The Ask an Expert section is currently for members of our online community. While I would have cause for pause, in a situation where someone is about to DIE from massive bleeding. Wont even finish the rest.not worth MY time. Carry the correct stuff purchased from a medical supply store. Gunshots do create large wound tracks so it might not be the best answer but put a few together and that might work fine, all dependent on the wound. The oldest printed medical document, Papyrus Ebers, refers to the use of soft papyrus tampons by Egyptian women in the 15th century BCE. The shelf life of organic tampons is also believed to be about five years, because cotton is susceptible to bacteria and mold. Thedirect pathof the bullet where it cuts or shears its way through the bodys tissue is called Permanent cavitation. Compression, elevation, pressure points, and even tourniquets if necessary. During World War 1, field nurses discovered that Cellucotton worked well as a disposable feminine napkin. He told me not to worry about Marine X because every time I send something to him, Marine X thinks it's for him too. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Unlock exclusive member content from our industry experts. LSM Type II IFAK with a couple of great options and one bad option for controlling major bleeding. Personally, if I am going to be carrying around something in my truck to stop bleeding, it is going to be items specifically designed for the task at hand. I know someone that told me he is alive today because his buddies girl stuck one in him after he got shot. You shouldn't put a tampon in a stab wound - Full Fact One historically-relevant innovation is organic tampons. Changing . I highly disagree. If I had been there my first reaction to render aid would be grab gloves, duct tape, scissors & thick pads as well as peroxide. Three balls in total will be packed in this manner. A tampon is designed to absorb blood [and all those other fluids mentioned in the article]. Anyway, again, thanks for the article, and the great discussion fodder! sigmund freud is probably having a siezure in his grave over this tread! Scarily, this is often shared as anecdotes by people who have never had to treat a gun-shot wound. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. Not trying to be critical here, just trying to really understand all of the downsides of this method of wound management. Well examine the evolution of the medical application of tampons, uncovering the surprising history of these products and exploring their innovative use in treating gunshot injuries. Your "Tactical Tampon" is Useless for Life-Threatening Hemorrhage Doctors and nurses were the primary users of tampons to medicate women. It seems to me like its a hell of a lot more common for someone to encounter or be the victim of a gunshot wound these days than we would like to admit. Tampons and pads are not sterile. Contents When were tampons invented? Either of these signs, and you have messed up at some step(probably didnt pack in the right place, or didnt maintain continual hard pressure). I would use a tampon and or sanitary pad in a gsw if thats all that was available. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The caveat is that wound cavitation from modern ammunition seems only to be cone-shaped in ballistic gel or when you shoot big game broadside in the chest cavity when the shot enters between the ribs. What might not fly as civilian medics is not the same with soldiers in a combat situation. I bet some of you must be thinking, I have inflicted, seen, and/or treated numerous gunshot wounds, and there is no way I could have plugged any of them with a tampon! Bear with me here. Come join the discussion about collections, gear, DIY projects, hobbies, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! However, the tale's premise, isn't all that outlandish. Not just disagree, but highly disagree. You didnt even read the article about how plugging a tampon doesnt even make sense nor helps to stop the bleeding from a gunshot. Tampons soak up menstrual blood, but they may also block some menstrual flow from the vagina, which could extend the duration of bleeding. So they do not provide any hemostatic assistance. Its not as bad IF you have to give emergency first aid to someone in a major auto accident,but still miles and minutes away from dying? As an example in a Active Shooter situation and without having a cool guy med kit, would you recommend NOT to use a tampon to help control bleeding? The swelling of said gauze applies additional direct pressure to the various capillaries, veins, artery, etc. For a man, it may feel like coming up against the cervix (this is something a man often feels). And the sexual revolution in the late '60s and '70s (the ad above is from 1967) brought a new mode of more "feminist" tampons, as critics pointed out that scented tampons were actually completely useless and quite bad for your pH (still true). I ONCE did my time as a triage medic in a field hospital unit during the Vietnam Era! According to Dr. Robert B. Laughlin, MD, The use of tampons as a means of controlling bleeding from gunshot wounds was an innovative solution to a difficult problem.. People who are relying on the anecdote of a military guy carrying a tampon in his helmet are forgetting to consider why he made that choice. They were, in essence, vaginal pessaries. TIL tampons were originally made to plug bullet wounds. Exploring the World of Knowledge and Understanding. If you have any further questions, please chat, email, or contact Customer Service at 1-855- . "Well, yeah!" Quik Clot vs tampons. I suspect that is what has happened here. Cox News Service. The dynamics of wound generation are very