IFAK - First Aid – first aid

Every Day Carry Trauma Kit 

Should you assemble your own trauma kit or purchase one which as been designed and approved by a number of specialist? Near enough everyone can put together a basic first aid kit, but putting a trauma kit together is a second-level skill.

A trauma kit should be compact, light weight and easy to use. Life can be lost in a matter of seconds so having a kit which is convenient to carry on your person is essential. Having top of the range equipment is only part of the equation. The equipment is only as effective as the training. Basic emergency medical training will cover the basics of applying the equipment.

There are a number of courses out there which offer the training to be able to effectively use trauma equipment. 

When purchasing/creating a trauma kit stick to the fundamental tools. The main objective of a trauma kit is to "Stop the Bleeding", Start the Breathing" The main goal is to stabilize the patient until EMS arrives.

 Tourniquets

 Tourniquets

Tourniquets have recently emerged as the standard go to medical device in the battlefield environment due to there rapid application, ease of use and stopping blood loss completely. Tourniquets control massive haemorrhage form an extremity resulting in initial lifesaving in all cases.

The past saying "save a life, lose a limb" is false. There have been cases where soldiers have had a tourniquets applied for several hours and still kept their limbs. There are currently thousands of veterans still with their  limbs because a tourniquet was applied.

HEMOSTATIC AGENTS 

Hemostatic agents

Uncontrolled haemorrhage is currently the second largest cause of trauma related death in the public sector. With first being predominantly affecting the limbs or penetrating injury. Haemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable death on the battlefield.

The tourniquet is an extremely effect way of stopping haemorrhage however a tourniquet can not be applied to junctional zones such as neck, armpit, groin as well as head. Wounds within the abdomen are unsuitable for the application of a tourniquet due to the lack of ability to maintain compression.

Direct pressure is the primary treatment for all serious bleeds haemostats work when direct pressure is applied to the site of the bleed. Haemostats need to be applied to the bleeding artery and within the wound.

CELOX is chitosan-based. Chitosan is derived from shrimp shells which when in contact with blood forms a gel-like clot when in contact with blood.

Emergency Care Bandage (Pressure Bandage)

Emergency Care Bandage 

Every trauma kit should contain a pressure bandage the bandage applies direct pressure onto the wound with the aim of creating a enough pressure to stop the bleeding, pressure bandages reinforces wound packing.

There are many pressure bandages on the market however the bandage we use in all are kits is the emergency care bandage due to the all-in-one design and simple application.

Chest Seals

Chest seals are occlusive dressings which are designed to create a barrier to prevent outside air from entering the pleural cavity from a sucking chest wound. There are a number of chest seals on the market the main chest seals shown above are our first choice when it comes to creating our kits.