Not good unless you have no other options. If you have no other materials, sure, why not. I'd caution that it's far wiser to follow the Boy Scout motto and be prepared with proper materials.
Paper towels and alcohol - You'd introduce foreign material into the wound. Paper towels are not sterile, and will have all kinds of lint or whatnot attached. Plus, you really don't know what else might be in the paper towel. Might want to be careful what type of alcohol you use. Maybe not a huge deal, but alcohol wipes are cheap and safer.
Plastic wrap - same. Foreign material, non-sterile, not intended for usage on wounds, etc.
Feminine pads aren't the most horrible material to use as a make-shift pressure bandage, as they are intended for use on folks. But they're not intended for direct contact with lacerations and whatnot. On the plus side, if one is female, it could be dual use so that is a consideration.
Tampons and bullet holes, very bad idea. They are not designed for that application. Not sure who started that meme, but it should be an extremely last resort. If you have literally nothing else and the alternative is 100% certain death by blood loss, sure, go ahead. I'd say the same thing if you wanted to shove a pine cone in a wound channel. You want a Celox-A "injector".
Thank you for your informative criticism. I appreciate the feed back.
However...
This was a last resort class to teach what you have on hand is what you have on hand. I was trying for some levity with the tampons and bulletholes, but guess it missed the mark.
As far as materials go. This was a certified and licensed Nurse Practitioner that taught us these things. Similar to Self Aid and Buddy Care/ Chem Training in the military.
Paper Towels and "Rubbing" alcohol (Whiskey, Vodka, NippyNip, etc...) Paper Towels contain a small amount of chemical bleaching agent and the alcohol would sterilize the Paper towel anyway. This was for small wound care not huge gashes and severed limbs.
Saran Wrap (Plastic Wrap) is an excellent way to stop small sucking wounds or to bind other bandages to wounds. The plastic wrap has a very small amount of anti-microbial added to keep it clean for food grade use. As long as it isn't obviously contaminated with fluids or dipped is shlitz before you apply it the plastic wrap should be good to use.
Feminine pads HAVE to be sterile and clean enough for women to use them. They are meant for use in blood loss, remember? And they make a great pad or pressure application when used with other materials. Very absorbent and plentiful. May not be the best choice, but when all else fails they beat a dirty bare hand.
Tampons for bullet holes. Ok, this was for laughs I admit. But when you have no celox-A injectors or other options it could be useful when used with a pad and some plastic wrap to stop bleeding out. Again, all last option choices.
For those serious about it. I have two field surgical kits, telfa pads, sterile bandages, cold compress packs, and turniquet materials. I am in the process of updating the carry bag to a larger, medical response bag. The Celox-A injectors is an excellent option as also others mention in this thread. But I do have a few questions. What about turn around for shelf life? How long is too long for some of these items? Pads, bandages, wraps, etc. Injectors should have a date on them, but what about the rest of it?
Thank you in advance for your replies.
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