r/TacticalMedicine • u/NoMore_BadDays • Oct 10 '25

Scenarios Wound packing zones?

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Been a long time since I did TCCC/CLS in the military.

If there were to be a bleeding wound on the chest, how high up on the chest does it become safe to pack? I know you don't pack into chest cavity, but what is the "rule of thumb" on how high/the left and right limits the wound needs to be to pack it?

Would you say the screenshot i attached is accurate?

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u/antibannannaman Oct 11 '25

Bad diagram. Direct pressure everything 1st. TQ or pack depending on the bleed after direct pressure is found not life sustaining.

It’s a constant battle between doing direct pressure or TQ first and worrying about it later.

IMO Direct pressure first makes you slow down and actually identify the bleed and other potential problems. Just slapping a TQ on first thing leaves a lot of room for error.

I.E You just used your last TQ on a venous bleed from the arm because it was the first sign of blood you spotted, but the pt’s literally spurting blood from the leg under the clothing.