Tampons in Medical Kit, No, Just No!

One of the discussion I hear reguarly in survival and prepper discussions is the use of tampons to plug bullet hole wounds.  This has always raised a number of questions for me.    Tampons are very poor choices for doing this.  There are many reasons why, but here are a few that come to mind:

• The whole goal of a “fixing” a bullet hole wound is to stop, or atleast drastically slow down, the bleeding.  The goal is not to just soak up some blood.
• Tampons do not absorb very much blood at all before they are full.
• The use of tampons require fine motor skills to use properly.  Fine motors skills quickly go away under stress like one would experience with a bullet hole in themselves or someone they care about.
• There are much better choices available that are designed specifically for bullet hole wounds.
• “Plugging” a bullet hole wound does not address internal bleeding considerations at all.

In an effort to show one small aspect of this, we made the following video.  Our goal was to show the absorbency of various medical supplies.  You will see in the video that we have 6 oz of water with red food coloring in it so it is easier to see.

I emphasize this in the video but it is worthwhile to say it again here.  The goal for any first aid provider should be to stop or slow down the bleed.  Get good training from a reputable provider on the use of tourniquets, Israeli bandages, hemostatic guaze and any other supplies that will help you “stop the bleed”.

We teach topics that relate to safety and survival for governement agencies, first responders and the public.  Check out our calendar for our class schedule.

Craig Caudill is the Founder and Chief Instructor of Nature Reliance School. He specializes in teaching outdoor related topics to include, survival, tracking, nature awareness and more for private or public groups, and government agencies.  Craig’s first book is Extreme Wilderness Survival from Page Street Publishing, distributed by Macmillan Publishing.  Craig’s second book, Ultimate Wilderness Gear, is coming in July 2018 and can be pre-ordered now!

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