Good Morning folks, I was working with a knife yesterday and cut my hand. Not a bad cut, but just enough to make me want to talk to you about your med kit. Most of us have a first aid kit in the home, but what about in your car or in the field. Today, I want to talk with you about your med kit, the one that should be in your go bag. Your med kit should have everything needed to treat minor cuts, up to and including emergency penetration and sucking chest wounds. The importance should be obvious, as an ambulances can take 10 to 15 mins in an urban environment and up to an hour in a rural one. Having a med kit can save your life, the lives of your loves ones, or anyone else in need. When something bad happens, call 911, then get to work. Here's what I have in my med kit.
Booboo Kit
This kit has all the basic stuff for low level med care. it includes, your band-aids, pain relievers, prep pads, chap stick, etc. Truthfully, this is the most used kit, so remember to replace what you use.
Rubber Med Gloves
Rubber gloves protect you and the patient from blood-borne pathogen, germs, dirt, grime, etc, when working with wounds.
One way valve
A one way valve is important when providing rescue breathing, it limits exposure to a the rescuer.
Triangular Bandage
I use this bandage to treat a trunk wounds, or I use it to sling breaks.
Ace Bandage
I use the ace bandage with the triangle bandage to secure breaks
Dressing Sponges
I use these sponges to wounds clean, but they can also be used a base layer for abdominal wound care.
3" med tape
Med tape is the cleanest way to bind gauze and pads to wounds, it works best once the bleeding has slowed or on seeping wounds.
Non-Stick Pads
These are usually my first line of defense for a wound. Unless blood is squirting, I usually start with these.
Stretch Gauze
I use this as the baseline tape to secure pads, sponges, and the like.
Tampons & Pads
First time I ever hear of this, I was reading a book about Navy Seals. It blew me away, like, you mean something specifically designed to absorb blood in a med kit, wow. Pads for lacerations and tampons for penetration wounds.
Pressure Bandage
When you get that first layer of bandage down and it soaks right thru, you need some additional pressure, this usually does the trick.
Duct Tape
My good friend duct tape, isn't usually mentioned for med care, but it's uses, as stated in other articles, is endless. I use it here for pressure tape when the med tape can't handle the job. Medics love it but doctors hate it.
Quik Clot Gauze
Quik Clot is an amazing medical invention that is placed in the wound to stop really bad bleeding that could cause death in minutes.
Tourniquet
No doubt about it, when your dealing with arterial bleeding, this should be the first tool on the job. If you can't stop the bleeding in about 1 min, your patient is in serious trouble. Just remember to use with care, as you could permanently destroy limbs.
Marker
I used a marker to write directly on the patient, any care I've used on them. It's an old military lesson, paid for in blood, and I'm honored to pass on.
I know it sound like a lot, but as you can see, it fits nicely in a 1 gallon storage bag.
Once you're ready, get some first aid training and don't use a tourniquets or Quik Clot, unless you know what you're doing. I learned basic first aid in high school, and was a first aid instructor in the military. Seek out courses, and watch some videos, because this is literally life and death.
I suggest you have at least one in your home, each car, your workplace, and your rescue bags. Also, remember to check the expiration dates on your products, as they lose effectiveness over time. If you want to learn more about first aid, or want to share your med kit, subscribe and comment. Cheers
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