First Aid Details

Posted by: Blue

Some quick info from my tactical officer first aid course recertification:

• It takes as little as 90 seconds for catastrophic blood loss to occur from an untreated femoral artery bleed. As little as 150 seconds from an untreated brachial artery bleed.
• The most common death by a treatable injury in battle is a bleed-out from a femoral or brachial artery. 
• Chances of survival for a person whose heart and lungs have stopped functioning with CPR alone is between 2% and 5%. Survival chances increase to between 70% and 75% in the event that an AED is available and used appropriately. 
•  Tactical first aid changes the typical ABC (airway, breathing, circulation) of civilian first aid to  CAB, because catastrophic blood loss becomes more dangerous than breathing in the first four minutes. 
• A bleed from the torso is treated by packing the wound and applying indirect pressure. 
• A sucking chest wound is a hole in the rib cage area of the torso which allows air to enter the body, causing danger of collapsed lungs. An occlusive dressing prevents further air from compressing the organs. A gloved hand is one of the simplest ways to apply an occlusive dressing.