Trauma Kit

[dats82]

I did a quick search on this and did not really find any threads on it. I have been looking for a kit to keep in my truck that is more advanced than just your general first aid kind of stuff. I have looked on ebay and amazon for some kits, but I can't seem to find one that really fits what I am looking for.

I would like to hear what some of you all maybe carrying, and what the pros and cons of your kits are. I know I could put one together with exactly what I want, but before I did all that, I would like to see if I could just buy a complete kit from the start. I am really looking for a kit that is more for the trauma type stuff and am not really interested in having 20 bandaids and neosporin. The type of stuff I would like would be some type of clotting agent, suture kit, betadine, OPA/NPA, pocket mask, compression bandage, chest seal, large bore needles, scissors, etc. I guess to sum it up, I am not really looking for a survival type kit to take on expeditions or anything to treat abrasions and blisters; I am more looking for something to have on hand for the more acute and severe injuries that kill people while you are trying to get to care.

[gjohnsoniv]

Well there are several companies out there that make "blow out" kits if that's what you're looking for. A couple off the top of my head are Dark Angel Medical, and ITS Tactical.

[Dolomite_supafly]

It would be cheaper and a better kit if you build it how you want it.

Maybe this ecening I will sit down a look at what all is in the kits I used overseas.

I will say tourniquets are mandatory.

Something that is really cheap but very, very useful is vet wrap. It is an elastic ace type wrap that sticks to itself. The rolls are around $3 each and can be used for a lot of different things, not just medical care.

Dolomite

[BigK]

I have a trauma kit that has almost everything you named. I collected it piece by piece, since I couldn't afford the whole list all at once.

Luckily my wife's a RN and can buy from med supply places. Otherwise, I'd never have gotten some my items. She told me not to get a "kit" because they fill it with unnecessary stuff to get the item count up. She also still has all her text books from school, so I can learn from them too.

What I want is some kind of EMT-like training for civies. My work is offering a Red Cross prep class next week, but I doubt it's more than a "duct tape and plastic sheets" class.

Edited June 17, 2012 by BigK

[Guest ochretoe]

Every vehicle I have has a jump bag in it. The most useful things for me have been Derma Bond glue (faster and easier than stitches) and perma tex or vet wrap as I call it. Throw in guaze and 4x4's and tape. Anything else is based on what you know how to use and can get. There are good over the counter blood clotting agents and powder anti bacterial agents. Having been an EMT I'm pretty able to handle a lot of stuff but I'm still not comfortable with IV's and stitches. I never certified in either.

[zapfbroad]

my wife is a nurse, on a trip to michigan & on a trip back from florida we were 1st on scene to some pretty twisted wrecks fortunately no fatalities... after the first trip we realized she had nothing beyond band-aids & tylenol in the car. i ordered her http://amzn.com/B000YMANLA . she likes it, she tossed a couple items & added some cpr shields and a few more things. amazon has a bunch of options similar. Dolomite is correct, you will ultimately save money putting together your own pack. i was in a hurry to get her something and figured this worked out pretty well on the florida incident.

[dats82]

Thanks for the replies. It seems you all have confirmed what I was afraid of, I would be better off putting one together myself. I was just hoping I did not have to invest that much time into it, but I guess that would be better than getting something I regret.

[johnnychimpo]

Look here for what you'd like to include in a kit then search at Amazon.com for the individual components. Watch the shipping on the individual components.

[Mike]

I carry a vehicle med bag everyday.

[TMF]

It would be cheaper and a better kit if you build it how you want it.

Maybe this ecening I will sit down a look at what all is in the kits I used overseas.

I will say tourniquets are mandatory.

Something that is really cheap but very, very useful is vet wrap. It is an elastic ace type wrap that sticks to itself. The rolls are around $3 each and can be used for a lot of different things, not just medical care.

Dolomite

+ 1 on building your own. I would say that you'd be better off having a kit suited for the less sexy stuff since you're likely not going to need it in a SHTF scenario.

I guess what I mean is if you have large bore needles for the purpose of decompressing a tension pneumothorax, or an asherman chest seal to treat the same injury you're wasting space and money. I mean, in a SHTF scenario, if you have a hole through your chest wall you will not live without proper treatment anyway. I'd even stay away from the quick clot stuff too. That isn't designed to stay inside of you; stuffing with curlex and putting a pressure dressing on will work better. These "assaulter" kits are designed as a bandaid for life threatening injuries that require care at a higher facility.

Trauma shears, curlex, cohesive bandages, splints, tourniquet, alcohol, bacitracin, scalpel.... stuff like that to treat things you might actually live from. Pretty much a standard first aid kit with some additions to treat major injuries. Think hard about he stuff you think you might/could treat in that scenario and put the kit together yourself.

[pitt2magic]

Putting a bag together yourself is definitely the way to go. I'm a RN and a SWAT medic so my bag may be a bit ridiculous for some but here is what I consider a good start:

CAT( Military style tourniquet that can be applied one-handed)

Quick Clot Gauze (not the powder, the gauze that is impregnated with the clotting chemical)

SAM Splint

Israeli type bandage

Gauze to make a pressure dressing

Medical tape

trauma shears

For a non medically trained person that is a good start. I carry large bore needles for chest decompression but unless you know where to put it you could do more damage than good.

