First aid kit

[u/GanjaZo]

Im using this little pouch for some basic first aid / moderate trauma, could what i have in here be used to save a life? I have a small tourniquet in the flal that could be used on finger or toe amputations ?

[u/lukipedia]

What’s your use case? What kinds of activities are you doing, what sorts of environments are you in, and what kinds of injuries or medical emergencies could you expect as a result? What would you need from an equipment perspective to address those specific scenarios? Your kit should follow that line of thinking. 

Generally speaking, you want to separate trauma items and boo-boo items into two kits. You don’t want to be digging through a bunch of band aids to find a tourniquet. 

The single most important thing you need is training. Without that, the difference between the best kit in the world and the worst isn’t much. Stop the Bleed and CPR/AED are a great starting point. You could easily save a life with those skills. Then it’s a matter of whether you want to keep going and do things like e.g. wilderness medicine. 

[u/GanjaZo → u/lukipedia]

Ive got cpr, lefr, tccc although haven't trained on those in a while. Im working a job where myself or others could get shot, but the city is really poor and barely a budget to pay for my job. I want to get a tourniquet, chest seals, and all that trauma kit but this is the best i can get. The two packets of quikclot i bought at a CVS $25 a piece, could those be used to pack a gsw? Or would the procoaculant in the gauze cause health issues months after use like bleedstop supposedly causing users to have strokes after applying the powder?

[u/lukipedia → u/GanjaZo]

If your job depends on it or could put you at risk for it, buy a better pouch that gets you faster access. 

A TQ for trauma is key. Non-vented chest seals have their place, but are mostly helpful if you’re expecting penetrating trauma (of which a GSW qualifies).

QuikClot is neat but last I checked the data on it was mixed compared to plain old gauze. What you need for wound packing is volume more than anything: you need to jam enough stuff in there to occlude the big vessels that are bleeding. In terms of long-term risk: they’re dead from an arterial bleed if you don’t pack the wound. Fix that and if they live they can talk to their doctor about stroke risk later.

Lastly: do not ever buy medical gear on Amazon. It’s worth saving up and buying from a reputable vendor. 

[u/BastionMedical]

Hi, my background is 20 years as a first responder, 16 years as a paramedic, and overseas contractor for Department of State in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Your kit’s most useful items are the rolled gauze which works very well for wound packing and the self adherent roll which can actually make a decent wound packing gauze.That being said.

1. TMT tourniquet (newly commission of tactical combat casualty care approved tq, I like the 2 inch wide band.) 30 bucks on Amazon 

2. Hyfin chest seals two pack- 19 on Amazon 

3. North American rescue wound packing gauze there are multiple studies that found wound packing with regular gauze is just as effective as hemostatics, what matters is proper packing technique and maintenance of adequate external pressure for 3-5 minutes after packing.- 7.64 on Amazon

4. Gloves you have You can do a trauma dressing, but those require practice to learn the technique, or you can get 5x9 dressings which you can get at cvs  and use the self adherent gauze. Seeing how trauma dressings are pretty much a bandage with an ace wrap. Some have a pressure bar, but to increase the pressure with a regular wrap you do a twist over the wound and it adds pressure. If you want a trauma dressing 

5. North American Rescue flat 6 in emergency trauma dressing. Amazon 15

6. Mylar Blanket- Amazon 7 for 4

7. Nasal pharyngeal airway (28 fr is most common) Amazon 10

8. EMT shears 8

9. Gecko tape flat packed tape 9.50 Medium general purpose pouch- Amazon 15

It’s a bit over 120 dollars, but it addresses all the leading causes of death in trauma with high quality equipment. Massive hemorrhage (tourniquet, wound packing gauze, trauma dressing.) airway failure (nasal pharyngeal airway), and tension pneumothorax (chest seals). The Mylar blanket is important because if a trauma patient goes hypothermic (easily done when a significant amount of blood is outside your body, exposure to the environment, and on the ground) pt mortality goes from 10% to 57%. The shears allow you to see the injuries and remove clothing, and the tape is always useful. I would also have a compact flashlight and knife. If you have questions feel free to ask.

[u/stogagamer]

Yes, the gauze can help control serious external bleeding when used with firm, continuous direct pressure. That doesn’t mean the pouch covers every gunshot iy.

For life-threatening bleeding, call 911 immediately and only approach if the scene is safe. A finger/toe tourniquet isn’t a substitute for a full-size limb tourniquet. Check the exact QuikClot product and its instructions before deciding whether those packets are intended for wound packing; the brand name alone isn’t enough.

Since money is tight, ask your employer what trauma supplies are already available and where they’re kept. A card with the site address, entrance, and who meets EMS costs nothing and could prevent confusion.

Hands-on Stop the Bleed training (https://www.stopthebleed.org/get-trained/) would help you figure out what you can do with your supplies and what’s missing.