I'm a working Paramedic. I just want to add my .02. First off aspirin (ASA)... ASA is not a blood thinner as some people believe, it is a platelet inhibitor. If someone gets shot who is on a daily low dose 81mg ASA regimen they are going to clot just fine. Some of the true blood thinners coumadin, plavix, etc and you may have some trouble getting the wound to clot quickly ( it will stop eventually).
Well actually if you want to get technical there is no such thing as a blood thinner...the blood will be the same thickness regardless of the administration of aspirin, Plavix, or Coumadin...blood thinners are actually a misconception.
ASA and Plavix are both platelet aggregate inhibitors and work in much the same manner albeit at different levels of efficacy. Both do last through an entire platelet life (irreversible).
Comandin prevents blood clots by inhibiting vitamin K-dependent coagulation factor synthesis (II, VII, IX, X, proteins C and S). Coumadin's effect is reversible.
The effect of all of the above mentioned medicine is somewhat dose dependent, but also quite individualized.
One may achieve a a clot on a patient on any of the above medicines under the right circumstances with proper management and time.
Best bet don't worry about those medications and apply direct pressure. Again as I stated earlier training is the key (Honestly I think every outdoors man should know CPR and first aid). Rapid transport is essential with trauma.
He said he told his wife not to waste time waiting for an ambulance, just cart him off to the ER if he ever had a serious injury. He was dead serious about it too. Of course, this is in town where an ER is pretty close. You might well bleed out if you are 2 hours away from civilization.
He also did a rant about the FD wasting critical time trying to stabilize them before transporting. Something along the lines of making the FD people feel better than doing anything real good for the patient.
He did like the way FDs handle heart attacks. Said they did a good job on them, but did not like the way they handled trauma at all.
Currently most pre-hospital systems that have a director who is educated regarding trauma have shift their focus to a package and ship type mentality. The EMS personnel will spend minimal time trying to stabilize and will focus on packaging the patient and transporting to definitive trauma care ASAP. The will not spend much time in ER either, the patient will go to CT and directly to surgery.
The point being....speed is again of the essence. If you as an individual are faced with a trauma victim then make the 911 call first before treating, it will only take seconds and in many instances the operator has medical training and can assist with questions regarding the medical issue you are facing.