Spear Injury - proper first aid?

[Jax]

Yes, I know the photo is kind of funny even as you are saying "Ouch". But honest question -

What does one do with this?


In general, one is supposed to not move, touch, etc any kind of piercing injury is to be bandaged in place and transported to the ER. (According to my training.) In this case, you cannot get the guy in the ambulance. Notice he seems to be still on a deck.

What does one do to transport such an issue?

 

[yodelhawk]

Cut the spear off. I don't know what what they are made of, I've never seen a spear, but cut both ends off but leave enough for the surgeon to get a good grip. I would think a stout set of bolt cutters. Sawing it off would also work, but the motion would cause a lot of pain. Stabilization and pain control are the key. From the looks of things, somebody owes someone a huge beer!!!

 

[tc]

Transport with it in place, bulky dressings around the penetrations to slow the bleeding & stabilize- If you absolutely can't then the FD will cut an end off of the spear in order to make him fit in the ambulance.

 

[Wookie]

If this injury showed up on my boat, I would use bolt cutters or cable cutters to cut both ends off, immobilize the victim on a backboard just like in the picture and ready for transport. If the spear penetrated a bone, I'd be more leery of cutting the ends, but it's going to be hard to fit that spear through the helicopter doors like that.....

 

[Jax]

Transport with it in place, bulky dressings around the penetrations to slow the bleeding & stabilize- If you absolutely can't then the FD will cut an end off of the spear in order to make him fit in the ambulance.

Does Baywatch carry something that would cut that? I'm thinking it would be a total Fuster to get the guy off the boat. I don't know of any boat I have been on that could handle that.

 

[Jax]

Not a spearo in any way . . . would a tubing cutter work on that?

 

[TSandM]

A good set of bolt cutters should work for that. It's important not to cut flush with the skin, if you're ever in this situation or one like it. Do NOT remove the foreign body -- it may be tamponading significant arterial bleeding.

 

[Wookie]

Spear shafting is thicker than ss tubing. I guess no.

 

[tc]

Does Baywatch carry something that would cut that? I'm thinking it would be a total Fuster to get the guy off the boat. I don't know of any boat I have been on that could handle that.

In California pretty much any fire truck will have big bolt cutters and most will have power cutters that would cut that. He would fit on the baywatch boat just fine without cutting anything. You just have to be careful moving him around.

He might not fit in the smaller CG helo's but he would fit into the larger CG or fire bird or the Sheriff H3 easily. But they would probably transport via boat since he doesn't appear to have a life threatening injury.

 

[Wookie]

A good set of bolt cutters should work for that. It's important not to cut flush with the skin, if you're ever in this situation or one like it. Do NOT remove the foreign body -- it may be tamponading significant arterial bleeding.

Lynn, as you know, on a horse, you make a cross on the rump when giving a shot to stay away from the femoral artery/sciatic nerve. Is there a rule of thumb for human rumps also?