If you work in medicine, you understand how convenient having a good set of shears is. When treating seriously injured patients who are immobile or unable to remove their clothing quickly, they are a crucial piece of equipment. Seconds in a life or death situation can make a difference, so it is crucial to have this kind of equipment.

It’s also important to select a pair of professional-grade shears that won’t jam, break, or fail to cut through a material. First responders frequently use paramedic trauma shears to cut away clothing, bandages, and other materials when assessing a patient or an emergency. Additionally, they come in handy for military and survival situations where regular scissors are insufficient.

Design of Trauma Sheers

Unlike regular scissors, the purposeful design of trauma shears allows cutting through thicker and harder fabrics because of their sturdy construction and curved form (about 150 degrees). Instead of being pointy, the ends are rounded. This design enables you to drag them across a patient’s skin without inflicting any cuts or harm.

Why Do Paramedics Carry Trauma Shears?

You may ask yourself: Do I need trauma shears? The answer is yes because they are a crucial part of gear for EMTs, paramedics, nurses, military medics, and other medical workers. Aside from a good stethoscope, they may be the most favoured piece of their equipment. They make a great addition to a home or vacation first aid pack and are particularly popular with survivalists and hunters. The two main ways to use paramedic shears are cutting bandages and removing patient clothing.

Cutting Bandages

Using bandage shears to cut dressings, light casts, or thin garments is likely if you work in a wound clinic or hospital. If working close to an open wound, you must remember to clean the stainless steel bandage shears properly.

Removing Patient Clothing

First responders use medical shears when responding to falls, shootings, or accidents and inspecting and treating injuries because of how useful they are for removing garments instantly. You can’t treat something if you can’t see it!

Alternative Uses of Trauma Shears

Besides their obvious uses, there are additional ways to use trauma sheers that are no secret in the first responder community. Here are some of them:

For Making an Improvised Tourniquet

The medical shears can serve as the windlass for a makeshift tourniquet. You do that by making a tourniquet on the spot with a triangle bandage and a pair of trauma scissors; tie a simple knot below and about the centre of the shears after putting the dressing around your limb. Then, simply twist the scissors until the bleeding stops. You might need to make several tourniquets when addressing multiple casualties.

For Opening an O2 Tank

If you’re assisting someone who needs oxygen, you know how simple it is to misplace the wrench to access the tanks. With trauma sheers, you simply encircle the O2 tank nut inside the handles, squeeze, and twist the tank open. Put some tape on your handgrips if you need to improve your grip.

As an Extraction Tool

The best tool for cutting seat belts is a pair of shears as it gives you greater control than a typical seatbelt cutter. Additionally, the handle of some shears includes a glass breaker.

Tips for Choosing the Best Trauma Shears for You

As with other medical equipment, such as medical scrubs or first aid kits, it’s essential to understand that there are lots of types of trauma scissors and that each has advantages and disadvantages. It relies on your choices and demands while choosing the best trauma sheers. These are some of the most important factors when buying a pair of trauma scissors.

Durability

Hospitals don’t care about durability when purchasing trauma scissors. Instead, they often use mass-produced designs that only have some basic features. That’s because if something happens to one pair, for example, if it breaks, you can simply grab another pair. Additionally, hospital settings have much more capable tools, limiting the use of shears.

The situation is the opposite when responding to an accident in the field and outside the hospital. Since your shears can potentially save someone’s life, you don’t want them to fall apart. Being on the battlefield especially comes with the possibility of running into situations that call for the usage of more expensive models. Hence, an EMT or combat medic would need a more durable set.

Materials

Surgical stainless steel is the most typical material used for making trauma paramedic shears. However, some specialty shears, for instance, have fluoride-coated blades. These are “nonstick shears,” specifically made to be better at cutting through the tape. Shears designed for operation in the field frequently have titanium coatings on their blades so they can cut through sturdier materials without breaking.

Additionally, you might want to get a set of shears that can resist autoclave sterilisation temperatures if you use them in a medical environment. Titanium shears can typically be re-sterilized and, once sterilised, are safe to use on several patients without the worry about cross-contamination. That’s a crucial factor to take into account when choosing your pair.

Price

Sheers can cost as little as $10 or as much as $100 for a uniquely designed set engraved with your name. Once more, unless you are in the field, you should probably consider the durability-to-price ratio while making your choice. For instance, you can purchase a less expensive set, or the hospital may even provide you with your own pair if you plan to use the shears in the emergency room, which has a number available.

A high-quality pair of EMT shears, or even a pair with a carabiner to attach to your belt for easy access, is excellent to purchase as they have a design utilised for the field under demanding and unpredictable conditions.