Posted on Jan 29, 2019
Has anyone ever used (or had one used on them) a tampon as a combat bandage to plug a penetrating injury such as a GSW?
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I've been following a couple of threads on a few webpages where members have been arguing about the use of tampons in combat situations. Specifically, one group claims to have used them to plug penetrating injuries (ie: GSW). The other side claims it never happened and is/was prohibited by policy. I never personally had to resort to it but we WERE trained during Combat Life Saver. I've also been told by multiple combat medics they routinely carried them in their kits and used them when necessary (I carried a few in my CLS bag as well). Logic tells me, "well, they are designed to absorb/stop blood flow so....." I was curious as to what the reality is.
Posted in these groups: 
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)
Medical
68W: Healthcare Specialist (Combat Medic)
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Medical 68W: Healthcare Specialist (Combat Medic)
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 24
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They are designed to absorb it, not stop it. Do you really think a GSW is a straight line that will be plugged by a tampon? Have you seen how much gauze you can shove into a a GSW? Short answer is, no, and if I saw any of my peers trying to use one for a traumatic injury, I would lose my mind.
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MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P
That was kind of my thoughts. Last GSW I worked we just packed with rolled gauze, covered with ABD pads, and secured with Kerlix. The location didn't allow for TQ use. I guess if the wound was small enough (ie: 38, 380, 9mm), it might work in theory. I had better options on hand and I'm sure our medical director would have stroked out if I'd brought a patient in with a tampon shoved in a wound track.
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SGT (Join to see)
MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P yeah I imagine they definitely would have. Even with a small caliber though a tampon won't really provide packing for. Think about the changes in motion you can see from a small caliber projectile. The tumbling that happens will likely produce a cavity that would prevent a tampon being acceptable. Best option for that is almost ALWAYS going to be packing. Or perhaps a junctuonal TQ or something similar if not manageable with a CAT/SOF-T.
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SGT Joshua Loper
Seen them used for a bloody/ broken nose during training multiple times. But never heard to use it for a GSW.
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A tampon is designed to absorb OUNCES. A GSW is bleeding PINTS. It is an inadequate tool for the proposed job. That's why things like QuikClot (Absorbent Hemostatic Agent) are issued.
That said, you are better shoving a full gauze roll in the wound than a tampon. The goal is to apply pressure to help stop the bleeding (in addition to a tourniquet if able).
That said, you are better shoving a full gauze roll in the wound than a tampon. The goal is to apply pressure to help stop the bleeding (in addition to a tourniquet if able).
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