I had the opportunity to use one of these in the middle of an Alaskan glacier (Matanuska Glacier). I witnessed a hiker running along the glacier, catch his foot in a small crevasse, and snap both his tibia and fibula. I always carry some survival & first aid stuff when I'm hiking in AK, so I whipped out my SAM splint and some medical (gauze) tape. In no time at all, I had the victim's leg stabilized and he was prepped for an airlift off the glacier.
I highly recommend a couple different sizes of these for anyone who spends time out in the wilderness hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, etc. They're awesome!
A couple years ago some friends and I were out riding ATV's in the Alaska back country. We were in a very thorny area on a narrow trail and so we were just crawling along, and in a freak accident when my friend in front of me rode over a small fallen tree that was laying across the trail, it snapped and popped up and hit her in the lower leg so hard that it broke both bones clean in half. My friend's husband only had zip ties and was looking for some sticks to splint her leg, but I had a SAM splint and duct tape. We used the SAM splint to support her leg and the duct tape to wrap around the splint and her leg. The splint provided enough support that she rode out herself slowly instead of us having to call for a rescue. IMO everyone should carry a SAM splint in their medical kit.
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I bought this to use as a splint for a neighbor's lamb that was born with crooked legs. There is really nothing on the market for lambs, only a few items for calves which would be way too big.
The splint is great. We were able to cut to length, bend as per directions and it really helped this little guy's legs straighten out. The foam covering reduced chaffing and I was amazed at how strong this splint becomes when folded/bent into splint shape. These can also be sanitized and reused which makes them a really good buy.
Good for animals and humans alike!
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The SAM Splint is an excellent piece of first aid gear especially for those who are a long distance away from medical care such as hikers, backpackers, campers, hunters, fishermen, mountain bikers, kayakers, etc. The SAM Splint is designed to immobilize fractures of limbs so that the patient can safely be transported to appropriate medical care or until medical care can reach the patient.
The splint is made from a thin layer of aluminum alloy sandwiched between two layers of closed-cell foam for added protection and comfort. The splint is pliable but to get a proper fit it works best, for me, if you mold the splint around the injured limb as opposed to completely pre-forming the splint. You can do a little pre-forming by getting the approximate shape but don't expect a perfect fit. A little practice with the splint before an emergency will give you a good feel for the splint and what works best for you. Use extreme care to minimize any additional pain or further injury the patient may feel when applying the splint. Be ready for some patient discomfort which might get verbalized by the use of a few choice words, mean look, or loud grunting. Fractures can be very painful! Proper immobilization of a fracture is important to reduce pain or further injury of the limb especially if you are a long distance away from professional medical care.
It fastens in place with tape, wrap, bandanas or other improvised material. Be careful not to wrap the fracture too tight that it causes decreased blood perfusion or increased pain to the patient. It is waterproof so it will handle even the harshest of environments including extremely hot or cold temperatures. From the desert to the arctic this is an excellent piece of gear to have in your kit. Additionally, the splint can be cleaned and reused. It stores relatively small and is very lightweight for those who count ounces.
The splint is radiolucent so it is almost entirely invisible in x-ray photographs and under fluoroscopy. Depending on the situation this may allow medical professionals to x-ray the limb without first having to remove the splint.
I highly recommend the use of the SAM splint for stabilization of fractures when medical help is a long way off the trail. Yes, you can always improvise and make your own splint but generally they will not be applied as fast or be as comfortable as the SAM splint.
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We train with these and use them in the military, and if there is one thing I can say about the military it is that everything we have has to be able to be quickly deployed and very easy to use in stressfull situations. This product should be in every first aid kit sold. I keep SAM splints in all three of my medical kits, home, auto (which I have used after witnessing an accident that resulted in a fractured arm), and my camping/survival pack. You may never have a use for a splint but in the event that you do a SAM splint far outweighs any temporary solutions that you can come up with.
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Had thyoid removed and use Medera everyday on small scar on my neck, seems to be working. Price is right, Walgreens wanted $29 amazed at price at amazon. Great purchase.
