Thread: Must haves in the Medical Kit

some great info @hotbarrels. Thanks for posting with links.
Keen to add some Celox to my kit and looking at the links you provided I was wondering if you could explain the difference between the two kits you referenced.
1x Celox Rapid Z Fold Gauze https://pharmacoemergencycare.co.nz/...-z-fold-gauze/
some Celox gauze pads as they are cheaper than opening up a z-fold https://pharmacoemergencycare.co.nz/...pad--civilian/

Wondering if I'm better off getting 2 of the civilian pads vs one of the bigger ones ? (for my take everywhere kit)

My kit is pretty simple as I don’t like carrying stuff,
2 gauzes
2 bandage
Ibuprofen
Codeine
Antihistamines

The antihistamines me and the dog use it a lot, tons of wasp in my hunting areas and it’s not unusual to get 6+ stings a trip.

Originally Posted by chainsaw

some great info @hotbarrels. Thanks for posting with links.
Keen to add some Celox to my kit and looking at the links you provided I was wondering if you could explain the difference between the two kits you referenced.
1x Celox Rapid Z Fold Gauze https://pharmacoemergencycare.co.nz/...-z-fold-gauze/
some Celox gauze pads as they are cheaper than opening up a z-fold https://pharmacoemergencycare.co.nz/...pad--civilian/

Wondering if I'm better off getting 2 of the civilian pads vs one of the bigger ones ? (for my take everywhere kit)

Best to have both. The Z-Fold is designed to be used as packing INTO a larger wound, whereas the smaller patches go INTO or ONTO a smaller wound. My leg wound was small so not really packable, that's where the smaller gauzes would have been better suited. But, if you can only have one, go for the bigger z-fold as it gives you more options.


Any EMT people feel free to jump in here and help out with advice

Use direct pressure and elevation in conjunction with your haemostatic gauze.
In arterial bleeds and massive blood loss the dressings are futile and you need a tournaquet where applicable and/or a fist in the wound

I have carried medical gear on my person for about five years, and for the last two have carried a larger kit in a backpack (im a motorcyclist, so carry a backpack daily).


The on my person kit is designed to fit inside a cargo pocket on my trousers, be lightweight, and low profile enough that I continue to carry it.
1. One pair of gloves.
2. One 4" Israeli dressing (outer packaging removed, inner vacuum package intact)
3. TK4 Elastic Tourniquet (I carried a CAT for a year or so but it is too big for this kit, TK4 is better than "improvising")
4. One Chito Gauze. (Same sort of thing as Celox, Hemcon or quickclot gauze's)
5. Three Alcohole Wipes.
6. Four Plasters.
7. One 2g Celox powder, for little cuts that need some encouragement to stop bleeding.
8. One Disprin (Aspirin) For old buggers having cardiac events.



Following recent events i have purchased a inside the waistband holster for a CAT taurniquet, wih the intent to resume carrying a CAT, and ditching the TK4. I suspect i will tire of carrying it quickly, but ill see how I go.



In my bag kit. This kit lives in my bag and will be with me 90% of the time when not at home or at work. It is intended to provide me with enough gear to be a more effective first responder.

1. Two Pairs of gloves (other sizes are on order and will be included soon)
2. One Pocket mask
3. One CPR shield
4. One Eyewash cup
5. One Anaphlaxis kit (two 1cc needles, two ampules 1:1000 adrenaline, one plaster, one alcohol wipe, antihistamines.
6. Empty bags for bloody rubbish
7. One Gen 7 CAT Tourniquet
8. Two 4" Israeli Bandages
9. Two Lightweight Bandages
10 One compressed gauze
11. Assorted wound pads and dressings.
12. One burn dressing
13. Three Irrigation Solutions
14. One Small Betadyne bottle
15. One Trauma Shears
16. Pulse Oximiter
17. One Asthma Turbohailer (personal) im in the market for a DR that will give me Ventolin for my kits, as Ventolin through a collapsible spacer is infinitely better for delivering to people who are having difficulty breathing (asthma or anaphlaxis).
18. Two Triangular bandages
19. Two chemical cold packs
20. Tape
21. Whold bunch of: Splinter probes, dental picks, ibiprofin (both generic and sugar coated), Alcohol wipes, assorted plasters, 2g Celox, Burn sachets, Aspirin.
22 One Heat pad.


In the addition to the above daily carry kits I also maintain a back country kit, range kit, and a large "do everything" kit.

There is always something to be gained from comparing what other people carry, if anyone has any questions about what ive listed above, or spots something ive neglected send me a message.

