POW Pressure Bandages: Pressure That Stays on the Wound
Bleeding control starts with your hands: firm, direct pressure on the wound. The hard part is holding it for minutes while someone still has to call 911. The POW Pressure Wrap puts a pressure dome over the bleeding point and holds it there with an elastic wrap — so the pressure stays when your hands leave.
✓ Now in stock at MED-TAC · Ships within 48 hours · Free shipping on orders $200+ (APO/FPO always free)
Pressure Works. Holding It Is the Problem.
“The number one cause of preventable death after injury is bleeding.”VERIFIED
Pressure only works while it's on. Over hemostatic gauze, hold at least 3 minutes, or longer if its maker says so. Over plain gauze, hold at least 10.
That's minutes with both hands locked on one wound. Nobody's talking to 911. Nobody's checking the second casualty. And your arms will quit before the clock does.
A pressure bandage takes over the hold. Press for the full time, then wrap so the pressure stays and your hands are free. No wrap? Keep pressing until rescuers take over.
In-Stock POW Pressure Dressing Lineup
Four sterile formats built around patented targeted compression: a rigid pressure dome turns wrap tension into focused downward pressure directly over the bleed so hands stay free.
POW Pressure Wrap — Large 4" × 54"
Built-in 2-inch rigid pressure dome with 54 inches of elastic to wrap limbs several times over. Concentrates wrap tension straight down over bleeding forearms, calves, or thighs.
- 2 in. rigid pressure dome for larger limb wounds
- Elastic wrap locks dome securely in place
- Hands-free once secured • sterile single wrap
POW Essentials Pack
The complete 7-dressing everyday lineup in 4 sizes. From fingertip cuts to full limb lacerations, covers the whole family or workplace first aid station without improvising.
- 1× Large Wrap, 2× 11"×3" Wraps, 2× 2"×5" Strips, 2× Finger Strips
- Rigid dome on every dressing matches wound scale
- Individually sterile and sealed • everyday first aid
POW Pressure Strips for Fingers (3-Pack)
Built for the common cut on fingers and hands where flat bandages slide off. The narrow wrap and rigid dome lock pressure onto the cut hands-free so you have both hands back.
- Small rigid dome targeted for curved digits
- Firm wrap tension prevents slipping on moving joints
- 3 sterile, individually packaged finger strips
POW 2" × 5" Pressure Strips (3-Pack)
Built for the “cut in between” adhesive bandages and full trauma dressings. Sized for cuts on palms, wrists, and forearms with a 1-inch dome focusing downward force right on the bleeding site.
- 1 in. rigid pressure dome for palms & wrists
- 2 in. × 5 in. elastic strip bridges small to mid-size cuts
- 3 sterile, individually packaged strips
Why a Dome: Same Wrap, More Pressure Where It Counts
Pressure is force divided by area. Wrap a limb with a plain elastic bandage and its tension spreads across everything it touches — mostly over skin that isn't bleeding. Put a rigid dome under that same wrap and the tension funnels straight onto the small area beneath it: more pressure on the bleeding site and less squeeze on the rest of the limb. POW calls it patented targeted compression.
Trauma dressings use the same engineering logic: the Israeli Emergency Bandage with a pressure bar, the OLAES with a pressure cup. What POW has done is scale this principle across the injuries people face daily — from a dedicated strip for curved fingers, to a 2" × 5" strip for palms and wrists, up to the Large 4" × 54" wrap with a 2-inch dome that wraps limbs several times over.
Where POW Fits: 4 Products, 4 Jobs
A bleeding control kit is four tools with four jobs. POW does one of them.
Tourniquet
Life-threatening arm or leg bleeding. C-A-T Gen 7 or SAM XT, proven duty-of-care standards.
Packing gauze
Deep wounds and the junctions: groin, armpit, neck. QuikClot Combat Gauze (evidence-based hemostatic standard) or plain gauze.
Chest seal
Covers an open chest wound.
Your everyday first aid kit is a different kit, and it matters. Finger cuts, broken glass, a slipped knife: the POW Essentials Pack lives there, next to the adhesive bandages and burn dressings. Keep the trauma kit for trauma.
Pressure First. Escalate Fast.