[dats82]

+ 1 on building your own. I would say that you'd be better off having a kit suited for the less sexy stuff since you're likely not going to need it in a SHTF scenario.

I am not looking for a SHTF scenario kit. This is not really for a BOG or for what people think of as survival situations. I am wanting something that I can use to stabilize prior to going to or awaiting transport to a facility.

I frequently find myself in situations that the sexy things could be needed if stuff goes wrong. I guess some of such situations could be avoided, but I would also hate to need the sexy things and not have them. To be honest with you, if I could afford an AED, I would carry one of those in my truck too. Obviously, they would not serve much purpose in a SHTF scenario either.

Edited June 18, 2012 by dats82

[dats82]

...unless you know where to put it you could do more damage than good.

Second intercostal, midclavicular line

BTW, as I am sure you know, much more can be done with large bore needles than just decompressing a pneumo.

[TMF]

I am not looking for a SHTF scenario kit. This is not really for a BOG or for what people think of as survival situations. I am wanting something that I can use to stabilize prior to going to or awaiting transport to a facility.

I frequently find myself in situations that the sexy things could be needed if stuff goes wrong. I guess some of such situations could be avoided, but I would also hate to need the sexy things and not have them. To be honest with you, if I could afford an AED, I would carry one of those in my truck too. Obviously, they would not serve much purpose in a SHTF scenario either.

Ok, I misunderstood and thought you meant a bug out for the zombie apocalypse. I only keep a tourni in the truck. I figure for all other injuries there'd be about a thousand first responders on the scene in minutes in response to a shooting. All my sexy med gear is collecting dust in a tuff box.

[f3joel]

Cayenne pepper is a good thing to add to any medic kit ( must be 90,000 stu or hotter )

Teaspoon of it in water will stop a heart attack, also good for internal bleeding and ulcers

You can apply directly to a wound to stop bleeding

[RichardR]

One thing that should be mentioned in a thread like this is please don't overlook some basics when piecing together a trauma kit, simple things like a bottle of 90% alcohol, antiseptic hand scrubs, latex gloves, mouth barriers/filter shields, blood spill kits, etc could mean the difference between someone living or dying, not because emergency medical treatment wasn't provided in time to save their life, but them dying later due to an easily preventable infection.

[Mike]

A major bleed out isn't the time to worry about infection.

Stop them from dying. Worry about infection once they're stabilized and still alive.

[pitt2magic]

Yep, stop the bleeding. Let antibiotics fix the infection later.

[Mike]

Cayenne pepper is a good thing to add to any medic kit ( must be 90,000 stu or hotter )

Teaspoon of it in water will stop a heart attack, also good for internal bleeding and ulcers

You can apply directly to a wound to stop bleeding

Not trying to belittle you, but keep the spices in the kitchen. Direct pressure will do much more good than a teaspoon of pepper.

Mike

[RichardR]

I fail to see the reasoning behind refusing to sterilize/disinfect, oh don't get me wrong there may be an emergency situation that involved heavy arterial spray that I probably wouldn't have the time to do it, but the vast majority of injuries I can think of I'd probably have the time to sterilize/disinfect/put on gloves/splatter shield/mask/etc, prior to rendering aid.

Yep, stop the bleeding. Let antibiotics fix the infection later.

A major bleed out isn't the time to worry about infection.

Stop them from dying. Worry about infection once they're stabilized and still alive.

[Mike]

I fail to see the reasoning behind refusing to sterilize/disinfect, oh don't get me wrong there may be an emergency situation that involved heavy arterial spray that I probably wouldn't have the time to do it, but the vast majority of injuries I can think of I'd probably have the time to sterilize/disinfect/put on gloves/splatter shield/mask/etc, prior to rendering aid.

We aren't talking about someone with a cut on their hand.

It's less refusing to be sterile and more a time issue. The more time you wait while you scrub up the more blood that person loses. They only have a finite supply so every second you waste is costing them blood they can not afford to lose.

Me personally, I'm gloving up to protect myself, not the patient. They can fix infection at the hospital relatively easy. Keep the blood in the hurt guy, keep them from going into hypovolemic shock, keep them from exsanguinating. Time is the game, quick the word.

Mike

[f3joel]

Not trying to belittle you, but keep the spices in the kitchen. Direct pressure will do much more good than a teaspoon of pepper.

Mike

Perhaps you should try it before dissmissing it.

[Guest bkelm18]

Perhaps you should try it before dissmissing it.

I've never heard of paramedics carrying pepper.

[Caster]

Quick Clot. I got some from a friend who was a Marine. It does work. There's more than one soldier that owes his life to that little packet.

[f3joel]

I've never heard of paramedics carrying pepper.

Cayenne pepper

http://herballearning.com/cayenne-stops-bleeding/