Originally Posted by stevodog

Some good things in people kits. I just have a horse wrap bandage and some tramadol. I would use clothing as swabs and apply direct pressure and elevation to control bleeding. I can apply an effective tourniquet with a belt and a fist on the femoral or brachial artery if need be. (Release every 40mins for 5 mins)
horse bandage for sprains and breaks with wooden splints. Also good for strapping arm to torso in shoulder dislocation or strapping chest up in flail chest injury.
Speaking of chest injuries, they can be problematic in the field. Needle decompression is easy for pneumo or tension pneumothorax if you have one. Can do it with your knife if you make a small enough hole (not so easy) can lead to air escaping into chest wall tissues and causing another problem or if hole is too big then you get a sucking chest wound. Sucking chest wounds will keep your lung collapsed and need a proper drain. Someone on the thread mentioned a chest seal kit which I think have a one way valve in them...I haven't seen one but they sound cool and are suitable for all chest decompression...in the case of the sucking wound, you can close it up after said drain/seal insertion.
I might try to get a couple of those things.
As far as antiseptic is concerned it will help with the bacteria count but I plan on being out before infection becomes an issue.

I agree @stevodog on the Horse Bandages, they are great kit, and your comments on antiseptic. I carry Augmentin but no antiseptic. If it's real serious like a gun shot wound then antiseptic wont do much. Why does hardly anyone have emergency fire-lighting gear with their first aid ?
And what is the best fire-lighting kit? I have a film container full of cotton wool soaked in vaseline and a rubber tire tube scope cover plus lighter. I don't think the lighter is the best, but what should I have ?

The best emergency firelighter you can have is a bic lighter frankly. They always worked for me. I also take some inner tube , but that's not for emergencies, I use it all the time.
Space blankets...I have used one and they are worse then useless.

Apart from bandages for accidental cuts, and some burn cream for minor burns, the best emergency things I can think of is my clothes, which as much as I can do it, are made of wool. Lets face it - the biggest risk we face as hunters is hyperthermia.

I think you have to be realistic about what you can treat with a compact first aid kit.

For me it’s bandaids,
two packs of the thick wound closure strips
Iodine wipes
Two non stick pads
One waterproof dressing
BIC lighter
Bandage
Voltaren and Lorafix
Earplugs
Safety pin

I can clean a burn or a nasty cut and seal it up whilst I walk out.

I’m no Rambo so no needle and thread for me

alcohol gel. no point trying to clean a wound if your hands aint sterile. also very good for lighting an emergency fire

@Moa Hunter, instead of a lighter try a ferros rod ( i think thats the right term ) ( flint stick ) used with the back of a knife or a broken off piece of hacksaw blade, to strike against. Produces a huge spark of good high temp that will light that vaseline bomb every time.
I have left vaseline balls in a bucket of water overnight, taken them out, given them a shake and struck a light to them easily.
My FAK is pretty small, and fits into the top of my survival tube ( instead of a blanket)
Aqua tabs just 2
Tramadol x 2
soluble disprin in foil x 6
Dental floss, and a needle
Band aids x 4
Eye patch sterile thingy with small gauze bandage.

Collapsed lungs and bleeding gaping chest cavities are well above my abilities.

My main aim with my small kit is to keep me moving if I am in a position to move, otherwise its PLB time

Originally Posted by outdoorlad

Antihistamines (for those bastard wasps)

And Ongaonga stinging nettle , if you hunt with a dog get dog antihistamines from your vet

I can't remember what it is called but there is a type of gel or powder that you push into a bleeding wound and it coagulates and stops arterial bleeding. They use it on the battle field to stop gun shot wounds bleeding. The video I saw they cut the femoral artery on a pig and this stuff stopped the bleeding within a few seconds and plugged the hole.

Has anyone else seen this. It's designed for gunshot wounds but works on a puncture wound or any other serious bleeding.

@Gordo celox is the stuff your looking for, in this thread or a similar one are a few comments about it. Can get it in granules, impregnated into a dressing or in a syringe to get deep into puncture wounds

Originally Posted by Gordo

I can't remember what it is called but there is a type of gel or powder that you push into a bleeding wound and it coagulates and stops arterial bleeding. They use it on the battle field to stop gun shot wounds bleeding. The video I saw they cut the femoral artery on a pig and this stuff stopped the bleeding within a few seconds and plugged the hole.

Has anyone else seen this. It's designed for gunshot wounds but works on a puncture wound or any other serious bleeding.

Quikclot. I have heard mixed reports on how effective it is. And can cause complications during higher medical treatment.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24597007/

Here's the abstract from a paper which investigated the effectiveness of haemostatic clotting agents (quikclot or celox).
Which states "It did not conclusively demonstrate that this combat gauze is an effective hemostatic agent for use in trauma patients, but the results are promising in supporting its use"

I've never used it for real. So I can't anecdotally say its any good or not.