IFAKs & Medical Kits

[Hattrick 22]

I hear you loud and clear doc, I've been working and surgery for sometime now and am now an anesthesia tech its nothing special but every day I try damn hard to get my hands dirty and learn something I've been really lucky to have some notice that and take me under their wing.

BTW I liked the baggy idea although I'll probably never get a chance to use it at work ill be putting a couple Ziploc's in my kit.

Where did you train? The goat thing got my attention

 

[JNieman]

For the rest of you, continue training and feel free to ask any questions on basic first aid and improvisation techniques, we can get some great little kits put together if you need. I take this very seriously.

Thank you. Well said.

 

[Lurker]

You sound offended by our eagerness to be prepared for the worst. If I save one life on the civilian side (which I've been the first on two different scenes at really gruesome accidents), and ensure a clear airway, and stop the bleeding, and pass the gentleman off to the next echelon of care whether it be the police officer first responder or the paramedics, that's all that matters. You saying you choose to live in reality is such a crappy statement, and very disrespectful I might add to those that can provide the tools to let's say an off duty paramedic who doesn't have his King LT oropharyngeal airway and pressure bandages on hand, because he is off duty. Wow hey man I'm controlling the bleeding here, grab such and such out of my bag.

Choose to live in reality? What an ignorant statement. That's like scoffing at a man carrying his firearm just in case he got robbed. Not everyone is a trained soldier or police officer, but they train the best that they can in order to be better than the average Joe not packing heat, making them self a hard target. Why scoff at preparedness? It doesn't make you cool. I'll take one guy with some gauze and tape over 5 guys running around and crying I don't know what to do.

What about the gentlemen that have literally watched themselves or their buddies die in the middle of the forest from a freak hunting accident? Wouldn't you want to be best prepared for providing self or buddy aid should you accidentally get shot or shoot someone/fall on an arrow? There have been at least 3 guys I've heard from my WMA friends, DIE in the woods due to bleeding out and exposure just this past year in Louisiana. That's reality. Not hoping Acadiana Ambulance is going to reach you in 15 minutes 10 miles deep in Sherburne or Dewey Wills WMAs where there's no cell reception and your bleeding out calling for momma, or even worse, watching helplessly as your friend fades away in your arms.

For the rest of you, continue training and feel free to ask any questions on basic first aid and improvisation techniques, we can get some great little kits put together if you need. I take this very seriously.

You are a medic of some sort correct? I thought I specifically excluded you.
As far as ignorance, your previous statements point to yours. I said carry what you want and whatever makes you feel like a hero as it is your freedom to do so. My point was about being practical but I see this site has several argumentative arrogant people who love to live in fantasy land for whatever reasons.
My main concern is TRAINING and it appears you are fully qualified and that is a good thing. You are the minority to most members on this site. I was also specifically addressing what people carry when mobile. As far as at home survival...keep a complete OR if you want, I really don't care. Whatever gives us peace of mind.
You try to equate this to guns and defense somehow but that logic really is flawed. Would it be good for someone who has never even handled a gun in their life to try to use one in a panic situation? There is a reason why CCP require even the most basic training right?
Don't be so eager to argue...it solves nothing when you are arguing with someone on your side.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

I'm late to this particular battle of the brains but I wanna address a couple points that stand out:

-Neiman; debridding of QC from wound margins is the Trauma Surgeons Problem. He is a big boy. He will cope. Don't withhold a life saving intervention because you've hear it makes his job tough. QC works. Combat Gauze works better but you dance with what you brought.

-Airways; If you participate in any activity that put you in remote areas such as hunting, backpacking, camping, flying, sailing, over the road truck driving etc. but a couple King LTs ad learn how to use them with a Bag Valve Mask. Yes using one is breaking the law. It's a stupid law and my conscious will not tolerate watching someone die because Acadian Ambulances Political Action Committee gets it's way in Baton Rouge.

-Cost: kits aren't cheap. It's a fact. You have to buy them every 3rd year on average. It's just one of those things.

 

[doc ace]

I hear you loud and clear doc, I've been working and surgery for sometime now and am now an anesthesia tech its nothing special but every day I try damn hard to get my hands dirty and learn something I've been really lucky to have some notice that and take me under their wing.

BTW I liked the baggy idea although I'll probably never get a chance to use it at work ill be putting a couple Ziploc's in my kit.