Match the tool to what you see. Life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg skips straight to the tourniquet.
| What you see | Do this | Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Small cut, finger cut, or a scrape that keeps oozing | Firm pressure, then a small pressure bandage | POW Finger Strips, 2" × 5" Strips, or Essentials Pack |
| Steady bleeding from an arm or leg that slows under pressure | Hold pressure, then wrap with the dome centered on the bleeding point | POW Large Pressure Wrap |
| A deep wound you can pack, or bleeding at the groin, armpit or neck | Pack it tight, power ball on the bleeding point, and hold pressure. On an arm or leg, wrap over the packing. Groin, armpit or neck: keep pressing until rescuers take over | QuikClot Combat Gauze or plain gauze, then POW on limbs |
| Spurting, pooling, soaking through, or an amputation on an arm or leg | Tourniquet first. Don't spend time on a bandage | C-A-T Gen 7 or SAM XT |
| A chest or belly wound | Don't pack it. Cover it and call 911. Chest: a chest seal or the casualty's own hand, and watch their breathing | Chest seal |
Children 2 and under: MED-TAC teaches pressure, not tourniquets. Severe bleeding in a small child can usually be stopped with firm pressure and a pressure wrap.
How to Apply a POW Pressure Bandage
The 3-step targeted compression technique: position the rigid dome, secure the initial tension, and wrap firmly to lock downward pressure right over the bleed.
1. Position Dome
Center the rigid pressure dome directly over the bleeding point. The dome footprint must be larger than the wound to concentrate force onto the bleeding site.
2. Anchor & Secure
Anchor the starting end with your initial wrap pass, keeping firm downward pressure so the dome does not shift away from the wound center.
3. Wrap & Free Hands
Wrap around the extremity, overlap each pass, and lock the end. Check distal pulse/sensation; pressure stays on and both hands are free.
Seven-Step Bleeding Control Sequence
Get 911 coming. Call — or point at one person, call out their shirt color, and tell them exactly what to say.
Gloves if you have them. Don't let a missing pair stop you. Cut clothing away and expose the wound.
Find the bleeding point. Deep enough to pack? Pack it first, power ball on the bleeding point.
Press hard. At least 3 minutes over hemostatic gauze, or as its maker directs. At least 10 over plain gauze. Or until the bleeding stops.
Wrap. Center the dome over the bleeding point. Wrap firmly, overlap each pass, cover the pad's edges, and secure the end.
Check past the wrap. Fingers or toes cold, pale, blue or numb? Loosen it slightly and re-wrap.
Watch it. Blood coming through? Use the escalation rules below.
If blood soaks through
- Arm or leg still bleeding heavily: tourniquet.
- Packed wound still bleeding: the packing failed. Take it out, find the source, repack tight with the power ball on the bleeding point, and re-wrap.
- Shallow wound that was never deep enough to pack: leave the bandage on and add gauze and pressure on top.
Never
- Never wrap anything around the neck. Pack the neck carefully and keep pressure off the airway.
- Never pack the chest or belly.
- Never use a pressure bandage in place of a tourniquet on life-threatening arm or leg bleeding.
Everyday Uses: Where POW Earns Its Spot
From kitchen counter accidents to remote field operations, POW provides hands-free targeted compression across the environments where bleeding happens.
Home & Family First Aid
Kitchen knife slips, broken glass, DIY cuts, and power tools. Fits easily into home medicine cabinets and countertop first aid kits to stop routine bleeding before it soaks through standard flat bandages.
Vehicles, Travel & EDC
Glove box, truck console, and travel packs. Compact enough for daily commute or road trips, keeping hands-free direct pressure ready for highway emergencies, roadside repairs, or vehicle trauma kits.
Outdoors, Ranch & Range
Chainsaws, fencing, hunting, and firearms. When miles from the nearest emergency department, rigid-dome targeted compression keeps focused pressure locked in place hands-free while navigating to care.
Workplaces & Schools
Commercial kitchens, maintenance bays, warehouses, and school safety stations. Coworkers can apply immediate compression without specialized medical training. Request institutional quotes →
EMS, Fire & Rescue
Integrates into jump bags and patrol medical loadouts. Fast temporary compression for high-volume lacerations that don't warrant a tourniquet, or to hold packed wound cavities firmly on limbs.
Dialysis & Fragile Skin
Specialized post-puncture compression for dialysis patients and fragile tissue. Focuses downward pressure directly onto the needle access site without circumferential tourniqueting of the limb.
Armed professionals carry the trauma kit on their person. Everyone else keeps it as close as possible — gear bag, range bag, go bag — and keeps one in the vehicle too.
Get the Trauma Brief. Get First Word on POW.
