Regardless of how much you prepare, most people should NEVER perform surgery when SHTF.
Why?
For one, “prepping” doesn’t always mean doing EVERYTHING. And as you’re about to see, performing this SHTF task can do WAY more harm than good.
It’s true, preparation is essential for survival. However, survival also often entails knowing your limits. And this is one situation where you DON’T want to get in over your head.
Check out these…
4 Reasons To Never Perform Surgery When SHTF
Can’t Stop The Bleeding
Sure, you might have watched E.R. or other television shows where doctors cut into people. And they make it look so easy. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be
The truth is, doctors don’t just blindly cut anywhere. They know that they need to cut in a way that is safe and won’t cause further damage to the patient.
For instance, surgeons often have to cut through skin, muscle tissue, and fat – which causes lots of bleeding. And if they cut a major blood vessel or knick an artery by accident, they need lots of sterile surgical equipment to stop the bleeding (as well as years of training).
Even if you don’t do any of these things, there’s still a massive risk of excessive blood loss. And, with all that blood preventing you from clearly seeing what you’re doing, you’re likely to cause many more problems.
The truth is, massive blood loss can threaten infection and death even more than the injury itself. In most situations, it’s better to completely avoid cutting someone open.
Further Surgical Complications
The insides of the human body are incredibly delicate. And so if you accidentally knick an organ, it will likely leak fluid, blood, etc. And this will leave the patient susceptible to infection, further complications, and death.
Here’s another major difficulty about surgery. Even if you were an anatomy wiz in school, not everyone’s organs are in the same place. Sure, we all have the same stuff inside. But one person’s internal organs could be shifted a few inches from another person’s. Or they could be rotated a bit.
And once you make that cut – if you’re even slightly off the mark – you can easily puncture an organ.
Closing Wounds Is Difficult
Closing wounds is exceptionally difficult. Not only do you have to ensure everything is completely sterile, but you also have to keep everything inside at the same time (without excess blood loss).
This often entails complicated surgical techniques, stitching and knots to ensure the wound closes – and heals – properly. And without this kind of training you’ll likely make mistakes – and put your patient at huge risk for the longterm.
Did I Mention Infection?
Infection from surgery is fairly common – even in the most sterile of circumstances. And if this is the case in a hospital, you can bet the risk will be far greater in an SHTF situation.
Not to mention, antibiotics will be in short supply during an emergency. And even they can’t often fully stop an infection. Additionally, the more you use antibiotics, the more resilience your body can build to them – making them less effective.
What To Do Instead
It can be excruciating to watch someone you love in agony, with no way to help. That’s why it’s crucial to make sure you have a well-trained doctor or surgeon in your survival group. This person will be your best bet for providing surgery if/when the need arises.
Regardless, even if it’s done by a professional, surgery should be avoided unless it’s absolutely necessary. And even then, it should be a last resort.
