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Posted: 1/8/2017 8:07:56 PM EDT
For reference, my kit consists of a low profile plate carrier with level IV plates, HSP D3crx chest rig combined with the flatpack.  Chest rig has the fanny pack attachment also.  Inside the rig I have the following:

* 3 Sof-t tourniquet
* 2 quicklot sponges 
* 1 large roll of gauze
* 2 H&H compressed gauze
* 1 nasofarengeal airway
* 1 tac med solutions ace wrap with velcro brakes
* boo boo kit (bandaid n stuff)
* 1 emergency blanket


AM I good or am I missing to me thing.  This is a SWAT kit.

So down and dirty do I have enough.  
Link Posted: 1/8/2017 8:17:52 PM EDT
[#1]
Looks good to me, maybe a chest seal. HyFin is pretty legit... Also some Israeli bandages.
Link Posted: 1/8/2017 8:21:32 PM EDT
[#2]
Add a chest seal and you're good to go.
Link Posted: 1/8/2017 8:44:23 PM EDT
[#3]
IMO Need-

Medical Tape (1ea)
Chest seal (1 vented, 1 occlusive)
Shears (1 Ea)
Izzy Dressing, preferably the one with 2 pads or your preferred trauma dressing (1 Ea minimum).
Decompression needle (1 Ea)
Eye shield (1 Ea)...this is somewhat optional but it is small and a very needed item for an eye injury.

If you may be around kids, add a TQ that works in child sized bodies.  The SWAT-T is what I use for it.  Its not the best TQ for adults but it works well on kids.  

Lastly, hemostatics are your friend.  A Cellox injector can do a lot on a wound that you can't TQ off or pack (think pelvis).  They are small and light.  Worth it if somebody gets hit in the groin or neck.
Link Posted: 1/8/2017 9:41:32 PM EDT
[#4]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
IMO Need-

Medical Tape (1ea)
Chest seal (1 vented, 1 occlusive)
Shears (1 Ea)
Izzy Dressing, preferably the one with 2 pads or your preferred trauma dressing (1 Ea minimum).
Decompression needle (1 Ea)
Eye shield (1 Ea)...this is somewhat optional but it is small and a very needed item for an eye injury.

If you may be around kids, add a TQ that works in child sized bodies.  The SWAT-T is what I use for it.  Its not the best TQ for adults but it works well on kids.  

Lastly, hemostatics are your friend.  A Cellox injector can do a lot on a wound that you can't TQ off or pack (think pelvis).  They are small and light.  Worth it if somebody gets hit in the groin or neck.
View Quote


Sound advice, however I would caution against the use of hemostatics in the neck. My info may be old and out of date, and non applicable if using newer products, but I was always cautioned against used of GRANULAR hemostatic agents in neck wound. That tidbit likely doesn't apply to sponges, and hell, maybe I was told wrong in the first place, but something to be aware of. Seems like most granular stuff is off the market, but there are plenty of guys out there with surplus or old stock stuff (including this guy, but not old hemostatic agents).

Problem with these kinds of lists is that you can end up with a full 30lb bag real quick if you think of all the what if's etc. Though I consider it a part of my EDC, make sure to have a good light. Helps to see what the hell you're doing. Maybe that means a pocket surefire that you have with you anyways, maybe that's a chem light or two in the bag. Another thing to consider, if you're going to use an isreali, they usually come double sealed, the outside wrapper can be removed without compromising the dressing, yet this speeds things up considerably and reduces bulk. I found it really helpful to play with a few opened bandages, as if I had only first seen it during a casualty scenario it definitely would have taken me a moment to get oriented.
Link Posted: 1/8/2017 9:55:10 PM EDT
[#5]
I do keep shears on my vest.  Forgot about that.  And I agree with the chest seals. Just haven't picked any up yet
Link Posted: 1/8/2017 10:03:23 PM EDT
[#6]
OK I think I blew through your initial post too quick. When you say SWAT set up, do you mean you are an officer? Or is this more something you keep for classes/shooting/shtf in case something bad happens? Obviously there is some overlap and the gear does the same thing, but it is a different scenario and depending what you medic carries, he might have way more an opinion on what he'd like individual officers to carry.

I believe at the last TEMS course I attended, most officers were encourage to have at the minimum, 1-2 tourniquets (SOFT or CAT) and an isreali or two. The military IFAK is obviously a great place to start with any kit, but depending on your need and location, the needs may be very different. For example, the need for you to keep stuff to secure airways may be pretty redundant (not usually a bad thing) if you've got an attached medic, ems services, and are in a metropolitan area where you'll have access to an OR within 30'. At the same time, if you're driving from BFE with your shooting buddy and it's 30' of trails till you even get to pavement, some of those extra pieces might be a real life saver.

