Personal combat medical kit help?

[Sport69]

Are there any combat medics that can give me an idea for a personal medic kit load out? I have already purchased a soft- t tourniquet but I need to know what I need minimum for my kit to be efficient.

 

[Wheeler78]

All the best supplies in worl world will mean nothing without training. I know it gets said alot in here but with medical stuff it really rings true. I Would try to get some quick clot depending on the wound it's a fast life saver. Just be careful not to inhale it...

 

[Sylvain]

All the best supplies in worl world will mean nothing without training. I know it gets said alot in here but with medical stuff it really rings true. I Would try to get some quick clot depending on the wound it's a fast life saver. Just be careful not to inhale it...

This.
Get training first, get some class.
If you need to ask what you need you probably have no training and wouldn't know how to use what we could advise you to carry.

 

[Double T]

A tourniquet, staple gun, a bottle of cheap vodka, fishing wire, and a needle...

Seriously, if you can stop the bleeding, odds are that you can wait for medical attention. Most home treatments can cause more problems with healing.

What are you planning on treating? If you can't do it one handed or weak hand, it needs to not be in the pack.

You can also make a tourniquet fairly easily, so I don't see much point in buying one, even the one handed sinch type are simple to improvise.

 

[netsecurity]

APPLY A DRESSING TO AN OPEN CHEST WOUND (ArmyStudyGuide.com)

 

[lawrra]

You're in luck. We just added a bunch of medical gear to our store. After you've taken some training, you'll see why we carry what we do. I prefer the CAT to the Sof T for the simplicity and ease of use needed in a high stress situation. A compression dressing is a must. Isreali, First Care, H, or Cinch Tight would be a good place to start with them. H&H compressed gauze takes less space than a roll. Latex or Nitrile gloves.

The most important thing to know is your med kit is worthless to you unless you can effectively use everything in it.

 

[repeter1977]

Depends on what you want to use it for, and your training level. I would say that some of the quick clot is great, however, if you don't know how to use it, you can do more damage then good.
Israeli bandages are always pretty good, a little expensive.
Amazon.com: New Israeli Battle Dressing, 6-inch Compression Bandage: Sports & Outdoors
The bandages that the Army uses are great as well, and a lot more inexpensive. A good tourniquet would be good in the package, as long as you know how to use one. The one that I use is
Amazon.com: C-A-T Combat Application Tourniquet - Black: Health & Personal Care
A great pair of shears, in case you need to cut away something would be good as well. Those are probably the 3 things that I would say would be the best. Granted, most the first aid kits also need tons of little band-aids, as that is what they will be used for the most. Course, when you REALLY need it, you want to have some of the better bandages in there too.

 

[CountryBoy19]

You can also make a tourniquet fairly easily, so I don't see much point in buying one, even the one handed sinch type are simple to improvise.

Do you mean improvise one when the time comes? Or make one ahead of time to carry in your med-kit. The 2nd option I can understand if you're handy, but you better be confident in your handyman skills too, the last thing you want is a tourniquet breaking. Most reputable tourniquets out there now are combat tested and they work. When a tourniquet is needed seconds count, so trying to improvise one can often times mean you wasted too much time.

They're cheap enough, why not just buy one? There are some really well thought out tourniquets out there now.

The SOFTT-W is one of those. It has an Aluminum handle so it doesn't break. It had a quickly release "clasp" so if you have to release it to wrap around something you can do so quickly. And it cost $32 on amazon. I can tell you right now, for me to make a tourniquet that can be applied as quickly and easily as that one, it would cost me at least $15 in raw materials and another 5+ hours of labor to make it, and then it still hasn't been combat tested.

 

[Double T]

Well, considering I know other things, a tournequet is a last resort ;-)

 

[lawrra]

Well, considering I know other things, a tournequet is a last resort ;-)

I disagree. Combat medicine from the last decade shows that tourniquets save lives with a minute chance of damage to the affected limb while in use for several hours. On a wound to an extremity, such as a deep laceration, impalement, or gun shot wound, a tourniquet should be applied, first.

If an individual receives a laceration to their femoral artery, you would have to cease pressure on the wound (if you were the only person giving aid) to apply a tourniquet. They would bleed out before you decided to use that "last resort".

A superficial wound is the exception to first applying a tourniquet. If you are unsure if a wound is only superficial, apply a tourniquet. The response time of medical professionals is typically under 30 minutes, and folks in the ER will know how to handle the tourniequet.