Free: The Trauma Brief, Third Edition — an extensive guide covering evidence-based trauma care standards. Doctrine, decision logic, kit matching by role, and an objective comparison of modern pressure bandages. POW Pressure Bandages are now in stock at MED-TAC.
Agencies, Districts & Employers
Stocking bleeding control stations, patrol kits or a whole district? Tell us what you need. We'll quote POW alongside the rest of your bleeding-control program.
Reviewed by a Clinician Who Teaches This
Marco R. Torres, MD, NRP is a physician and medical educator, a U.S. Navy veteran, and the founder of MED-TAC International and ALKEONHealth.com. He brings 15 years of experience in tactical medicine as a flight medic, as a paramedic, and in high-threat VIP protection operations, and he taught EMS for 7 years. He hosts Talking TACMED.
MED-TAC International is clinician-founded, veteran-led and SDVOSB-certified.
Questions About POW
What is a POW bandage?
POW (Pressure Over Wounds) makes sterile pressure bandages. The POW Pressure Wrap puts a pressure dome over the bleeding point and holds it there with an elastic wrap, so focused pressure stays on the wound after your hands come off.
What's in the POW line at MED-TAC?
MED-TAC currently stocks four genuine POW formats: the POW Large Pressure Wrap (single 4 × 54 in. wrap with a 2 in. rigid pressure dome for limbs), the POW Essentials Pack (7 sterile dressings in 4 sizes for fingertip-to-limb coverage), the POW Pressure Strips for Fingers (3-pack for curved digits), and the POW 2" × 5" Pressure Strips (3-pack for palms, wrists, and forearms). All four formats are in stock and ready to ship.
Is POW a tourniquet?
No. It's a pressure bandage. Life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg — spurting, pooling, soaking through, or an amputation — gets a tourniquet first, such as the C-A-T Gen 7 or SAM XT.
Does POW replace wound packing?
No. A deep wound gets packed first — tight, with the power ball on the bleeding point — and held. On an arm or leg, POW then holds the packing in place. Never pack the chest or belly.
How long do I hold pressure before I wrap?
At least 3 minutes over hemostatic gauze, or as its maker directs. At least 10 minutes over plain gauze. Or until the bleeding stops. Then wrap so the pressure stays and your hands are free.
How tight should a pressure bandage be?
Firm enough to keep pressure on the wound, not so tight it cuts off circulation past it. Check the fingers or toes beyond the wrap: cold, pale, blue or numb means loosen it slightly and re-wrap.
What if blood soaks through?
Arm or leg still bleeding heavily: apply a tourniquet. Packed wound still bleeding: the packing failed — remove it, find the source, repack tight and re-wrap. A shallow wound that was never deep enough to pack: leave the bandage on and add gauze and pressure on top.
How is POW different from an Israeli Emergency Bandage?
Different tools. The Israeli Emergency Bandage — pressure bar, closure bar, full-length elastic — is built for moderate-to-severe bleeding from large wounds, per its manufacturer. POW focuses pressure with a dome, and its line adds small formats for fingers and small wounds. Many kits carry both: a large trauma dressing for the worst day, POW for the everyday.
Is POW CoTCCC-recommended?
No — and no pressure bandage is. The CoTCCC Recommended Devices & Adjuncts list covers devices like limb and junctional tourniquets, hemostatic dressings and airway adjuncts; pressure bandages aren't a category on it. Anyone selling a bandage as “CoTCCC-approved” is wrong twice: the CoTCCC recommends, it doesn't approve.
Can I use a pressure wrap on a child?
Yes — for most kids it's the right tool. MED-TAC teaches that most bleeding injuries in children are controlled with firm direct pressure and a pressure wrap, with the tourniquet saved for true life-threatening arm or leg bleeding. For children 2 and under, we teach pressure, not tourniquets. Check circulation past the wrap often.
Where should I carry POW?
The Essentials Pack belongs in the everyday first aid kit — kitchen, car, desk, backpack. The Pressure Wrap belongs in the bleeding control kit with the tourniquet and packing gauze. Armed professionals carry that kit on their person; everyone else keeps it as close as possible — gear bag, range bag, go bag — and in the vehicle too.
Your Hands Are the First Pressure Dressing. They Shouldn't Be the Last.
Looking for clinical doctrine first? Download the Free Trauma Brief →
Educational information from MED-TAC International. Not medical advice, and no substitute for hands-on bleeding control training. In an emergency, call 911. POW specifications as listed by the manufacturer; product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Estimate shipping rates:
Calculate shipping rates
Coupon code will work on checkout page.
