Oh dear, I just chopped my leg! (scenario)

[alick]

I would never handle gunpowder without military knowledge, or the like!

I'd say the gunpowder debate is all pretty irrelevant. Modern cartridges (rifle, pistol or shotgun) are not filled with gunpowder but with various grades and quantities of nitrocellulose "powder". This is quite stable but explosive if ignited in a closed space. If a spark is dropped on a small quantity (less than a teaspoon full) loosely piled in the open, it just burns (very very quickly). I've burnt off spoilt powder and doubt it would be much use as tinder because it burns too fast.

As someone mentioned, it is very hard to pull the bullet out of a cartridge. If you ignite a round while trying to pull it apart, the case WILL explode, so DON'T. When making or reloading ammunition as I used to do as a target shooter, the very occasional mis-assembled rounds had to be dismantled to make them safe. This is done with a kinetic bullet puller, not pliers. Not something you usually carry into the field .

Shotgun shells on the other hand are easily cut or broken open and their powder is the slowest burning. I still advise against it though because of the risk of igniting the powder or primer. Except for out and out survival situations it's too easy to have a better alternative.

Alick

 

[alick]

Also, any experience of QuikClot?

Adi, you can buy quickclot here in the uk
http://dyna-med.co.uk/quikclot.html

I've wondered about it myself. I first saw it mentioned on donrearic.com - an American site dedicated to self defense against serious violence. It is described under the first-aid section.

Cheers

 

[RovingArcher]

Now you have a burn injury and burns are highly susceptible to infection, on this you would need to talk to a medical proffessional. I know that cauterization is still used in a medical/controlled enviroment, but to what extent is another matter.QUOTE]

Placing raw honey directly onto a burn will help to soothe the pain and because bacteria cannot live in raw honey, it will stop any infection from getting into the damaged area. It will also help the healing process and in many instances eliminates scaring. Good stuff to have along when you need a jolt of quick clean burning fuel for energy or other medicinal purposes. Sweetens fairly well too.

 

[leon-1]

Thanks RA, I will have to include some in my FAK, however will have to stop myself from putting it on everything edible/drinkable, the last thing I want is dental hassles. ):

 

[Martyn]

Placing raw honey directly onto a burn will help to soothe the pain and because bacteria cannot live in raw honey, it will stop any infection from getting into the damaged area. It will also help the healing process and in many instances eliminates scaring. Good stuff to have along when you need a jolt of quick clean burning fuel for energy or other medicinal purposes. Sweetens fairly well too.

If the burn is bad, all you should use is lots of cold water and clingfilm. If you have an aqueous burns gel in your FAK, then use that under the clingfilm. It's true, honey impregnated dressings are sometimes used for certain types of injuries in some institutions or so I gather, but as far as I know, the medical literature is inconclusive about it's use. You certainly should not use honey on a bad burn just before calling for medical help, you'll just end up in an awful lot of pain as they try and sponge off the sticky, gooey mess from your burnt flesh.

You know, I know everone is searching for a bushcrafty, medical, magic bullet here, but it doesnt exist. You'd all be well advised to forget all about turniquets, gunpowder, superglue, sphagnum moss, burning yourself with hot irons, honey, self-sutureing or home brain surgery. leave it to Rambo and the professional medics. There's a lot of good advice in this thread, but there are a lot of "fringe" suggestions too that are frankly harmful or even potentially life threatening. There are very, very few places in the UK where you cant get prompt and excellent medical attention in very short order. If you need it, use it. You *might* get away with using some of the "fringe" suggestions, but then again, you might not. You may very well end up doing far more bad than good. Do yourself a favour, use FA dressings that you've got from Boots.

My professional advice is this:
If you've got a serious wound, apply direct and firm pressure, use a blood stopper bandage if you have one, if you dont, use the cleanest piece of material you have available. Elevate your wounded limb if possible and call for help.
If there is another health care professional on this forum with different advice, I'd love to hear it.

You might have an uncle who was in the SAS during the Crimea, and after having his leg blown off with a cannon, was perfectly alright just gaffer-taping it back on but you wont be so lucky. Just raise a glass to his superb courage and fortitude and when it's your turn, call an ambulance. :roll: :biggthump

 

[Steve K]

Very well put Martyn, I only wish I was as goo with words.

May I ask what your profession is?

On a slightly different tact (??), earlier in the year I was on a course with Woodlore one of the other students managed to cut himself pretty well and had to be stri-stripped, but the guys from Woodlore applied a brownish (I think) liquid, normally used for something quite different over the cut because it performs like a glue (again I think that was the purpose??).
Does anybody know what it was?

 

[Martyn]

Very well put Martyn, I only wish I was as goo with words.

May I ask what your profession is?

I'm an RN. I work in an intensive care unit which specialises in the treatment of multiple injuries resulting from trauma.

On a slightly different tact (??), earlier in the year I was on a course with Woodlore one of the other students managed to cut himself pretty well and had to be stri-stripped, but the guys from Woodlore applied a brownish (I think) liquid, normally used for something quite different over the cut because it performs like a glue (again I think that was the purpose??).
Does anybody know what it was?

Sounds like betadine - superb antiseptic, highly recommended. It's basically iodine with povidone added to reduce the sting. It doesnt glue anything, but does form a sort of skin over whatever you paint in on.

Superglue or cyanoacrylate is used in hospital, in the form of a medical preparation called dermabond. But you need training in it's application. What worries me when I see it (superglue) recommended, is that some 14 year old lad is gonna stick a tube in his FAK and then pour it into an open wound one day. He's then gonna need surgery to remove it. For the same reasons, suturing isn't recommended. Suturing is done all the time, but you wont see it taught on first aid courses, because of the skill needed to do it properly and recognise when it's appropriate and inappropriate. There is simply no need. If your wound is bad enough to need stitches, then you should go to hospital and get it stitched there.

Regarding burns of all types, you should only use aqueous based solutions. nothing else is used in hospital or by paramedics. You should soak the burn in as much free flowing, clean, cold water as you can for as long as you can - 10 minutes MINIMUM. The object is to cool down the burnt flesh and minimise/stop further tissue damage. After a really good soaking with cold water, the wound should be protected with something with minimal adherance - cling film is perfect. Proprietry burns dressings are just sterile clingfilm. Again, the object is to minimise further tissue damage, while protecting the suseptible tissues from infection. Hospitals stopped using things like Jellonet (a vaseline impregnated gauze dressing) some time ago. It adheres to the wound and it also insulates it a little - both undesireable charicteristics. Dont use honey! It may have some properties that are useful, but it's sticky and insulative. It will keep the heat in the wound, exacerbating tissue damage and it'll be hell to get off (you'll take your skin off with the bandage).