 

[Sylvain]

I disagree. Combat medicine from the last decade shows that tourniquets save lives with a minute chance of damage to the affected limb while in use for several hours. On a wound to an extremity, such as a deep laceration, impalement, or gun shot wound, a tourniquet should be applied, first.

If an individual receives a laceration to their femoral artery, you would have to cease pressure on the wound (if you were the only person giving aid) to apply a tourniquet. They would bleed out before you decided to use that "last resort".

A superficial wound is the exception to first applying a tourniquet. If you are unsure if a wound is only superficial, apply a tourniquet. The response time of medical professionals is typically under 30 minutes, and folks in the ER will know how to handle the tourniequet.

Yeah I agree.
People always tell not to use a tourniquet because it can kill the limb, but it needs up to six hours to do that.
Unless you are in the middle of nowhere and will take hours to find a doctor then the tourniquet is always a good option.

You just need to learn how to apply a tourniqet from professional medical people.There are some very important things to know/do regarding tourniquets.
And things not to do as well.

 

[Double T]

I'm speaking from training in non-combat, but for a quick question: if a person is bleeding out enough to require a tourniquet, are they going to be cognisant enough to apply it themselves?

Typical changes in LOC occur at about 2 1/4 Liters of blood loss in an average person.

At rest, the typical femoral flow is about .6 to .75 L/min, if in a stressful situation exacerbated by by hypovolemia, I would thin a self application of a tourniquet is wishful thinking at best.

Trying to hold pressure while fumbling through things to get a pack open and applied. If you can remain calm and collected, I would guesstimate that a person would have about a minute, minute and a half before a significant change in LOC would happen.

I'm not saying its not possible, just highly illogical. Now, carrying one for someone else is a huge help, but if I am helping someone else, I want to hold pressure and promote clotting, not cutoff circulation. Circulation helps with the inflammatory response, which helps with clotting, which helps with stopping the hemorrhage.

Of course my experience is not on a battlefield so :-)

 

[repeter1977]

Thanks Lawrra, Great post.
You can know a lot, but they have been teaching over the last 10 years of combat that a tourniquet right away can save a life. I believe the number of injured versus the number killed would attest to that. Granted, you have to know how to really use it, and does not always need to be used for every scratch, but they are useful to know how to use. In the Combat Life Saver (CLS) Course, they have been teaching this technique as well. Granted, its been a bit since I was able to go through the course again, but it is some sound advice.

OP, a bit of the gear also is determined by what you are expecting. An ambulance is full of gear, cause it has to cover for everything. Obviously, you can't drive one of your own, so, what are the likely things that you are going to be using it for?
Traffic accidents? Firing line accidents? Office accidents? Factory accidents?

 

[lawrra]

I'm speaking from training in non-combat, but for a quick question: if a person is bleeding out enough to require a tourniquet, are they going to be cognisant enough to apply it themselves?

Typical changes in LOC occur at about 2 1/4 Liters of blood loss in an average person.

At rest, the typical femoral flow is about .6 to .75 L/min, if in a stressful situation exacerbated by by hypovolemia, I would thin a self application of a tourniquet is wishful thinking at best.

Trying to hold pressure while fumbling through things to get a pack open and applied. If you can remain calm and collected, I would guesstimate that a person would have about a minute, minute and a half before a significant change in LOC would happen.

I'm not saying its not possible, just highly illogical. Now, carrying one for someone else is a huge help, but if I am helping someone else, I want to hold pressure and promote clotting, not cutoff circulation. Circulation helps with the inflammatory response, which helps with clotting, which helps with stopping the hemorrhage.

Of course my experience is not on a battlefield so :-)

The key is to apply the tourniquet, first. I believe it is possible for the injured party to apply a tourniquet to their own limb. Keeping the tourniquets accessible is also important. Here are some pictures of my vehicle med kit and chest rig.

I only have to grab and pull to access it. Another tip is to size the webbing for your largest limb before putting it with your gear. I have one CAT-3 on my vehicle kit, one CAT-3 on my chest rig, and a TK4 in a deployable pouch on the shoulder of my chest rig. I do not have any combat experience, and will not pretend to. My knowledge of tourniquets has been obtained through publications in medical journals and personal accounts from servicemen. If you own a gun you should have these basic items and know how to use them. These things are applicable to many other situations and may save someones life, including your own.

 

[rmabrey]

A superficial wound is the exception to first applying a tourniquet. If you are unsure if a wound is only superficial, apply a tourniquet. The response time of medical professionals is typically under 30 minutes, and folks in the ER will know how to handle the tourniequet.

