelphia Police Officer

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“It is important to point out that he applied a tourniquet himself because he was bleeding profusely,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross A young Philadelphia, Pennsylvania police officer will live to return to duty after being shot through the upper thigh by a thug trying to steal a car. While attempting to apprehend two car thieves, Officer James McCullough was shot by a suspect. Recognizing the life-threatening injury, Officer McCullough applied a tourniquet to his own leg and arrived alive at the Emergency Room. At press time he is expected to make a full recovery. This is not the first time an American law enforcement officer has used a tourniquet to save a life after being shot by a thug.…

“There’s Been An Accident!” Every Parent’s Worst Nightmare

“There’s Been An Accident!” Every Parent’s Worst Nightmare

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  “There’s been an accident, we are on the way to the hospital.” Those words heard through the earpiece of a telephone are enough to make any parent’s knees weak and their heart begin to pound in their chest. Although we don’t like to think about it, any time we let our kids out of our sight, let them stay over at a friends house or ride in a car with a friend, we fear those dreaded words. My wife and I have experienced those words. They are usually followed by words of reassurance. “Billy is okay.” or “Suzy got hurt, but its not that bad.” Let’s face it, regardless of the words of reassurance, we cannot truly calm down…

3 Things Your Concealed Carry Gun Cannot Do

3 Things Your Concealed Carry Gun Cannot Do

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Recently, we at Student of the Gun addressed the subject of going armed to the zoo, or anywhere else for that matter. With a very quick, easy to follow video we pointed out how a person can be very well-armed, but do so discreetly, even when wearing just a T-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. All it really takes is a bit of forethought. We pointed out that, as we have been preaching for decades, an armed citizen needs more than merely a firearm to be prepared for the unexpected eventualities the world throws at us. When you step out of your front door, you have control over your actions, but no control over the actions of those you…

The MBV: the Donut that Could Save Your Life

The MBV: the Donut that Could Save Your Life

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The victim had been stabilized, a tourniquet was applied to his left leg to stem a massive hemorrhage from the partial amputation that occurred during a motorcycle crash. The first responder on the scene had used a military-style first aid kit to treat the man’s wounds and prevent any more blood loss.  That was the good news. Due to the remoteness of the area, the nearest ambulance crew were volunteer firefighters and EMT’s. The 9-1-1 dispatcher had advised that help would be on the way, estimated time of arrival was twenty to thirty minutes. Although he was no longer bleeding, the victim of the crash had lost a great deal of blood and was starting to go into shock; hypovolemic…

Killing With No Regard to Healing. Are Your Priorities Backwards?

Killing With No Regard to Healing. Are Your Priorities Backwards?

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Take note of the date and time. Check your clocks and your calendar. Write it down if you have to, I’m about to admit an error on my part. That’s right, my judgment was clouded. I mistakenly thought that when addressing the matter of traumatic first aid, life-saving measures used to stop-gap a potentially terminal injury that “the choir” would understand. I’m not speaking about the sheep. Sheep are by nature just that, sheep. They are subservient and rely on something other than themselves for protection and salvation. Sheep are happy in their helplessness. Target Audience I am speaking of gun owners, those who look at firearms as a tool potentially used to save their lives. I’m talking about men…

The Tourniquet Boogeyman

The Tourniquet Boogeyman

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During the Cold War Era with few exceptions, the powers that be were more concerned with winning the next conflict with B-52 bombers and nuclear-powered submarines than infantry troops. Ground troops were considered an ancillary component to warfare, not the prime focus. As such the budgets for training and gear were sparse at best. Live-fire was limited and combat focused training was rather stagnant. When I attended USMC Infantry School our first aid training mirrored that of the Red Cross civilian program and while battlefield trauma was talked about, little emphasis was put on self-aid and buddy-aid. The primary care giver on the battlefield was the Navy Corpsman and your first aid kit was carried merely to give the Corpsman…