Blood type patches, TCCC, and trauma care

[chuckman]

For the past couple days I have been hosting an ODA 18D from third group at work for some collaborative trauma 'stuff'. We have had some great discussion and there are few points from those convo's I want to share:

1. Blood type patches. Yeah, don't wear them. Cool guy factor +10, but really no one pays attention. Most team medics have that info on hand; if the team medic goes down, it's elsewhere. If you are wearing your dog tags, the info is there. If you are civilian, you are getting O neg until you are typed and crossed. If a cool unit guy has a BT patch, it's because it's part of their protocol.

2. TCCC. Since NAEMT has proclaimed itself king of civilian pre-hospital/out-of-hospital trauma care, these courses have popped up everywhere. They are a dime a dozen. There is no 'real' cert. Because of this, like shooting and tactics instructors, make sure you vet your instructors. Larry Vickers is a different animal than Billy Bubba who likes shooting his tricked out AR and learned because he watched the YouTube.

3. Trauma care. If this is your thing, watch for some interesting developments coming out in point-of-care trauma assessment and treatment. Nothing that civilians will utilize but interesting none the less. These things usually start at the SOF level and once vetted tricked down to everyone.

[pag23]

Good info

[1168]

If you are wearing your dog tags, the info is there.

Additionally, blood types on dog tags are somewhat commonly incorrect.

[chuckman]

Additionally, blood types on dog tags are somewhat commonly incorrect.

Sometimes. In the deployment work-up cycle we'd type everyone to make sure and issue new tags if we needed to (at the time we'd catch up on vax, HIV, etc.). At the end of the day though everyone gets O- until they get to a Role/Echelon 2 where'd there be time to type and cross.

[HKGuns]

Additionally, blood types on dog tags are somewhat commonly incorrect.

That is on the grunt. My tags were correct and I was positive they were correct. My type is so rare I'm probably dead regardless. Good thing I haven't needed any to date.

[chuckman]

That is on the grunt. My tags were correct and I was positive they were correct. My type is so rare I'm probably dead regardless. Good thing I haven't needed any to date.

Interestingly, medical can be charged with UCMJ violations if they give someone wrong blood based on the dog tag. If you are the ordering provider they can yank your license. In the civvy world you can be sued for malpractice.

Curious as to what type you are?

[HKGuns]

Interestingly, medical can be charged with UCMJ violations if they give someone wrong blood based on the dog tag. If you are the ordering provider they can yank your license. In the civvy world you can be sued for malpractice.

Curious as to what type you are?

Not being in medicine, that is news to me. Interesting.

B-Neg

ETA: Kind of interesting how many "regular" folk don't have a clue what blood type they are.

[chuckman]

Not being in medicine, that is news to me. Interesting.

B-Neg

ETA: Kind of interesting how many "regular" folk don't have a clue what blood type they are.

Damn. Yeah, 2% of the pop is B-.

Most people don't get typed unless they need it for something. Young guys, sometimes that's joining the military.

[1168]

That is on the grunt.

Not really. Dude gets told what he gets told, and expects it to be correct, then never thinks about it again, because he’s definitely never getting shot. And you don’t really walk into sick call with a complaint of “I just want to know”.

As for typing everyone again just to confirm, not too long ago that was not commonly done. I don’t really understand why not; don’t shoot the messenger. This includes apical SOF.

On another continent last year, I asked a conventional dude about his walking blood bank program. They had sent samples for everyone to get confirmed, but the samples got damaged in transport, so he was only able to get a partial list made. We worked on some stuff to mitigate that, but it happens.

Bottom line is, no one is getting (non-universal donor) blood based on ID tags. That’s not an accepted source of confirmation.

[chuckman]

Not really. Dude gets told what he gets told, and expects it to be correct, then never thinks about it again, because he’s definitely never getting shot. And you don’t really walk into sick call with a complaint of “I just want to know”.

As for typing everyone again just to confirm, not too long ago that was not commonly done. I don’t really understand why not; don’t shoot the messenger. This includes apical SOF.

On another continent last year, I asked a conventional dude about his walking blood bank program. They had sent samples for everyone to get confirmed, but the samples got damaged in transport, so he was only able to get a partial list made. We worked on some stuff to mitigate that, but it happens.

Bottom line is, no one is getting (non-universal donor) blood based on ID tags. That’s not an accepted source of confirmation.

I have been out of the service for a minute, but when did it become policy to not type everyone at boot? Or am I misreading (very possible)? That used to be the practice; EVERYONE (in the Navy and Marines at least, can't speak to the Army and AF) got typed in boot with dog tags reflecting. And we did at batt level in the deployment work-ups. If someone's tag was wrong (rare, but it's the military), we'd issue new tags, and always issued new red allergy tags. No one gets blood based on tags, everyone gets O- until role/echelon 2. But we did use the info on the tag for forward a "hold up" if the person was something like AB or B-.

Currently SF is typing for their walking blood bank (WBB). I was working week before last with some folks from 3rd group with this program. The deltas have excel with the types on their ODAs, and the info is distributed in several areas so there's always a back up. They are getting type-specific blood. This is going all-SOCOM; the idea is it will go army wide in some protocol (don't know if type-specific or generic O-) like TCCC did.

WBB is an interesting concept. I may be presenting at a conference in the fall on it if I can get my shit together and submit in time.