Trauma Kit list

[DENWA]

Recently had an accident at our getaway place and everything turned out just fine.

However, it got me thinking about what would happen if driving 1.5 hours to the nearest hospital with trauma center was not an option?

Started building a trauma kit. Trying to keep in mind an accident like chopping wood with an AX or running a chainsaw when blade slings off.

Not an expert in this area but decided to build something more than a first aid kit.

Please add your ideas thoughts.

1. LARGE blood stoppers-Isreali bandage kits (6)
2. Lots of gauze rolls (lots)
3. Tourniquets (2)
4. Skin stapler disposable ( $10 for 35 staples from amazon)
5. Vet. Surgical Kit with sutures--I bought a practice kit too for $30 as i realize this requires training more than youtube can provide.
6. 1 Liter of sterile irrigation fluid
7. Alcohol/Swabs/Hibicleanse/antiseptic/Antibiotic ointment
8. Latex gloves
9. ACE Bandages (lots) to hold the gauze in place
10. Medical tape
11. Scissors
12. Headlamp and Flashlight
13. *Working on getting Lidocaine and 1cc syringes from my dad
14. Blood Clotter (large)
15. Burn Gel dressings (Not sure if these are really needed but they were free)
16.

 

[Speed3]

Super glue to glue small wounds shut(tissue adhesive is the proper name)
Moleskin tape
Israeli bandage
Universal splint kit

Thats all I got this morning

 

[dgapilot]

Israeli bandages


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[DENWA]

Thanks. Didn't know but the big dressings I have are in fact Israeli bandages..

 

[sajidakh]

hyfin vent seals.

 

[Garet Jax]

What about some way to cauterize an open bleeding wound?

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

hyfin vent seals.

Definitely. You can get by with a plastic bag and duct tape but the vented ones are easier. I find we use the burn gel for minor kitchen burns a lot. Other things I would consider: big trauma (aka abdominal) pads. Izzys are good but sometimes you just need a bunch of dressings. Also maybe consider putting a SAM splint in there. Very useful. Lots of videos showing all the things you can do with them. If you have the training a nasal airway in a different size or two plus some gel. Unless you know what you are doing (or are building this in anticipation of a long grid down mad max scenario) I’d forget the suturing stuff. Get some butterfly closures or the equivalent.

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

Oh yeah just though of another: put some cheap space blankets in for hypothermia. The H in MARCH.

 

[2flhun]

whatever is in your bag, ensure that everyone in your family knows how to use the items.

Buy extra for training.

 

[paperwork351]

Kits are like gun safes. You try to fill it with more stuff. Consider the type of kit, how to carry, how large or heavy. IFAK on your person to EMT rescue squad carry. Prepmedic, Skinnymedic, Echo 6 and a ton of others on youtube. Another otpion is an ankle kit. Warrior Poet Society looks interesting.

paperwork351

 

[outrider58]

I recommend C-A-T tourniquets.

Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T)

The C-A-T uses a windlass system with free-moving internal band to provide true circumferential pressure in the event of a traumatic wound with significant hemorrhage.

www.narescue.com

 

[dbledoc]

What about some way to cauterize an open bleeding wound?

If you are not trained in how to do this properly, you can cause some serious damage.

 

[Boats]

I will start with this:. unless you absolutely know what you are doing, don't suture or cauterize. Lido goes bad. Suturing foreign bodies into a wound is bad (think small pieces of glass etc). Accidentally injecting lidocaine IV can cause low blood pressure and irregular heart rate. Typically most wounds can be pressure dressed, hemostatic-d or tournequeted just fine for transportation to an ER. I would not recommend suturing in the field and I cannot think of a reason why you would, even with a 1.5 hour drive to hospital. If you're thinking of suturing on a child.....don't. Lido burns like hell and will cause emotional scarring when dad causes severe pain. Let the ER nurse/doc take that hit.

for lidocaine you are going to want 3-10cc syringes and sub-q needles to properly infiltrate the wound. Aspirate to make sure you aren't injecting lido IV. Would recommend lido+epinephrine as epi is a vasoconstrictor and will slow the bleeding while you are suturing.

Sutures: you will want dissolvable (vicryl) and non dissolvable (ethilon) in case you need to do internal sutures on an arterial bleed.

Would recommend big rolls of fluff bandages/kerlex (great for pressure dressings) and a few abdominal pads (or other non stick bandage as a base layer)

Get coban/vet wrap (self adhesive roll bandage) best stuff ever for pressure dressings and general bandaging. tape+hair don't mix and coban doesn't stick to hair.

OTC Tylenol and ibuprofen. (careful when dosing kids). Tylenol is great for fevers, and when mixed with ibuprofen it is almost as effective a pain reliever as IM morphene.

I would avoid any injectable meds because they have a short shelf life and go bad faster when exposed to heat (like in the trunk of a car). You want a trauma kit that can sit for months or years and not have to worry that your meds have gone bad. Salene goes bad too but at least it is cheap to replace.

Aspirin and perhaps some nitro for non-traumatic chest pain.

Sam splints to stabilize fractures and dislocations.

Seriously, I would avoid sutures. They are cool, but you will spend most of your time not needing them and replacing expired meds.

 

[Garet Jax]

If you are not trained in how to do this properly, you can cause some serious damage.

