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Suspension Trauma Revisited - How Much Do You Know About It?

LoadedLimbs

LoadedLimbs

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Connecticut
I offer the following educational video about suspension trauma for anyone who wants to know more. Anyone climbing trees should have basic knowledge about what it is, how quickly it can overcome a person, what to do if suspended without the ability to descend, and how to handle a victim that is rescued from suspension.

The content is created and delivered by a medical doctor who researched the available case history on the phenomenon and published the related article in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine about 10 years ago. (Link provided where you can read more and download a pdf of his paper on the topic for free.) Watching the video will take just over 30 minutes - but contains knowledge that could help save your life, or the life of a hunting partner.


Link: Risks and Management of Prolonged Suspension in an Alpine Harness, Roger B. Mortimer, MD

Link: PDF of associated paper, with full detail and references
 
Last edited:
kyler1945 said:
Thank you for posting this. Good information.
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For a couple years I’ve been one sticking w an RC harness on, then hanging from a JX3 or a Recon once up the tree… now starting to wonder if - from a suspension trauma perspective - sitting in the ol JX3 for that climb isn’t perhaps the safest way to ascend. It’s a real dance / juggling w risks here.
 
I deal with this on a daily basis with my work. I didn't watch the video, but if you hang with weight on the arteries in your legs for more than 7 minutes restricting the blood flow, YOU ARE DEAD. There is nothing anyone can do for you after they release the pressure and the dead blood in your legs enters your heart. I have suspension trauma devices on my hunting gear. It is a real thing everyone should know about. Most people's lineman's ropes or tether's can double as a device, you just have to know how to properly set it up
 
Loopwing said:
I have suspension trauma devices on my hunting gear. It is a real thing everyone should know about. Most people's lineman's ropes or tether's can double as a device, you just have to know how to properly set it up
Click to expand...
Can you shed more light on your setup and best practices?
 
I'm usually around 200-205# except April and Oct I'll hover in that 228-230# range. I had a cheap box store hangon fail with me in 2016 and my safety harness caught me. I hang my tether very high in a climber or that rare occasion I used a hangon. This serves two purposes 1) When I draw my bow my safety strap is high and out of my way and 2) If I fall I don't fall as far.

When I fell in 2016 I was conscious, aware and only hung a short time and because my tether was so high I was able to regain my steps easily. In a very short time I felt the results of those straps around my legs and got out of that situation as quickly as possible. I couldn't imagine being suspended for any length of time, especially if you weigh over 170 or so. TBH, I have no scientific backing for that 170# comment it may all be relative and hurt if you weigh 25#.

My preferred hunt is in a climber with a wingman. I'm tethered the whole way up and can come down as fast or slow as I want if I fall. Worst case scenario (obviously weird freak things can happen but you know what I mean) is I'm on the ground safely and I have to come back with another way to climb and retrieve my climber.

One thing I noticed in a Hawk saddle, Tethrd Phantom and a Cruzr XC is after an hour or so in the saddle my right thigh would get that numb tingly feeling and reminds me of hanging back in 2016. I tried tight leg straps, loose leg straps and no leg straps but for some reason it affected me.
 
JBDCPA said:
I'm usually around 200-205# except April and Oct I'll hover in that 228-230# range. I had a cheap box store hangon fail with me in 2016 and my safety harness caught me. I hang my tether very high in a climber or that rare occasion I used a hangon. This serves two purposes 1) When I draw my bow my safety strap is high and out of my way and 2) If I fall I don't fall as far.

When I fell in 2016 I was conscious, aware and only hung a short time and because my tether was so high I was able to regain my steps easily. In a very short time I felt the results of those straps around my legs and got out of that situation as quickly as possible. I couldn't imagine being suspended for any length of time, especially if you weigh over 170 or so. TBH, I have no scientific backing for that 170# comment it may all be relative and hurt if you weigh 25#.

My preferred hunt is in a climber with a wingman. I'm tethered the whole way up and can come down as fast or slow as I want if I fall. Worst case scenario (obviously weird freak things can happen but you know what I mean) is I'm on the ground safely and I have to come back with another way to climb and retrieve my climber.

One thing I noticed in a Hawk saddle, Tethrd Phantom and a Cruzr XC is after an hour or so in the saddle my right thigh would get that numb tingly feeling and reminds me of hanging back in 2016. I tried tight leg straps, loose leg straps and no leg straps but for some reason it affected me.
Click to expand...
I picked up a wingman… do you see any issue with the strap possibly binding up if it doesn’t pull freely from the pouch?… I hate to leave that thing dangling during a hunt but not sure I like it sitting in there spooled up tight either.
 
I've never used it with the pouch, I use the tag end to pull up my bow if I don't climb with my bow in the 3rd Hand Bowholder. But, even if I don't use it as a pull up I leave it hanging. It's black and years ago I used the 30' HSS rope as a tether and it was yellow.
 
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