Random thoughts on battle prepping your med kit.

[Iraq Ninja]

I have noticed that a few folks here have posted pics of what they carry, and I need to comment on a few things.

Tourniquets and NPAs need to be battle prepped. Do not keep them in the plastic wrapper. Makes about as much sense as carrying your carbine in the cardboard box you bought it in.

Expect wear and tear and inspect often. Some items are packed for hospital use and the paper and plastic do develop rips and tears. Save the worn items for training.

Probably the biggest issue I see is not what is in your med kit, but what is in your brain. Do you really know how to use that cannula for a tension pneumothorax, let alone know the signs and symptoms? NPAs are cool, but do you know how to insert one and under what conditions?

Can you quickly access and open the packaging? Try opening a bandage with gloves on, coated with oil (simulated blood or sweat).

Pre fold back the corners on wrappers to allow you to quickly find and open them.

Asherman chest seals are a Gucci piece of kit, but do you know what to do if you don't have one, or if the damn thing won't stick to your Uncle Bruno's sweaty and hairy chest? Do you store it flat or crunched in the bottom of your med kit?

Gloves don't need to be stored in nice little plastic bags. Have you tried taking a pulse with gloves on? Do you even know where to check a pulse and what the results mean?

Medical training is highly susceptible to skill fade, more so that shooting skills. The more training I get, the more I realize just how much I don't know. Seek out medical training with the same zeal that you do for shooting.

Do your family members and friends know basic trauma care? What good is that NPA in your vest if you are the only one who knows how to use it, and you end up unconscious with a blocked airway?

I hope the medical professionals here will chime in and give their two cents on the subject.

[ST911]

I hope the medical professionals here will chime in and give their two cents on the subject.

Hard to add much to that. Software beats hardware. Inspect and PM your gear. Preposition it for rapid use under likely deployment conditions. Train often, keep it relevant and current.

Worth repeating...

Like your magazines, don't try to hold on to gear forever. Stuff degrades over time with carry and handling. When in doubt, throw it out or salvage it for training. That widget might have cost you ~$7-$10 or more, but it may get nasty and be a liability.

Most folks are wearing or carrying things they need to manage many wounds. Purpose-built stuff makes it easier, but nothing beats knowledge and the ability to improvise.

Dropping an NPA or relieving a Ptx isn't rocket science, but it isn't something to just wing without forethought, either.

Nothing beats experience. If you aren't in the fight downrange, show up at your local search and rescue, volunteer fire/EMS, etc.

[Von Rheydt]

Good tips mate. Battle prepping kit is a good practice as it can save vital seconds in instances from GSW's to helping with a vehicle accident - I do not know how it stands in the USA but here in the UK we have legislation that allows the act of a good samaritan without liability.

I think that in any situation there is no use in having life saving kit in pouches. With that in mind I have seen these and I am going to get myself a couple one for my hill walking rucksack and the other for my vehicle first aid grab bag.

http://215gearstore.com/tourniquetgpholder-1.aspx

Before Ashermans we used the plastisied wrapping from field dressings.

NPA's are good, when you practice give the dummy ... sorry, volunteer, a couple of drinks beforehand to loosen him up.

I always write the expiration dates of contents including meds on a laminated card that I attach to my FAK's.

Skill fade is very true. I finished in hospital 4 years ago and if I did not do refresher courses and keep up with reading it would soon be forgotten.

[Danny Boy]

I forget things everyday. I sleep with my Field Reference guide (no joke) as I drew a mental blank on something a few weeks ago that I should of known or rather I thought I did.

There's plenty of ways that you can try to help someone but without knowing what you're doing end up harming them instead. As mentioned, something as simple as an NPA if used in the incorrect conditions can have rather unpleasant consequences.

I think each of us needs to decide realistically where our "Scope Of Practice" begins and ends.

[Iraq Ninja]

Good tips mate. Battle prepping kit is a good practice as it can save vital seconds in instances from GSW's to helping with a vehicle accident - I do not know how it stands in the USA but here in the UK we have legislation that allows the act of a good samaritan without liability.

I recently heard a story from an ex Brit medic who talked about testing he did for a UK police job. When they were evaluating his skills, they had him do rescue breaths on a dummy. One hand was on top of the throat, so he could multi-task and check the carotid pulse. They evaluator sternly told him not to do that, because the public may think you were choking the casualty!

A lot of our kit is Brit medical, from SP. I notice the Brits don't use saline locks unlike us Yanks.


An EMT once told me about carrying some of those strong altoid mints in a tin. He said they helped when dealing with nasty situations that may cause you to vomit.

[Danny Boy]

I recently heard a story from an ex Brit medic who talked about testing he did for a UK police job. When they were evaluating his skills, they had him do rescue breaths on a dummy. One hand was on top of the throat, so he could multi-task and check the carotid pulse. They evaluator sternly told him not to do that, because the public may think you were choking the casualty!
.

Yeah. They don't like it when you reach across the throat. Check on the side you're positioned on.

[MIKE G]

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[Spade]

Iraq Ninja, great post. Lots of people are gear junkies (myself included). I did a short time as a volunteer firefighter. I was amazed how much I did not know when it came to dealing with a trauma situation. Gear is the fun & easy part. Training takes time & a desire to complete it or rather continue it. My wife & I have both gone though first responder classes. I recommend that if given the ability that everyone should go though this as a minimum. I would love to complete an EMT course & look to do so hopefully.

[NinjaMedic]

The only way to prepare for procedures is repetition and failure so you can know what not to do and what is needed to overcome an issue, with that will come learning how to properly package items to assist you in quickly performing a procedure.

That being said, medicine is not about skills, procedures, equipment, knowledge, voodoo or anything else. They are all important components in treating a person but the key to medicine is judgement. The judgement that comes from experience and mistakes that leads you to know when or more importantly when not to perform a procedure. The judgement that tells you just how sick someone really is. The only way to gain that is by caring for truly sick and injured people. (the 2-3% of US 911 calls) That is difficult for paramedics in busy urban EMS systems, combat medics in theatre, even physicians. Your judgement ultimatly though is what will make a difference for those very few people that you can reach in a timely manner and actually perform a life saving intervention.

[rob_s]

I know that I am woefully lacking in training in this regard, and I'm still working on rectifying that situation. I also know I'm carrying more gear than I officially know how to use.

My thinking is that someone that knows more about this stuff than me may be on-site when I get hurt and I'd rather have tools for them to use.