Level of training required for safe use of tourniquets & israeli bandages?

[shootist26]

On a lot of forums, I see people say that things like CATs and Israeli bandages should be must-haves in ones range bag. From watching a lot of youtube videos, they seem straightforward to apply to somebody or ones self.

My main question is if any formal medical/trauma training is required to safely use these tools? Can one be a liability or cause more harm by improperly applying them? Or are they more or less designed to be idiot proof?

[Odin Bravo One]

Nothing is idiot proof. Any time someone makes something "idiot proof", the world responds by creating a higher quality idiot.

To answer your questions:

Yes, formal training should be required to safely use said tools.
Yes, you can cause ,more harm by improperly applying them (or applying under the wrong circumstances)

I wouldn't NOT carry them because I don't know how to use them, as someone else very well may be able to make good use of the equipment. But if I plan on carrying that sort of stuff around with me, I would put it on my short "to do" list of training courses to attend in the near future. Just like having the gun...........having it is only part of the equation. Knowing how, and when (and when not) to use it are critical parts of the same equation.

[ST911]

TQs are pretty simple to use, but professional hands-on instruction and practice is optimal. There are ways to do it wrong and do harm. Training needn't be an extended complicated endeavor however. The mechanics of using basic BOK contents can be competently covered in 2-3 hours with a quality teacher.

[Dropkick]

TQs are pretty simple to use, but professional hands-on instruction and practice is optimal. There are ways to do it wrong and do harm. Training needn't be an extended complicated endeavor however. The mechanics of using basic BOK contents can be competently covered in 2-3 hours with a quality teacher.

This has been my experience also.

[RoyGBiv]

As a non-medical guy it's always been my impression that the WHEN is the critical step.

Putting on a TQ when it's not needed can cause irreparable damage, unnecessarily. Failing to put one on when it IS needed can result in exsanguination.
When it's needed, it seems to me that doing it wrong is better than not doing it for fear of doing it wrong.

Of course training = YES, is better than training = none. But not having specific TQ training would not stop me from carrying one.

[Totem Polar]

TQs are pretty simple to use, but professional hands-on instruction and practice is optimal. There are ways to do it wrong and do harm. Training needn't be an extended complicated endeavor however. The mechanics of using basic BOK contents can be competently covered in 2-3 hours with a quality teacher.

+2.

I just got a refresher this weekend from a couple of guys who've used TQs in fights. Pretty quick lecture on the TQ portion, with CATs handed all around to be self drilled one-handed, and partner drilled two-handed.

I am far, far from any emergency med expert, but I now have several CAT TQs, including one in the driver's side door of each car my wife and I might be driving. I think I'll grab a NATO soon; they take up little enough space that I can have one on me all the time, at least in a messenger bag or attaché.

[PPGMD]

To gain knowledge of how and when to apply 8-16 hours of formal instruction.

Of course the includes applying them on yourself, and others with the instructor walking around and checking the application (you can test TQs by feeling the for pulse further down the limb). And typically scenario tests.

[TheTrevor]

Dark Angel Medical offers excellent 2-day classes which cover this. My oldest offspring and I are signed up for an upcoming class this summer.

[Dr. No]

I'll offer a differing opinion.

Everyone who has said "Putting on a TQ can cause irreparable damage" I believe are mistaken. By that same token, you are saying you could injure someone more than they are injured already if it IS needed.

Our tactical EMS medics who teach our TCCC class have made the definitive statement that "It is better to apply a TQ and not need it than vice versa". As someone who has practiced putting on a TQ in training dozens of times, I have never sustained an injury from putting a TQ on, and this is full power, cutting off blood flow so my hands or legs go numb.

A TQ can be left on a patient for many many hours before the limb will become dangerous to the body if the TQ is released. We're talking 8-12 hours. Typical transport times for a person at the range, even in a rural environment, is well below that time frame.

I put a TQ on a biker who was dirt biking and put the kickstand through the back of his leg. He had tied plastic bags over it when we finally found him (an hour after he called, he was in a rural area) and he told me that when it happened blood was "spurting out of his leg". He was still bleeding at the time and I put a TQ around his upper thigh. He was not happy with me when it was applied and he was very clearly going into shock. We had to then form a makeshift stretcher out of his bike ramp on his truck and carry him a few hundred yards and across a ravine to the ambulance.

The EMT's talked with him, looked at his injury, and removed the TQ. They said it was not needed and they didn't believe it had hit the artery. They told me that I did the right thing, especially considering the delay in care and not knowing how extensive his injuries really were.

Learning to use a TQ is very easy. There are numerous youtube videos on how to do it correctly. I can summarize in two steps. "Go high or die" - Put the TQ as high on the limb near the torso as possible, even if the injury is low on the limb. If one TQ does not stop the bleeding, put another one on. When applying the TQ, twist the windless until the patient screams. Then give it another 1/2 turn and secure it. TQs are very painful when applied correctly.

[RoyGBiv]

Tangent:
Anyone have a good source for a SOF-T Wide (1.5")? I'm looking to add one to my car/range kit.
I can handle paying $30 for one online, but the extra $10 for shipping kinda chaps my buns.

Thx

/tangent