Venous bleeding is usually slow oozing type bleed dark in color. Arterial bleed will typically be bright red and will usually spurt.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I'm speaking from training in non-combat, but for a quick question: if a person is bleeding out enough to require a tourniquet, are they going to be cognisant enough to apply it themselves?

Typical changes in LOC occur at about 2 1/4 Liters of blood loss in an average person.

At rest, the typical femoral flow is about .6 to .75 L/min, if in a stressful situation exacerbated by by hypovolemia, I would thin a self application of a tourniquet is wishful thinking at best.

Trying to hold pressure while fumbling through things to get a pack open and applied. If you can remain calm and collected, I would guesstimate that a person would have about a minute, minute and a half before a significant change in LOC would happen.

I'm not saying its not possible, just highly illogical. Now, carrying one for someone else is a huge help, but if I am helping someone else, I want to hold pressure and promote clotting, not cutoff circulation. Circulation helps with the inflammatory response, which helps with clotting, which helps with stopping the hemorrhage.

Of course my experience is not on a battlefield so :-)

Hence why having a top of the line tourniquet that can be applied quickly that isn't prone to fumbling hands is paramount. I can make my own tourniquet, but for $32 I can have a SOFTT-W tourniquet (the latest & greatest of combat tourniquets) that I can apply very quickly.

I just timed myself applying it to various areas in various methods.
Using my non-dominant hand, I applied it to my dominant arm one-handed in 12 seconds.
Using my non-dominant hand, I applied it one handed to my leg (by breaking the clasp open and re-attaching it) one-handed in 21 seconds.
Using both hands I applied it to my leg by breaking & re-attaching the clasp in 11 seconds.

Those times include ripping the tourniquet off my kit and unfolding it. For a person that is simply interested in staying alive until a medical professional can treat their wounds properly a tourniquet is almost ALWAYS the first resort. When we went through our combat medical training we were taught, "when in doubt, use a tourniquet". Why were we taught that? Because the use of a tourniquet does not cause severe tissue damage until several hours after application. It's better to stay alive for those several hours and risk losing that limb than to risk losing your life before you make it to that point because you didn't use a tourniquet when you should have.

It's great if you have the extensive training and tools to take care of injuries via better means, but for 99% of people that are severely wounded, whether it be in combat, or in a serious car accident, your first option to stop bleeding is to apply a tourniquet as fast as humanly possible and wait for the professionals to treat your wounds further.

If this is serious, long-term SHTF type prep then obviously you will need the training and tools to take the medical treatment to the next step beyond a tourniquet. Very few people have those.

It all comes down to prep for the most-likely situation first, and I'm much more likely to be in a combat related incident, a car accident, or a gun-range accident so for most of those situations a tourniquet (and the rest of the necessary tools in a blow-out kit will suffice until I can be treated by professionals).

 

[Sport69]

Thanks for a lot of great info. I know the training is a must which I will be going through. We are not provided kits and will put our own together. Another person from my department went through a class and got different input from different people. This is why I'm asking out here because I know there are many people with different experiences. Keep it coming because I'm taking notes.

 

[repeter1977]

Thanks for a lot of great info. I know the training is a must which I will be going through. We are not provided kits and will put our own together. Another person from my department went through a class and got different input from different people. This is why I'm asking out here because I know there are many people with different experiences. Keep it coming because I'm taking notes.

Sounds like you are needing on for the patrol car, There are a couple sites that have the premade CLS bags (Combat Life Saver) bags. Most of the ones sold do not have the IV bags, which as a patrolman, you shouldnt be doing as is.
First Aid/Medical Kit-M-3 Medic's @ Ranger Joes
While I have not gotten this one from Rangerjoes, I do know that they usually have some good items, and pretty good prices. There are other medical items on the page, some are more expensive, some less, but this has a good deal of what you should be needing to help out for a patrol car. Or, you can always meet down with the EMTs and Paramedics and see what they suggest for your aid bag. Good luck

 

[RAMBOCAT]

buy lots of "Quik Clot" or "Celox" and plenty of "Kerlix" gauze.

 

[lawrra]

buy lots of "Quik Clot" or "Celox" and plenty of "Kerlix" gauze.

QuickClot and Celox powders shouldn't be your first remedy to a wound. The clotting action is from a chemical burn cauterizing the flesh. All the dead tissue has to be scrubbed out, if it stops the bleeding fast enough. The QuickClot Combat Gauze is awesome and doesn't cauterize like the powder.