Even something like this:

BleedStop

 

[paperwork351]

Do you plan to limit your medical assistance to youself and the ones whom you are respsonable for or would you include the general public emergencies? Remember to obtain consent before treatment, including minors (skinnymedic video). Maryland DID NOT have "good samaritian laws" until recently to protect you from civil lawsuits. Still not sure if it covers medical assistance. Different states have different requirements, such as a current certification from the Red Cross. .

paperwork351

 

[systemmaster]

I will start with this:. unless you absolutely know what you are doing, don't suture or cauterize. Lido goes bad. Suturing foreign bodies into a wound is bad (think small pieces of glass etc). Accidentally injecting lidocaine IV can cause low blood pressure and irregular heart rate. Typically most wounds can be pressure dressed, hemostatic-d or tournequeted just fine for transportation to an ER. I would not recommend suturing in the field and I cannot think of a reason why you would, even with a 1.5 hour drive to hospital. If you're thinking of suturing on a child.....don't. Lido burns like hell and will cause emotional scarring when dad causes severe pain. Let the ER nurse/doc take that hit.

for lidocaine you are going to want 3-10cc syringes and sub-q needles to properly infiltrate the wound. Aspirate to make sure you aren't injecting lido IV. Would recommend lido+epinephrine as epi is a vasoconstrictor and will slow the bleeding while you are suturing.

Sutures: you will want dissolvable (vicryl) and non dissolvable (ethilon) in case you need to do internal sutures on an arterial bleed.

Would recommend big rolls of fluff bandages/kerlex (great for pressure dressings) and a few abdominal pads (or other non stick bandage as a base layer)

Get coban/vet wrap (self adhesive roll bandage) best stuff ever for pressure dressings and general bandaging. tape+hair don't mix and coban doesn't stick to hair.

OTC Tylenol and ibuprofen. (careful when dosing kids). Tylenol is great for fevers, and when mixed with ibuprofen it is almost as effective a pain reliever as IM morphene.

I would avoid any injectable meds because they have a short shelf life and go bad faster when exposed to heat (like in the trunk of a car). You want a trauma kit that can sit for months or years and not have to worry that your meds have gone bad. Salene goes bad too but at least it is cheap to replace.

Aspirin and perhaps some nitro for non-traumatic chest pain.

Sam splints to stabilize fractures and dislocations.

Seriously, I would avoid sutures. They are cool, but you will spend most of your time not needing them and replacing expired meds.

This.

Get some serious training before you start dumping money into kit. Most of these pre-made kits are over priced, one trick ponies. Learn how to treat and build your own.

Ditch the ACE bandage for wounds, the are absorbent and will bleed through. Coban or any other non absorbent products work better. Otherwise ACE is fine for sprains and splints.

Add some iodine for cleaning wounds without the burn, saline burns like a b@$&h it deep cuts.

CATs, SOFT-Ts, and Swat-T for tourniquet, they work and have specialized uses if you know how to use them right.

Hemostatics in various forms. Burn gel and burn bandages. Eye wash and cover. Nasal airway and BVM. AED ( cuz trauma can result in cardiac arrest). This list could go on and on...

 

[Boats]

When putting together a trauma kit think like a medic: stabilize and transport. Not fix. Injuries and maladies that require a higher level of care will always require a higher level of care.

 

[boule]

Recently had an accident at our getaway place and everything turned out just fine.

However, it got me thinking about what would happen if driving 1.5 hours to the nearest hospital with trauma center was not an option?

.... you live or die, depending on luck or your deity of choice, simple as this.

To answer for a little bit longer: Yes, you can and will be trained to stop an acute bleeding, splint a fracture etc. but at some point you will need qualified and equipped medical help. People talk about "saving" you with a tourniquet - yeah, they do but only for the transport. Talk 6-12h later and most stuff distal of the tourniquet will be necrotic enough that you can amputate. Chest seal - if you don't reinflate the lung the infection will get you and yes, that will come back once you are off your stash of antibiotics. Abdominal wound? Peritonitis, sepsis and nope, that antibiotic you go there has to last how long?
Blood loss can and will kill you in minutes to hours, infection in hours to days (weeks), Immobility and being invalid due to injury in days, weeks or months.

You need to know what you are talking about:
- Emergencies comparable to a warzone? Stabilize, transport to first aid post, stabilize more, transport to field hospital, do life-saving stuff and ship home for definitive treatment
- Emergencies where it will take days to reach support (nautical or wilderness medicine), basically if it needs to be operated on you are ****** and it is life before limb.
- Emergencies where there is no realistic hope of reaching adquate medical treatment in time to make a difference? Well, how one of my WH40k playing friends would put it: Give them the Emperors Grace.

So, what are you planning? Do you just want to extend your list of skills and supplies to bridge the gap beween definitive medical treatment from 1,5 to 6 or 12 hours or are we moving from the field of emergency stabilization to definitive treatment in a remote location? The latter is just a tad more tricky and may need a bunch of Rx stuff and specialized training.

 

[DENWA]

However, it got me thinking about what would happen if driving 1.5 hours to the nearest hospital with trauma center was not an option?

Started building a trauma kit. Trying to keep in mind an accident like chopping wood with an AX or running a chainsaw when blade slings off.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

USMC taught me how to keep someone alive until help arrived but that's about it. I'm not a Corpsman, Medic or 18D but I know a few. Dad's a Paramedic, put my first wife through nursing school and stayed at a Holiday inn last night to be safe.

In all seriousness I just wanted to be able to keep someone alive long enough to get to the hospital/life flight or even veterinary hospital out in the country (rural WV).

First aid kits are a for little boo-boos. Wanted to be ready for a more serious injury.

The staples/sutures are a bit much but I have sewn on myself quite successfully and still have both testicles to prove it (Ice skating accident). GOD forbid I'd ever HAVE to on one of my children to save their life.

 

[outrider58]

I recommend you find and take a Stop The Bleed class. They are very informative with hands-on demonstrations.

STB Home Page

STOP THE BLEED - Save a Life

www.stopthebleed.org