Blog | Mountain Man Medical

Posted on February 28, 2021February 28, 2021 by Brian McLaughlin — Leave a comment

Tourniquets Can’t Fix Everything. Why You MUST Learn Wound Packing

Tourniquets (TQ) have an especially big flaw: They only work on your arms and legs. What if you’re cut somewhere else? What’s your plan for that?

Carrying a CAT for emergencies is great until you trip into a pine tree branch and punch a hole in your neck.

People seem to gravitate to the tourniquet as the only thing they need for bleeding control, but while the TQ is important and effective, you can’t use it to treat other injuries. (Unless we’re talking about the SWAT-T. But I’m staying off that soapbox, for now.)

Here are two good reasons why learning to wound pack is just as important as tourniquet application:

Posted on February 20, 2021February 20, 2021 by Brian McLaughlin — 3 Comments

A Medics Pick : Top 5 Best Tourniquets

I have a lot of time on tourniquets, both in training and in real life. I’ve had the chance to use a lot of different systems for controlling bleeding and here are my top picks for The Top 5 Best Tourniquets.

If you aren’t new to the emergency trauma scene, some of these TQs are no brainers, but number 5 is my favorite, and might surprise you.

Posted on February 13, 2021 by Brian McLaughlin — 2 Comments

Every Day Carry (EDC) Trauma Kit: What’s the Best Way to Carry?

I suffer from a compulsion to be prepared for every possible situation. I LOVE being that idiot who is just waiting for someone to ask if I have a knife they can borrow to open a box. (I do)

It's weird I know. I don't understand it either but I know I'm not the only one. Lots of other people around the world are always looking for ways to be more prepared in a bad situation.

Acquiring the knowledge, skills, and gear needed to stabilize life threatening wounds is the single most important thing you can do for your personal safety.

This topic above all others crosses social, cultural, class, and political values. No matter who you are, everyone can agree that the ability and willingness care for seriously injured people are noble and heroic qualities.

A trauma victim can go from happy and healthy to pale and weak in minutes. Time is in short supply and the farther away from you are from medical gear, the less likely you will be to make the rescue.

That's all well and good, but who wants to be the dork walking around with a medical bag hanging off their belt? I'm a bit self-conscious about my weird compulsion for preparedness, so I like to keep things as hidden as possible.

The Ankle IFAK Kit

Posted on January 30, 2021January 30, 2021 by Brian McLaughlin — Leave a comment

Come See the Mountain Man Live!

If you've ever had a question you wanted to ask but never had the opportunity, this is you chance to ask some of the most experienced in the field of combat and defensive shooting.

Mountain Man Medical is excited to be invited to the first annual ConcealedCarry.com Guardian Conference! 3 days of live instruction from some of the nation’s top combat and shooting instructors.

Come together with the community of defensive minded shooters and be trained by the best:

Posted on January 22, 2021January 22, 2021 by Brian McLaughlin — Leave a comment

Car Wreck First on Scene: What to Do Pt 2

*This is Part 2 of a 3-part series. Click Here for Part 1. Come back next week or click here for Pt 3.

Cars Don’t Explode

If you’ve seen an action movie, you know well how vehicles explode at the very slightest provocation. In reality, car manufacturers try very hard to come up with designs to ensure this doesn’t happen. It’s bad business to produce vehicles the blow up.

I’m sure its possible, given the right conditions, but you shouldn’t be attempting to drag a casualty from a car because you’re worried its gonna blow.

Posted on January 15, 2021January 22, 2021 by Brian McLaughlin — 3 Comments

Car Wreck First on Scene: What to Do Pt 1

I am frequently told stories about coming up on the scene of a car accident.

These stories are almost always told in a way that describes a feeling of helplessness and uncertainty.

Most people go about their day completely unaware that on their way home from work, they’ll come across a bad car crash, and when they are presented with the unexpected, they realize how unprepared they are to handle it.

This adds to the stress of the situation greatly because they’re don’t know what to do. In this article we’ll explore a few topics so you’re better prepared to help someone who needs it.

Posted on January 8, 2021January 8, 2021 by Brian McLaughlin — 6 Comments

Bleeding Control: Does Elevating the Wound Actually Help?

Research is a vital component to medical care. Without medical researchers constantly developing new techniques and testing the effectiveness of old ones, we’d still be stuck with medieval era medicine.

Thankfully, the medical world is a constantly changing and shifting environment, which is why we no longer drill holes in our patient’s head to let out evil spirits and cure mental illness.

Progress is a good thing, and we need to continually question why we do what we do, and if there's a better way.

Posted on January 1, 2021January 1, 2021 by Brian McLaughlin — Leave a comment

Is a “High and Tight” Tourniquet Wrong?

“If the tourniquet isn’t high and tight, you’re wrong.”

While this isn’t wrong advice, it’s important to understand where this tourniquet procedure came from and why we’re constantly being told to place the TQ as high up on the limb as possible.

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Brian McLaughlin — Leave a comment

Jingle Bells or ER Visit? Top 3 Holiday Injuries

Nothing throws a wet blanket on holiday festivities like a serious injury. Try talking politics with your idiot uncle with a burned hand after the turkey fry oil ignited.

Best to avoid injuries with proactive planning then to spend Christmas morning in the ER. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), injuries are on the rise during the holidays.

Here are the top 3 most common ways to get injured during the holidays:

Posted on December 18, 2020December 18, 2020 by Brian McLaughlin — Leave a comment

What If You Don’t Have a Tourniquet or Trauma Kit? Pt 3: Sucking Chest Wounds

It’s impossible to be prepared at all times and knowing what to do when you don’t have any medical gear can be the literal difference between life and death.

Even a paramedic with a fully stocked ambulance has finite supplies, and if the situation is bad enough, anyone could easily run out.

If you haven’t already read what to do for bleeding, make sure you check that out before you continue with this article so everything makes sense.

Sucking chest wounds are treated quickly and effectively with the quick application of a chest seal. Penetrating trauma to the chest can cause a Tension Pneumothorax (TPT), a potentially life-threatening condition, but how can you treat it with no medical gear?