posted on Jul, 1 2009 @ 01:26 AM
Here's another condom trick for medical purposes if you have a pneumothorax. A pneumothorax is caused by the lung that develops a hole in it by
natural causes, blunt force trauma, stabbing, or gunshot wound. In the natural and blunt force case, the lung leaks air into the chest cavity. This
is not good, as this is a fixed space. If your introducing air into the cavity, something has to give. Your lung begins to collapse. If allowed to
progress, it can push on the heart and the great blood vessels. If left untreated, it can cause death. With a sucking chest wound (gunshot and
stabbing) you have a puncture site into the chest cavity. This may appear to be good to prevent the pneumothorax from progressing to the later
stages, however this is not true. The wound will suck air into the chest cavity. Add the fact the lung is leaking air into the chest cavity and you
can see the problem.
Now, to stop this with a mere condom. You'll want to be concerned about infection, because this is your chest and a great entry point for an
infection. A) With the sucking chest wound, you'll want to clean the puncture site. Take the condom and cut the tip off the end of it. Tape the
condom to your chest around the puncture site with the cut end dangling down. Now, as you inhale, the condom will close itself off preventing air
from entering the chest cavity. When you exhale, the condom will open back up allowing the trapped air in the chest cavity to escape. You will have
to check to make sure it hasn't become clotted with blood or other body fluids every 15 minutes or so to prevent air from from becoming trapped in
the chest again. B) With a naturally occuring or blunt force induced pneumothorax, it's a little more complicated and painful. You have to create a
hole in the chest cavity to get the trapped air out. Usually this is done in a hospital setting by a Dr. The typical site is below the third rib on
the side of your chest. You will probably hear a hiss and some feel some relief in the building pressure in your chest. Clean the site again. Take
the condom and cut the tip off the end of it. Tape the condom to your chest around the puncture site with the cut end dangling down. Now, as you
inhale, the condom will close itself off preventing air from entering the chest cavity. When you exhale, the condom will open back up allowing the
trapped air in the chest cavity to escape. You will have to check to make sure it hasn't become clotted with blood or other body fluids every 15
minutes or so to prevent air from from becoming trapped in the chest again.
An IV bag can be used in place of the condom as well. The inside of the bag is considered sterile. Cut the bag open and tape three sides over the
puncture site leaving the lower side open. Check the open end every 15 minutes or so to prevent clotting to prevent air from becoming trapped in the
chest again.
DISCLAIMER: PLEASE READ!!!!
This is a life threatening condition and emergency medical attention should be sought from medical personnel. These treatments should only be
performed by trained medical staff. These treatments are only provided for informational purposes and use in the rare occurence that no medical care
is available by unforeseen events. Please, do not attempt this. This is not to be used in place of seeking immediate medical care.
This is my first post with ATS, so don't be too brutal. Although common sense says that I shouldn't have to place a disclaimer, I live in the USA
where people love to sue. I've also been in the medical field and have learned alot about CYA (Cover Your Aces.) In the spirit of the thread for a
SHTF situation, medical care may not be readily available. Crime may be rampant and you could very well be stabbed or shot. This post will hopefully
increase your odds of survival from a relatively minor incident that can easily turn fatal.