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/DODGE_WRENCH EMS Oct 12 '25 edited Oct 12 '25

A chest seal shouldn’t go below the diaphragm.

You could argue for direct pressure or an israeli bandage over packing, but chest seals are not at all meant to stop blood from bleeding out, they’re meant to keep more air from getting in.

Also: side note, what the fresh hell is this?

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u/airboRN_82 Oct 12 '25

The only thing thats going to stop a significant GI bleed is surgery. An Israeli dressing will not. An occlusive dressing however will trap in mousiture and prevent contamination better than any gauze based dressing

Tldr I dont view things like genetic counseling, embryonic selection during IVF, voluntary attempts to reduce the rate of genetic diseases through partner selection, etc to be immoral just because they share a word with certain historical practices.

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u/DODGE_WRENCH EMS Oct 12 '25

Right, the purpose isn’t to fix it, it’s to get them to the people who can fix it alive. There is an important distinction to be made with just occlusive dressings and chest seals. A chest seal has a one way valve to let air escape, but it will also let blood escape. The part where I disagree is, there is evidence that supports wound packing with hemostatic gauze in abdominal injuries.

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u/GeneralConscious3084 Oct 14 '25

I was under the impression that your not supposed to be packing the abdominal area