Jim37F
Forum Deputy Chief
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When I went through an Army Combat Life Saver course prior to my 2nd deployment back around 2009 or so we were most definitely taught how to start IVs and practiced on each other in the classroom setting. I distinctly remember my partner and I were each able to get successful starts with only one or two try's, while some other poor souls in my unit got the pincushion treatment.
However the CLS course I took last year we hardly even talked about IVs, didn't teach us how to do them, much less practice on anyone.
I have heard from that this is partially because otherwise non medically trained guys would see their buddy become a major trauma patient post IED blast, panick, forget the ABC's but remember how to start an IV and the patient would get one before bleeding control was done. That and/or they'd just squeeze in bag after bag of saline and hextend as fast as possible, blowing out clots and thinning out precious RBC's...
Yet last year they were still teaching us how to do chest needle decompression and we practiced on the maniquen..
However the CLS course I took last year we hardly even talked about IVs, didn't teach us how to do them, much less practice on anyone.
I have heard from that this is partially because otherwise non medically trained guys would see their buddy become a major trauma patient post IED blast, panick, forget the ABC's but remember how to start an IV and the patient would get one before bleeding control was done. That and/or they'd just squeeze in bag after bag of saline and hextend as fast as possible, blowing out clots and thinning out precious RBC's...
Yet last year they were still teaching us how to do chest needle decompression and we practiced on the maniquen..