One thing I would strongly recommend, is to use a thoroughly tested and vetted tourniquet. There may be other options out there that do perform as advertised, but there are many vetted reasons why SOF-T and CAT are the most used. I am no tier one operator, but am in the medical field. My anecdotal cool guy story for the day is I'm privy in an instance where a very expensive doppler ultrasound was used to test vascular occlusion with different tourniquets. Looked at SOF-T, CAT, and one other that rhymes with squat I believe. No matter the effort, couldn't stop flow with the third options. Their claim is based on pulse ox readings, which doesn't necessarily equate to cessation of arterial flow.
Link Posted: 1/8/2017 10:08:36 PM EDT
[#7]
Yes...I am an officer.  The goal with the entire setup is minimal bulk and weight. 
Link Posted: 1/9/2017 1:15:28 AM EDT
[#8]
if you're getting chest seals and trying to keep bulk down, HyFin has compact seals that are 4.75 x 4.75 instead of the normal 6 x 6
Link Posted: 1/9/2017 8:55:24 PM EDT
[#9]
Get rid of the QuickClot Sponges and get Combat Gauze. The ACS just does not work, data from USAISR backs this up.

Dump the ace wrap and two packs of Gauze and go for an OLAES. It has Gauze in it.

Get a chest seal. The HyFin Comact Vent is nice but a Halo works great. Wrap the Halo around the OLAES, keeps it compact with out folds.
Link Posted: 1/10/2017 1:56:07 PM EDT
[#10]
A sharpie.
Link Posted: 1/10/2017 7:44:12 PM EDT
[#11]
Gloves
Link Posted: 1/11/2017 9:56:09 PM EDT
[#12]
TQ's, have two be able to get to both of them with both hands. Be an expert in putting them on single handily with both hands. CAT or SOF-T/W are the best two by a long shot.

The QC sponges are nice in theory, but suck to use, they are nearly impossible to pack into a wound next to where the bleeding is. All hemostatics need to be placed directly on the sight of the bleeding to work. One of the hemostatic gauze products is the way to go.

The granular hemostatics have fallen far from favor for several reasons, from burns, difficult to place effectively, can wash out of the wound before becoming effective, at the same time can be difficult to remove, can cause embolism's. I would not advise buying any granular hemostatic at this point, go with hemostatic gauze! The gauze products are more effective and easier to use. But what you have on hand is better than the best ting in a store when it comes down to it.

On chest seals, they are nice to have and are effective. But the inside of a bandage wrapper will also work just fine to seal the chest. The wrapper method will not deplete your budget, add extra volume or weight to your kit and can be just as effective as a chest seal.

Chest decompression needle? Burping a chest defect (temporally opening the chest seal, then resealing) is an extremely effective technique to reduce a tension pneumothorax and provide temporary relief, until a licensed medical professional arrives to preform a chest decompression, or other procedure. This will also avoid the potential of being charged for practicing medicine without a license (decompressing a TPX is considered practicing medicine in all 50 states) It also prevents not preforming the procedure improperly, which can cause lethal side effects (most jurisdictions look at this as homicide). It also prevents decompressing a chest with a simple pneumothorax, hemothorax and or pulmonary contusion, all of which have the same basic signs and some of the same symptoms as a tension pneumothorax (TPX). A mistake doing a chest decompression can be a lethal mistake, this is a skill that requires a good deal of training to properly preform and a physician advisor who authorizes you to preform the procedure. It is also a some what rare procedure for a full time Paramedic in a busy urban system to preform, having supervised a very large urban EMS system in the past (quarterly training was required for all of my medics) this procedure was not always preformed properly. A TPX is a SLOW to develop condition, in most cases. Having preformed this procedure in training and also on living human patients in permissive and non-permissive situations many more times that I can count in the last 22 years it is a very serious procedure that should not be taken lightly. The military does allow this procedure to be preformed at a low level, but doing the same as the military would be a very poor choice CONUS for many legal reasons.
Also not everything that causes shortness of breath, confusion, loss of pulses in your wrist is a TPX. Only a TPX should be decompressed. Decompressing a chest without a TPX can cause serious to fatal harm to a person.

With that said, there is a growing body of evidence that will come out in the next 9-18 months on chest seals that will cause a radical paradigm shift. I was exposed to some of the data last week by a MD who is one of the authors of the TCCC text.

Protect your wounded from additional harm, then; stop the bleeding, keep them breathing, keep them warm, should be the priorities that you have for every causality.
Even if you work in medicine get more training in specifically in TCCC, even if you have been through ATLS, the changes that have come down based on what we have learned from wars balanced British, Canadian and USA studies in the last 5 years or so (heck even in the last two years) is massive, guidelines have changed and we are saving more lives with the changes than I have seen before in a very long career. The new guidelines are that good and effective!
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