ASK WYE - Tourniquets Don't Belong Around Your Neck

Another episode of our podcast What's Your Emergency is live today and we tackle a question from listener Tom who asks about tourniquets.

We teach a version of Run, Hide, Fight that now includes Help, where we teach civilians what to expect as Police officers ignore them on the ground in pain as well as what to expect when the first Paramedics to come by simply throw a TQ at them and keep moving.  We do teach them how to apply a TQ to themselves and others, and I think it is one of the more valuable parts of the course.

What do you think?  Should TQs be as easy to find as AEDs?

Go have a listen and let us know what you think!

Ask WYE Issue 10 - Tourniquets

Comments

Unknown said…
Interesting. First aid guidelines in England don't mention tourniquets much. I don't know if they're overlooking something, following good practice or just keeping things simple. When I trained to be a first aider for St John Ambulance, they didn't mention them at all. They only instructed us to put direct pressure on a wound, then bandage it once the bleeding stops. Nor did they get mentioned in the first aid manual I was given. I believe paramedics are trained to use them, but only if direct pressure isn't possible or doesn't work.