The Conservative Cave
Interests => Living Off of the Grid & Survivalism => Topic started by: Chris_ on October 17, 2012, 07:56:20 PM
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The Swiss Army Survival Tampon — 10 Survival Uses
The tampon is actually regulated in the US by the Food & Drug Administration as a Class II Medical Device. The word “tampon†is a derivative of the French word tapon which means “a little plug or stopper.†My research indicates that tampons were used as early as the 19th century as battle dressings to plug bullet holes. There are even accounts of tampons being used as wound plugs in modern warfare. A friend of mine told me that it’s not uncommon for Army Medics to carry tampons in their med kits. They are also the perfect product for a bloody nose. There seem to be mixed accounts of whether the tampon was used as a feminine product before or after its use on the battlefield.
Tampons are sterile, come very well-packaged in their own waterproof sleeves, and are designed to be ultra-absorbent — making them the perfect first aid bandage. They can be opened and then taped or tied over a wound as an improvised dressing. And, as I’ve already mentioned, they can be used to plug a bullet hole until more sophisticated medical attention can be administered. Accounts of this use date back to World War I. Many items in modern society were first developed as a facet of military research — tampons may very well be one of these products
Art Of Manliness (http://artofmanliness.com/2012/06/05/survival-tampon/)
There you go... something else for your shopping list.
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I was just listening to something on the use of tampons as survival bandages this morning. They can get into the wound and be a cast-iron bitch to remove, when it comes time to clean the wound. For that reason, the person on the CD set recommended not using them. Maxi pads, OTOH, will work because they soak up a lot of blood and don't get into the wound.
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I was just listening to something on the use of tampons as survival bandages this morning. They can get into the wound and be a cast-iron bitch to remove, when it comes time to clean the wound. For that reason, the person on the CD set recommended not using them. Maxi pads, OTOH, will work because they soak up a lot of blood and don't get into the wound.
Drop a tampon into a cup of water for an experiment. They swell up to at least double initial diameter.
Probably acceptable as an external pad / pressure pad dressing - but I wouldn't consider stuffing one inside a open wound for the reason above.
Maxi-pad would be the way to go unless you need to apply pressure (they're really too thin to be able to apply any effective pressure) to stop the flow of blood.
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Army medics don't carry them. A clot forms on the bleeding vessel and adheres to the cotton, meaning the surgeon has to be ready to find the bleeder quick, cuz the clots are coming out with the tampon. Also, there is still a risk of toxic shock.
If you want something for use to stop bleeding, look into Combat Gauze (http://www.z-medica.com/healthcare/Products/QuikClot-Combat-Gauze.aspx). Be warned, it's expensive...