Sorry if I was misleading and hijacked the thread.

I totally agree with wearing gloves, my statement was to indicate that pressure is pressure. The gloves protect you, they (and the gauze) do not help the pressure, they are for other reasons. The bare hand works just as well for the pressure, but it does not protect you (or the patient). I keep gloves in all my kits and in my EDC bag.

Do remember to replace gloves, on a regular basis. Especially those subject to heat and light. They do deteriorate, especially latex ones but nitrile as well.

JHertig,

Unless you carry sterile gloves packaged in sterile packaging, there is no difference. It depends on how and where you have been carrying them. Outside the operating room I have seen very few sterile gloves. The patient is probably better off if you carry non-powereed gloves, but in an emergency I would use them over no gloves.

Respectfully,

Jerry

In a non-sterile situation, which is just about anything you will run into short of an OR, there is no way to get anything else sterile so clean is probably far more than adequate.

Yep, what ILBob and JerryFountain said. The initial use of the gloves is to check the person's pulse and then for bleeding which may not be apparent. By the time that check is complete the gloves will be much more contaminated than the inside of my relatively clean pocket.

Didn't read through the replies so if I'm duplicating....sorry.
ACE bandage. Sorry.....elastic bandage. Whichever one.... it is good.

I'll have to check out different gauze pads. I always pictured them being sort of flimsy and maybe too absorbent, rather a firm fluid barrier. But I'm sure there are good options out there.

David

I carry compressed gauze, triangular bandages, and a tourniquet. The tourniquet can be used to maintain the pressure without actually tightening it enough to cut off circulation. It helps to free you hands while you get more gauze or dial 911!

"She apparently contracted the virus through unbroken skin"

that's troubling. first time I've heard that.

Pete2

"that's troubling. first time I've heard that"
Yes, that was troubling to many of us. The I.D. doc couldn't come up with any other means of transmission.

Maybe a little off-topic, but what would you guys recommend to stop major bleedings:

"Chemical" solutions like Quikclot and other clotting agents, or rather "physical" ones like the Israeli bandage or tourniquets, that work by applying pressure?

I could imagine that the "normal" bandages are more rugged when still wrapped, and even if their expiration date is up, they should still be sterile and thus usable as long as the packaging is intact.

Chemical agents, on the other hand, might really not be as effective when they expire (I have no idea), and I guess extreme storage conditions like in a dark backpack under direct sunlight might have negative effects on them (again, no idea).

I know that most kits have a combination of both types, but what if you had to choose?

Cody, I can count on having my hands with me and don't need instructions on their use. If I have a sudden Major bleed to handle, I'll apply direct pressure; with my bare hand if necessary, while I look around for something to protect me and better control the bleeding. If the bleed is not major, I'll move a little slower and grab something such as a glove or glove/gauze pad to use. If what I have to use requires I read instructions, I'll probably go with the glove/gauze pad.