Occlusive thoracic bandage — a chest seal
Occlusive thoracic bandage is an indispensable element of first aid for penetrating chest wounds. The occlusive bandages and stickers presented on this page are made of high-quality materials and meet the standards of tactical combat care for the wounded of the TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) committee. The occlusive bandages offered to your attention are reliable, compact in size and easy to use.
You can buy occlusive bandages with a discount of 100 UAH/piece when purchasing 50 or more units of goods.
Occlusive Thoracic Bandage
One of the most common causes of death on the battlefield is tension pneumothorax. As a tension pneumothorax develops, air enters the chest cavity through the wound with each breath, but does not escape with exhalation and is retained, so the pressure inside the chest increases and causes the lungs to collapse and squeeze the heart.
However, the number of deaths due to tension pneumothorax has decreased significantly in recent decades. One reason for this decrease is that soldiers of the world's leading armies use personal protective equipment that provides significant protection for the chest and back. The second reason is the use of high-quality chest seal bandages.
An occlusive bandage is a special medical device designed to provide first aid for chest wounds. The main purpose of an occlusive chest dressing is to seal the wound and prevent air from entering the pleural cavity, which can lead to the development of a life-threatening condition.
Occlusive chest seals are used in emergency medical practice for penetrating chest wounds, stab wounds, and lung or pleural injuries. Occlusive dressings help stabilize the condition of the injured person at the pre-hospital stage and prevent the situation from worsening until the injured person is transferred to a medical facility.
There are two types of occlusive chest dressings, which differ in their ability to provide or limit ventilation of the chest:
- A ventilated occlusive chest seal with a valve is a dressing with a special device that allows you to control the pressure in the pleural cavity, maintain ventilation, and prevent blood accumulation. An occlusive chest seal with a valve is used in cases where the accumulation of air and blood in the pleural cavity can lead to compression of the heart and important vessels. The valve in such an occlusive dressing allows air and blood to escape, but prevents air from entering the chest from the outside during inhalation.
- A non-ventilated occlusive chest seal completely isolates the injured area and prevents air, dirt, and moisture from entering the wound. The main purpose of this type of occlusive dressing is to protect the injured area in order to prevent infection.
Occlusive chest dressings play an important role in emergency medical care for chest injuries. The choice between a ventilated and non-ventilated occlusive dressing depends on the nature of the injury, the patient's condition, and the need for ventilation of the lungs. The correct choice of an occlusive thoracic bandage allows you to stabilize the condition of the injured person until delivery to a medical facility and plays a key role in saving lives in case of penetrating chest wounds.
How to apply an occlusive bandage
In conditions of limited resources, you can use the simplest available tools to apply an occlusive dressing.
Occlusive dressing: how to apply it:
- Prepare the necessary materials - any dense, air-tight material (food film, a piece of plastic bag), adhesive tape, scissors, sterile napkin (if available).
- Cut a piece of the selected material that is significantly larger than the size of the wound.
Occlusive bandage - application algorithm:
- If possible, treat the skin around the wound with an antiseptic napkin.
- Cover the wound with a cut piece of material.
- Tightly fix the edges of the material around the wound with adhesive tape to create an airtight connection.
The task is much simpler if you buy occlusive bandages of various types in advance. Occlusive plasters, stickers made using the American TRUFLOW technology have proven themselves well. Such occlusive chest bandages are quickly ready to be applied and instantly stick thanks to the unique hydrogel, which does not lose its properties even when the skin is contaminated with blood, hair, sand, sweat. The hydrogel reliably fixes the occlusive thoracic patch even under water.
We also recommend buying occlusive bandages, the set of which includes two seals in individual packaging - separately for the inlet and outlet. For example, the North American Rescue company produces unique occlusive thoracic patches equipped with three ventilation channels, which guarantee the exit of air and blood accumulated in the cavity.