During the past two posts, I’ve reviewed the various pelvic binders available and how much they cost. But what can you do if you find yourself in a situation where you need a binder but don’t have one?
It’s time to go MacGyver!
You need three things:
Yes, that’s right. A simple and cheap SAM splint, a tourniquet, and some kind of blade to cut the SAM splint with. Essentially, the SAM splint is the binder and the tourniquet is used to cinch it down in the correct position.
Here’s a video that demonstrates how to do it. Enjoy!
This video shows what it looks like from the inside when a needle thoracostomy is inserted into the chest. Note that it takes about a minute for the lung to expand, so be patient when you insert the needle. You can also get an idea of why the needle is only a temporary measure as the inflating lung begins to kink the catheter.
Don’t ask why there was a thoracoscope in the chest with a tension pneumo in the first place, though!
Here’s a quick video detailing the proper steps to relieve a tension pneumothorax using needle thoracostomy. In my next post, I’ll provide a video link so you can see what it looks like from inside the chest!
As a followup to yesterday’s hip dislocation post, here is a short 5 minute video that goes through the entire process of reducing hip dislocations. There are lots of little tips and tricks. Enjoy!
Tomorrow, a novel variant of the hip reduction technique, the Captain Morgan.
Originally shown at Trauma Education: The Next Generation 2013 in St. Paul MN
Here’s an entertaining but insightful peek into the issues surrounding good vs bad science. It’s pitched to the lay public, but brings up a lot of the issues about the pressures of publishing, vagaries of study design, and why things get reported the way they do. Well worth the time (and laughs) to watch!
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