Seeking advice about trauma kits

Status
Not open for further replies.
Thunderchicken

Thunderchicken

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2014
Messages
240
Location
Minnesota
Starting the runup to the Christmas season and this year "ammo Santa" will not be bringing too much ammo for the family due to pricing. Everyone will get *some* but not *a lot*... My personal notion of the ideal gift is "something someone wouldn't buy for themselves," and I figured some kind of trauma kit would be a good shooting-related gift to add to Santa's sack (plus I should really have something for myself).

I looked around a little and found a dizzying number of options. So, what would the assembled folks suggest for a kit that would be useful specifically in case of a gunshot injury? Also, keeping in mind that grandkids and even their parents frequently have other injuries, I am not averse to solutions that are also helpful for bee sting, snake bite, broken bone, and the odd laceration, gravel scrape and other insult--so long as they're also helpful for gun-related problems.

I have heard that the new coagulation-promoting powders and bandages are good--are they really or are they just the latest fad? I know from experience that I will see a lot of terrific information, so thanks in advance and an early Merry Christmas to all.
 
I was a paramedic in a previous life. At the start, my personal kit included everything and the kitchen sink. I'm kind of embarrased for my younger self, but that's the way that goes, I guess.

These days my kit includes a big blood stopper for real nightmares. I hope and expect that it will never be used. More realistic is the bag of 4x4 gauze, which can be put to all sorts of uses. I also keep a few yards of duct tape which can be used to keep bandages in place, along with all the other stuff it is good for.

The kit also contains trauma shears, tweezers, penlight, bandaids (with My Little Pony graphics), a liter of sterile saline for washing wounds, eyes, etc., nitrile gloves, ibuprofen, Tums, anti-diarrheal, cold packs, antiseptic cream, moleskin, and toilet paper.

Of those, the bandaids, Tums, ibuprofen, and moleskin/duct tape are the only things that really get used.

Things that I specifically DON'T carry include chest seals, suture kits, angio and/or decompression needles, and surgery kits. In other words, stuff that I wouldn't want used on me by anyone without so much training that he doesn't need to go online to ask about it!

<edit> Rereading the OP, I see that the question is specifically about gunshot wounds. The answer is simple: a big absorbent bandage for the entry wound, a big absorbent bandage for the exit wound, direct pressure, and a fast trip to the trauma center. Forget any ninja medic nonsense about tampons and hemostats, and call 911!
 
Last edited:
.38 Special said:
And just in case anyone is wondering, "My Little Pony" really cuts down on unnecesary Band-Aid use, at least among the menfolk. "Frozen" works equally well, according to my old ambulance partner.
Click to expand...
Wait menfolk use Band-Aids? Ive always used paper towels and duct tape or electrical tape depending on what I am doing currently. And my first aid kit is appropriate for my training. Just basic first aid things. I do keep tourniquets and a field surgery kit. I might not know how to use them. Probably will never get opened.
 
Just about the baddest bad man I ever knew got cut by someone's toenail during Muay Thai sparring. The fellow just wouldn't stop leaking onto the mat and the in-house first aid kit had gone missing, so I slapped a My Little Pony Band-Aid onto him. He gave me an indecipherable look and got back to training. Nobody said a word to him when he admitted that little ponies really do take the ouch away.
 
.38 Special said:
I was a paramedic in a previous life. At the start, my personal kit included everything and the kitchen sink. I'm kind of embarrased for my younger self, but that's the way that goes, I guess.

These days my kit includes a big blood stopper for real nightmares. I hope and expect that it will never be used. More realistic is the bag of 4x4 gauze, which can be put to all sorts of uses. I also keep a few yards of duct tape which can be used to keep bandages in place, along with all the other stuff it is good for.

The kit also contains trauma shears, tweezers, penlight, bandaids (with My Little Pony graphics), a liter of sterile saline for washing wounds, eyes, etc., nitrile gloves, ibuprofen, Tums, anti-diarrheal, cold packs, antiseptic cream, moleskin, and toilet paper.

Of those, the bandaids, Tums, ibuprofen, and moleskin/duct tape are the only things that really get used.

Things that I specifically DON'T carry include chest seals, suture kits, angio and/or decompression needles, and surgery kits. In other words, stuff that I wouldn't want used on me by anyone without so much training that he doesn't need to go online to ask about it!

<edit> Rereading the OP, I see that the question is specifically about gunshot wounds. The answer is simple: a big absorbent bandage for the entry wound, a big absorbent bandage for the exit wound, direct pressure, and a fast trip to the trauma center. Forget any ninja medic nonsense about tampons and hemostats, and call 911!
Click to expand...

I think we all did that! You can always tell a newly minted EMT or Paramedic by the amount of items on their "bat belt" which could include a Lifepac10 and rib spreaders!
 
MarkDido said:
I think we all did that! You can always tell a newly minted EMT or Paramedic by the amount of items on their "bat belt" which could include a Lifepac10 and rib spreaders!
Click to expand...

Ha! Yes indeed! My "Ricky pack" was stolen out of my truck - along with my collection of C collars and inflatable splints - within hours of me placing the EMS decal on my back window. I consider that a life lesson, and cheap enough for what it cost me.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top