different from the slow musket ball to modern high power rifles. But consider that in order to properly control bleeding from some injuries, you may have to pack a wound with that bandage in the field. (That same article announced of those men, "They stick condoms on the muzzles of .50-caliber machine guns to keep out dust, and shoot right through the latex when the time comes to fire."). Photo: author. The sad truth: if you're trying to stop a femoral arterial bleed with your wife's extra heavy Tampax, you're going to . Theres three types of bleeding and a tampon can help with 2 of those. And please explain how a tampon DOES work? Makes no sense to me. But that doesnt mean we should be trying to re-invent the wheel! You could even get sued if you treat a patient beyond your level of training. The point is that we have to control the bleeding first, in order to ensure blood circulation. Sometimes a wound cavity would take more than one tampon, and it was always used in addition to serious pressure at and above a wound site. Photo: author. 2022 - 2023 Times Mojo - All Rights Reserved Youd have to use between 36 and 72 tampons to achieve the same result. For maximum shelf life, store the bandages in a med kit where the outer wrapping wont be compromised. A ideal kit for first responders. Sometimes it better to say nothing than let everyone that works trauma thi nk your speaking out of turn. Not much use for periods, though. . Youll be thinking youve done your job, but wondering why your patient is still deteriorating and exhibiting signs of hypovolemic shock. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Tampon - iro.umontreal.ca This isnt guaranteed but a possibility. 8 things you probably didn't know about the history of the tampon Claim: Tampon used to stanch deadly wound saves Marine's life. If you're a tampon user, you may not give much thought to the small wad of fabric you put into your nethers for one week a month, other than wondering if it's leaking and getting annoyed when there's no disposal bin. What were tampons invented for? Bleeding stops by pressure in most cases, a tampon expands when blood hits it. When using a wound packing simulator from QuikClot; it is obvious that a tampon doesn't come close to filling a ballistic wound cavity. He is saying that using a tampon on an open gunshot wlund is a horrible idea because of the extreme difference between a gunshot wound and a period. Simply sticking a tampon into the bullet hole will do little to stop internal bleeding. One thing we learned as new medics in the Army was that if we cant get more than three uses out of one object/item/device/piece of equipment, we didnt carry it. The surgeon at the hospital does not stock tampons because he has almost unlimited space. I was in an armor/tank unit and in the 68th Medical combat support hospital. If something was being put up the vagina (say, soaked in opium), Hippocrates did say it should be covered on motos, but there's no mention of using it to stop menstrual bleeding. Youre sick and tired of men articles on this topic? They may follow bone structure, or ricochet. This is like anything people have their own opinions but to say this is not a viable solution and or completely ignore its benefits is a bit ignorant and negalegent . It's not clear where this information came from, though, and it may have been scuttlebutt about a particular class of women, like prostitutes. The corpsmen spread it over burns and wounds equally. The use of tampons in treating gunshot wounds during war times has had a profound impact on the medical community. When were tampons invented? Direct pressure and other methonds might be necessary.But I can see where tampons might help in the first critical minutes while waiting to do more extreme measure. 1. According to a study published in the journal Ancient Medicine, Tampons were used as early as 1500 BC by the Egyptians for vaginal hygiene. The Egyptians believed that the use of tampons could cure various diseases and ailments. Yes, medics use them on the battlefield, and yes, they are used in the street. The function of the internal tampon is to absorb menstrual blood inside the vagina after it has left the uterus, preventing it from leaking out, and thus providing suitable protection with total discretion.. The absorbent wads were more commonly used to soak up blood from wounds in World War One, or to administer medicine vaginally. The whole thing comes out, and the process begun again. Yes, in the field and in a clinical setting, we healthcare professionals do on occasion have to improvise a little in order to make things work regarding patient care and treatment. See this article. When tampons were invented? There was no need for additional care other than a bandage wrap. The modern word "tampon" is likely derived from the Middle French for "plug," as in a stopper for a bottle or (more specifically) the plug put in the front of a gun muzzle. Some of the earliest tampons recognizable as we know them todayintra-vaginal devices made from a string and a wad of something absorbentwere documented in Europe in the 18th and 19th century.. Quite possibly. At this point my son profoundly told me, "Mom did you know that tampons expand?" It was a contraceptive device, a way of distributing medicine, a method of healing, and often not thought to have anything to do with menses at all. Yes, doctors literally "plugged the hole" by inserting a dressing that resembled a tampon into musket wounds. Have there been cases where a tampon, feminine hygiene pad, or diaper may have served as a dressing in a pinch? We are talking about run-of-the-mill female sanitary products, that some believe are an essential part of every firearms owners emergency kit.