Where did you train? The goat thing got my attention

We were lucky enough for our NCOs to get some SF instructors to bring goats to Ft Sam Houston and allow us to practice our life saving techniques on live goats as their anatomy is extremely similar to a human's. yes, we picked one in a herd, wrangled him, and sedated them. They do say Help (or sounds just like it in goat talk) and yes you will cry real tears by the end of the exercise. We perform emergency cricothyroidotomy's , chest decompressions, and use quick clot, chitosin patches, and pressure bandages/tourniquets/Israeli dressings on them. We run interossal iv's on them, and also incise over the vein the runs along our forearm, tie a small piece of suture string around the still intact vein, and gently remove it from the surrounding tissue, giving us a direct line of access for an IV. Lastly we held the beating heart of our patient (goat). The instructor explained that this is what it is all about. That beating heart is what gives us life. We then add green dye to a chemical and administer it to the saline lock on the IV and observe how fast any drug we put directly in the blood stream as the heart turns dark green in seconds. It immediately goes into VFib as we hold it and observe the "bag of worms" as it appears. There is not a single dry eye in the room. Every goat is given a proper burial. It's a shame that PETA is outside the gates of Ft Sam protesting this, but I know personally that working on my goat allowed over 18 men to live to see another day.

I was a combat medic with 3ID, 3/15 infantry (Can Do) and 1/30 infantry (Battle Boars)
I served on Task Force Black with a handful of ragtag infantry men, combat engineers, and EOD cats which did leapfrog missions with TF Night and TF Raptor (I was told Night were Rangers so I'm guessing Night(stalker 160th Aviation was dropping small fire teams ? Guessing? ) and i know TF Raptor were Brits. We would hit an objective via Blackhawk insertion or a walk in, snag an HVT or two and haul ass. My combat medical training was no different than other 91W/68W rather I was as involved as passionately as possible. It's been 4 years since ETS and now I feel 18X is calling me. I finish college in July and will be re enlisting (God willing) as an 18X candidate, or try to get commissioned as an officer or Warrant. We will see how the wife feels as we have two youngins (3 and 6 mos). I'm serious, I can teach any of you basic combat lifesaver classes that transcend the ranks of the armed forces and can save your life in an urban environment, wilderness, etc. Please let me know if you need help with anything.

 

[JBE]

With the exception of oropharyngeal airways, first responders aren't cleared to intubate.

First Responders are allowed by the State of Louisiana to use BOTH oral and nasal airway adjuncts. Not sure where you got intubation out of anything I said.

Moving on...

 

[nola_]

First Responders are allowed by the State of Louisiana to use BOTH oral and nasal airway adjuncts. Not sure where you got intubation out of anything I said.

Moving on...

I've seen EMT students come into the OR and Intubate patients, so maybe it's now allowed? The next time one comes into my OR I'll make sure to ask what program/school etc...

Goats? Work at one of the local hospitals and get all the practice you want on humans

 

[JBE]

I've seen EMT students come into the OR and Intubate patients, so maybe it's now allowed? The next time one comes into my OR I'll make sure to ask what program/school etc...

More than likely an EMT who is attending Paramedic school

 

[bigtattoo79]

Thanks for all the great info everyone.

Anyone have a good source for things like H&H gauze, Israeli bandages, Tourniquets etc or do yall just shop around?

 

[SpeedRacer]

Thanks for all the great info everyone.

Anyone have a good source for things like H&H gauze, Israeli bandages, Tourniquets etc or do yall just shop around?

Best place I've found is eBay.

 

[nola_]

Thanks for all the great info everyone.

Anyone have a good source for things like H&H gauze, Israeli bandages, Tourniquets etc or do yall just shop around?

Overstock.com has a bulk medical supply section.

 

[benorth]

http://www.darkangelmedical.com/

They have several pre-made kits for both military and civilian use. If you have a facebook there page often has videos showing breakdowns and info on there kits and the reason they were put together the way they are. They actually have some pocket kits for everyday carry if that is something you are interested in.

 

[LACamper]

SO who has a list of what we'd want in an IFAK?
I have a decent first aid kit in my camper but its more centered around burns and deep cuts, plus poison ivy!

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

Come to an Advantage Group Medical Class and we cover the subject in depth.

 

[LACamper]

Its on the agenda... I just need to find some ammo before the next class!

 

[J-Dog]

Its on the agenda... I just need to find some ammo before the next class!

Advantage Group has a great medical class that is heavily focused on the subject of this thread. If i remember correctly we did not shoot at all.

 

[JNieman]

Advantage Group has a great medical class that is heavily focused on the subject of this thread. If i remember correctly we did not shoot at all.

Oh... so it's just... simulated wounds?

hmm :/

 

[doc ace]

Come to an Advantage Group Medical Class and we cover the subject in depth.

That's outstanding. Please tell me you've got a Sim Man that breathes and poops on himself, all the while shouting, "Hey, quit! You're hurting me!" Then blacks out into cardiac arrest.



Ahh I get tired of serving margaritas...

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

No I do not have the Ft Sam SimMan action but I can find other ways to irritate you while you work.

 

[doc ace]

I figured. Those things were too funny. One high speed guy intubated a conscious SimMan, wow was that hilarious.

Nothing really compares to working on real, live human tissue though.