The only thing worse than learning the hard way is not learning the hard way. :-)

Craig, I apologize for taking so long to reply to your question. To tell the truth, I don't get into this forum as much as I would like. The pouch I carry is made by "New Sun" and I purchased it through Brigade Quartermasters. It's not perfect, but it does allow me to keep a knife (Victorinox Rucksack), Leatherman tool, Sharpener (Sterling "Superior Sharpener), Fire-starting (Spark-lite, tinder & spare flint rod), signal mirror (Starflash 2x3 plastic), Whistle (Perry), Compass (button) and a Flashlight (Lightwave 2000) on my person. I use some of the stuff everyday and would truly be lost without it.
BTW, I've been using a Princeton Tec "Attitude" 4AAA LED flashlight for a few days now and I like it a lot. It's small, yet bright.

Beachdoc,
about maggots eating dead tissue i've read that they also consume healthy tissue and you should keep a close eye on the wound when treating it with maggots. This infromation came from the book SURVIVAL.

reinhardt

Using duct tape for closing wounds.
Apart from the danger of (further) infection the chemicals also present a danger. when my girlfriend fixed her bra strap she used duct tape. Now on the place where the tape was the skin has become insensitive

reinhardt

There was an excellent show on The Learning Channel (TCL) examining "alternative" forms of treatment. Medical leaches (those bred under strictly sterile conditions) were used to reduce fluid retention in reattached digits (fingers and toes). Medical maggots were used in wound care especially in diabetics with chronic wounds. Treatment was extremely successful in both cases. Keep in mind the medical maggots were raised in germfree condition and were changed daily. Pete

Recently, a paper was published on the use of duct tape in treating warts. Success was achieved in eliminating the wart, by covering the wart for several weeks to months with duct tape. It was thought to work by acting as an irritant, causing the body to mount an immune response, in which special immune cells migrate to the site. These cells, in addition to reacting to the irritation also attack the wart. Also, sold in pharmacies are special dressings, that when used over a long period of time, reduce the presence of scar tissue; it is believed the mechanism of action is similar to that of the duct tape. Pete

In the "been there, done that department" dating back to my days in construction work, I had occassion to use duct and/or electricians tape to >>temporarily<< close / protect wounds (mostly smaller cuts in the 1 to 3" range on digits and limbs).

1. Make sure to have some sort of clean dressing/bandage/pad immediately over the wound.

2. If possible, I always tried to have some bandaging, even paper napkins around the area of the wound, around the hand / finger / arm / leg, then apply the duct tape using just enough tightness to stem the bleeding, and only having the duct tape touch the bandage/napkins etc. This may not be readily possible with wounds in other areas of the body and each individual situation is different, so YMMV.

Two reasons, neither tape sticks to blood, and when it comes time to properly treat the wound at the doctors office, it is really nice to be able to use scissors to cut the bandage off, instead having to "peel or yank" it off and risk increasing the trauma.

I'd shy away from using any sort of liquid to remove the adhesive tape though, really hate to have to get that cleaned out of the wound too.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor do I purport to dispense medical advice. This is simply sharing a method that I've used in emergency situations, until proper medical help was available.

I reiterate my objection to closing any wound in the field under any circumstances. Doing so will only subject the patient to an unnecesary risk of serious, potentially life threatening and certainly limb threatening infection.

Packing a wound is the only suitable way to deal with a wound in the field. It is the course I take with dirty wounds in the office to protect my patients.

No problem. I don't visit here as often as I want to anymore, either. Got laid off last March and I'm still picking up the pieces.

Do you know what model of New Sun pouch you have? They have an entire line of pouches. The one you have would seem perfect for my survival keychain gear as that keychain is getting big enough to poke a hole through my coat pocket. Grin.

By the way, my wife and I both carry Princeton Tec lights everywhere. The Blast is always in my pants pocket, and the Attitude is always in my coat pocket. I recommend them highly.

What other forum, and how cool is it?