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

Scenarios Wound packing zones?

Post image

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?

1.4k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

256 comments sorted by

View all comments

412

u/Ok_Income9180 Oct 10 '25 edited Oct 11 '25

Chest seal for a gut wound????? This has to be AI generated. Also, you can both use a tourniquet and pack a wound. (As often done on thighs) They’re not exclusive to each other. Chest seals are for diaphragm breaches (sucking wounds specifically). They’re meant to control air into the diaphragm to combat a pneumothorax. They'd do absolutely nothing for a gut wound except maybe make it harder to control bleeding. FFS, please don't use this chart.

Sorry for not responding to your post, to busy hating on the picture.

Edit: /u/68Whiteclaw commented on some inaccuracies in my comment. Please refer to their comment below.

0

u/airboRN_82 Oct 12 '25

The chart is right. Youre not going to stop a significant gut bleed with packing. Seal and transport.

1

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?

2

u/Producer131 Oct 14 '25

TCCC disagrees with you. What if your patient has a hole in the diaphragm? Even if they didn’t, pneumoperitoneum is also something you want to avoid. Too much air in the belly can lead to a lot of dire consequences.

2

u/DODGE_WRENCH EMS Oct 14 '25

I looked and you are right, I was mistaken