Blood Thinners and Hemostatics

[9.3koolaid]

So I just got put on blood thinners for the foreseeable future and I have a pretty remote hunt coming up at the end of the month. I know clotting from any cuts will take longer regardless, but I ordered some quikclot gauze, dressings, and celox powder to stack the odds. Also thinking of packing gloves with a cut rating for field dressing.

Anything else I should be considering or know? Thanks

 

[Pony Soldier]

If you are over 60, consider kevlar sleeves if any skin will be exposed.

 

[9.3koolaid]

If you are over 60, consider kevlar sleeves if any skin will be exposed.

31, came as quite the surprise. Is that just because of thinner/more easily broken skin?

 

[willtim]

You will be fine. Holding pressure is the best hemostatic.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Your skin gets thinner in your later years and you bleed a lot just walking through the brush.

 

[LaHunter]

So I just got put on blood thinners for the foreseeable future and I have a pretty remote hunt coming up at the end of the month. I know clotting from any cuts will take longer regardless, but I ordered some quikclot gauze, dressings, and celox powder to stack the odds. Also thinking of packing gloves with a cut rating for field dressing.

Anything else I should be considering or know? Thanks

You probably need to have a conversation with your doc about the bleed risk along with potential issues with the original reason that you are now on blood thinners. Cut rating gloves is a good idea

 

[willfrye027]

Small to medium cuts will just be more of a PIA. You wont bleed out from poking your finger skinning an animal, but it will be annoying to get it to stop oozing.

Best thing to do in the moment is clean it off with fresh water, get the skin approximated or touching, and wrap it up tight but not too tight. Your body can still form a clot it will just take longer. Direct pressure and try not to mess with it and keep taking bandages off to look at it, unless it’s just soaking through them.

Biggest thing for me would be to have an in reach or something to call for an extraction. A bad fall and hitting your or broken leg etc can become more life threatening..id be more worried about that less about finger cuts etc.

 

[Marbles]

Direct pressure for 5-10 minutes will stop most bleeding. Actually time the pressure and do not stop holding it until you hit time. Every time you look and it bleeds, you blow out the clots that were forming and start over. This also works for bruises (just bleeding under the skin).

Hemostatic gauze and a quality tourniquet (or knowledge and practice with an improvised) are good for all of us in the rare event of arterial bleeding. I would avoid using them for anything else except maybe a bad scalp laceration.

On a DOAC (Eliquis or Xarelto) or a VKA (warfarin), if you take a hard knock to the head, even if you are not knocked out, you should extract and be seen in an ED as guidelines recommend a CT to look for bleeding. Even more true if you get knocked out or are altered after.

 

[Greenbelt]

I've been on bp med since I was 30 (career choice) and Im now 42. You'll be fine there's not much of a difference other than little cuts bleed longer. If you cut your arm off or something you'll prob be the same as everyone else; dead.

 

[Idaboy]

What "thinner" did they put you on and is it for treatment or prevention? Would talk to your doc...it may be a drug you can layoff of for a week without risks

 

[9.3koolaid]

What "thinner" did they put you on and is it for treatment or prevention? Would talk to your doc...it may be a drug you can layoff of for a week without risks

Eliquis, I had random chest pain and it was small pulmonary embolism. They said I can't take any time off until at least 6 months and they know it's gone. My PCP said just work on animals solo, wasn't too worried about it.

 

[9.3koolaid]

Direct pressure for 5-10 minutes will stop most bleeding. Actually time the pressure and do not stop holding it until you hit time. Every time you look and it bleeds, you blow out the clots that were forming and start over. This also works for bruises (just bleeding under the skin).

Hemostatic gauze and a quality tourniquet (or knowledge and practice with an improvised) are good for all of us in the rare event of arterial bleeding. I would avoid using them for anything else except maybe a bad scalp laceration.

On a DOAC (Eliquis or Xarelto) or a VKA (warfarin), if you take a hard knock to the head, even if you are not knocked out, you should extract and be seen in an ED as guidelines recommend a CT to look for bleeding. Even more true if you get knocked out or are altered after.

Altered being concussed? Any experience with the celox powder?

 

[Marbles]

Altered being concussed? Any experience with the celox powder?

Altered being a period of time with abnormal function, i.e not remembering things you should, slurred speech, not thinking normally, not knowing who or where you are. A few seconds is one thing, but minutes is a marker of a hard impact with increased risk of bleeding. Most people will not have bleeding, but death or permanent disability is considered really bad so the acceptable miss rate is really low.

I've not used the powder, gauze just seams easier to manage in my mind. While I have been trained, I have never packed a wound for arterial bleeding as in the ED the preference is to fix it in the OR.

Major bleeding risk on Eliquis is low at about 0.9 % per year, being young your risk is even lower (though not zero). The concern is really none compressible areas like inside the skull or the chest. Alcohol use and NSAIDs (ibuprofen) increase that risk. Don't get stabbed or shot, don't get stomped by a deer, don't fall off a cliff and you should be good.

 

[9.3koolaid]

Altered being a period of time with abnormal function, i.e not remembering things you should, slurred speech, not thinking normally, not knowing who or where you are. A few seconds is one thing, but minutes is a marker of a hard impact with increased risk of bleeding. Most people will not have bleeding, but death or permanent disability is considered really bad so the acceptable miss rate is really low.

I've not used the powder, gauze just seams easier to manage in my mind. While I have been trained, I have never packed a wound for arterial bleeding as in the ED the preference is to fix it in the OR.

Major bleeding risk on Eliquis is low at about 0.9 % per year, being young your risk is even lower (though not zero). The concern is really none compressible areas like inside the skull or the chest. Alcohol use and NSAIDs (ibuprofen) increase that risk. Don't get stabbed or shot, don't get stomped by a deer, don't fall off a cliff and you should be good.

Sounds like a plan! Thanks