TOURNIQUETS AND IFAKs
First, what is an IFAK? It stands for Individual First Aid Kit. Whether you’re dealing with medical professionals or the military, they just love acronyms. An IFAK is nothing more than a small first aid kit you would carry on or about your person.
I am a trained medical first responder, and I’ve never used a tourniquet on a patient. None of my associates have used one either. The fact is that you may go your whole life and never need a tourniquet, but if you need one, you need one NOW. Not five minutes from now. Not two minutes from now. RIGHT NOW.
If you’ve read my other blogs, you know that I have used one; on myself. I almost died, because at the time, I didn’t carry a tourniquet on me. Now, I have one in my pocket every day, no matter what I’m doing.
If you need a tourniquet, the chances are that you won’t have the time, or the clarity of thought, to find one. The blood loss is so quick and severe that your blood pressure plummets and your ability to think is severely impaired. Everyone thinks they’ll use their belt, or a shoelace or something, but the odds are that simply won’t work. It’s almost impossible to tighten them down enough to stop blood loss. There simply is no substitute for a real tourniquet.
Tourniquets are for arm and leg wounds; you apply them between the wound and the body. The current school of thought is that you put it as high on the limb as possible. You don’t apply a tourniquet for minor bleeding. Use it for arterial bleeding, and don’t worry if you don’t know what that is. When you see it, you will know. Bright red blood pumping full force out of the wound.
You know a tourniquet is tight enough when the blood stops. Not until. And it will hurt. A LOT. It usually hurts more than the wound. Forget everything you’ve heard about loosening it every so often. The only one who should loosen it is the doctor at the hospital. Don’t worry about stories you’ve heard of people losing limbs because of tourniquets. Even if those stories were true, consider the alternative. What is more important? An arm or leg, or a life?
Whether you’re putting a tourniquet on yourself or someone else, chances are your hands will be covered in blood, and blood is slippery. When I was injured, my hands and the front of my body was painted red, so having a tourniquet you can apply with slippery hands is critically important.
There are lots of different tourniquets, and I’ve played with most, if not all of them. The one I carry every day is a RATS tourniquet, but I don’t recommend it. It’s not very intuitive and if you haven’t practiced a LOT, you probably won’t be able to make it work when the time comes. https://www.amazon.com/RATS-Application-Tourniquet-Hemorrhage-Emergency/dp/B087N3NBNF/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=rats+tourniquet&qid=1638982057&sr=8-5
There is another type of tourniquet on the market called a SWAT-T. They are essentially a very large rubber band. I have one, but I consider it as a backup TQ, or simply a pressure bandage. They are much cheaper than any of the alternatives; you have decide what a life is worth. https://www.amazon.com/SWAT-T-Tourniquet-Orange/dp/B00MYG9YA0/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=swat+tourniquet&qid=1638981982&sr=8-4
I prefer the North American Rescue CAT tourniquet. You can find them at Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Genuine-NAR-Tourniquet-Orange/dp/B01JD4FWY2/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=tourniquet+cat&qid=1638978308&sr=8-5
Another brand worth considering is the SOFTT-W. It’s pretty much the same as the CAT tourniquet, but the windlass (handle) is aluminum, instead of plastic.
Whichever you buy, don’t buy counterfeits or imports to save a few bucks. Spend the money and buy the real deal. That means about $30.
I strongly recommend that whatever tourniquet you use, you buy the HIGH VISIBILITY ORANGE. DO NOT BUY BLACK. Take it from me; in an emergency situation, you won’t be able to find the black tourniquet in your medical kit or glove box. Buy ORANGE.
But buying a tourniquet is only the first step. It’s too late to learn when you need one. Practice, practice, practice. Find an EMT or Medic; they’ll probably be very happy to help you.
You should carry a tourniquet in the glove box of each of your vehicles. Better yet, a full first aid kit. I carry a large emergency medical bag with a lot of supplies, but I also carry an IFAK with what I need specifically for trauma situations.
Here’s a photo and a list of the contents of my IFAK. (Those are shadows on the carpet; not dirt) The pouches are available at eBay of Amazon for about $10-15.
Shears
Medical gloves (Latex or Nitrile)
CAT-T Tourniquet
Israeli bandage
Rolled gauze
Ace bandage
HyFin chest seals
Occlusive bandages
Coban
Gauze pads
Rolled gauze
LED Flashlight
Quikclot gauze
Medical tape