Effective Medical and Trauma Kit (Pic and Detail Heavy)

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There have been several good threads recently where posters have asked about medical and trauma kit ideas beyond what you find in basic first aid kits. I hope this post will generate some ideas and be useful in helping you choose supplies that will be effective in providing good emergency care. The kit you are about to see is over 25 years in the making and has been tested under real-world conditions from medical emergencies and car wrecks to gunshot wounds and mass-casualty incidents. This very bag was one of the first medical kits put into service at the first Bridge Creek/Moore, Oklahoma Tornado on May 3, 1999. I was there, and it was literally a life saver!

A bit about my background – I started as an Explorer and Junior Firefighter in my hometown fire-rescue department in Central New York when I was 14. At 16 I went on a car wreck where I had to treat two patients by myself and I didn’t have any medical training beyond CPR. The feeling of not knowing what to do was awful, so it was time to get more training! I became a Certified Medical First Responder. In college in Oklahoma I worked through EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate, EMT-Paramedic, and finally ended up as an EMT and Paramedic Instructor at a couple of local schools. In the field I worked in volunteer fire departments, a paid ambulance service, and industrial plant fire and rescue teams.

Based on those experiences over 25+ years in the field, the “basics” of a good kit emerged. I carried this with me on calls. This stuff isn’t paramedic level – it’s good basic life support. Your needs may be different, so please take what I offer here in the spirit in which it is intended – to help generate ideas. You may choose different things and if it works for you that’s a good thing! Keep to the general principles and it should work well. Below is a contents list, group of pictures, and explanations of why I chose certain things and what they can be used for.

A couple of points about the kit:
1. This is intended to be an Emergency Medical and Trauma Kit. It is aimed at emergencies and not basic first aid. There are a few Band-Aids (sticking plasters for my European Friends) , but no other boo-boo stuff, creams, or symptom relief pills. I keep those things in my normal EDC Bag. If you want to carry it all together, go for it! This works better for my wife and me.
2. To use this stuff effectively – and I can’t stress this enough – YOU NEED TRAINING AND FREQUENT SKILL REFRESHERS! Medical skills are perishable. I have undergone literally thousands of hours of classroom, skills, and continuing education training and I still have to brush up all the time since I don’t use this stuff every day. Even docs, nurses, and other people who do this stuff for a living every day have to take continuing education. Take First Aid and CPR, Medical First Responder, or EMT Training as your interests lead you, but get some training and practice, practice, practice!

I have two identical kits. One lives in Mrs. P’s car, and one lives in my truck. That way no matter which vehicle we have, the same things are at our fingertips. The bags are L.A. Rescue Medium Fanny Packs with reflective and glow-in-the-dark stripes for night visibility. Here are the twins:

They are organized in the order you provide basic care – Infection Control, Airway, Breathing, and Circulation.

Infection Control Supplies are in the rear zippered compartment:
· Nitrile Medical Gloves – 12 pairs (Minimum). You need lots of gloves. Latex allergies are becoming more common, so skip the Latex and go for the Nitrile. Make sure you change gloves between patients so blood isn’t shared. Extras are also needed because some may get holes or rip while you’re doing your thing and you’ll want to re-glove.
· Blood Splash Gowns (2) – They look like plastic butcher’s aprons, and they protect you if spraying or spurting blood is present. Protect yourself!
· Folded Masks with Clear Splash Shields (2) – Same reason as above. Protect your eyes against splashes and sprays.
· Vionex (or similar) Disinfectant Wipes (6) – For wiping your hands after you shuck your gloves and until you can wash thoroughly with soap and water.
· Red Biohazard Bag – Helps clean-up blood contaminated items.

Next are the Airway and Breathing Supplies in the rear zippered compartment:
· Nasal Airways (Set of 6 Sizes) – These are used if people need help maintaining an airway but are conscious and/or have a gag reflex. They are used most frequently for medical patients (strokes, seizures, and diabetics). Be careful with these – you need training! They are NOT to be used for anyone with head trauma or a basilar (base) skull fracture because really bad things can happen. The rule of thumb is don’t use these if the patient shows any sign of trauma above the shoulders.
· Pocket Mask with One-Way Valve – This is used on someone who isn’t breathing (like during CPR) and also to assist someone who isn’t breathing fast enough or deeply enough after a head injury, drug OD, etc. Make sure you get a model with a one-way valve. These actually came out before HIV and Hepatitis were well-known risks. When you force air in, a small amount of air goes into the stomach. The air has only one way to come back out – the person will vomit eventually. Plan on it! We want to help people, and this will help us do it without nasty surprises.
· Tongue Depressors and Set of Oral Airways – These are used in unconscious persons without a gag reflex. They help hold the tongue up off the back of the throat. Again, you need training and practice for these. The tongue depressors help sweep the tongue aside to assist in inserting the airway. Only one set is needed, but I carry enough for two patients.
· Turkey Baster Bulb Syringe with Flexible Tube – This is a suction device to suck blood, vomit, etc. out of a person’s mouth or nose to clear the airway. Several versions of these exist, but this one works well for adults and kids, is compact enough for the bag, and is relatively inexpensive.
· Vaseline Gauze (Xeroform or Equivalent) – This is used to make an occlusive dressing to cover a sucking chest wound. Open the wrapper, throw the gauze away, and tape the wrapper on three sides over the wound. An Asherman Chest Seal or other seal would work well too. The wrapper is compact and inexpensive.

The Circulation Supplies are in the front zippered compartment. They include:
· Multi-Trauma Dressing – You need one of these to stop a big bleed. Pack two if you have the space.
· ABD Pads or Surgipad Combine Dressings (2 to 4) – These come in 5×9” or 6×10” sizes and are used as compresses with direct pressure to stop bleeds. Thick Maxi Pads would work as well.
· 4×4” Gauze Pads (10) – These are go-to pads for compresses or to dress wounds. You don’t have to carry multiple sizes (2×2”, 3×3”) unless you just want to. Carry the 4×4” ones and fold them over or cut them.
· 4” Roller Gauze Bandage (2) – These help keep dressings and pads in place. They can also be used to tie a splint on a broken limb.
· Band-Aids (10) – ‘Nuff said….
· 4” Coban Stretchy Adhesive Wrap – These work well for wrapping dressings in place, pressure bandages, wrapping splints, and stabilizing sprained ankles.

Also in the Circulation Compartment is:
· 2 or 3” Adhesive Tape – Skip the paper stuff. Buy the cloth or heavy translucent tape. It sticks better and is a lot stronger.
· Triangle Bandages (2) – Also called “cravats”, they can be used as a sling-and-swathe to stabilize an injured arm or shoulder or tie splints in place.
· Foil Rescue Blanket – Helps maintain body temp and ward off shock.
· BP Cuff and Stethoscope – The BP Cuff is used to check blood pressure and can also be used as a constricting band to apply pressure and help control bleeding in an extremity. The stethoscope is used to check breath sounds if someone is wheezing or after you apply that occlusive dressing. It also helps to get a blood pressure. These are optional for most kits, but trained rescuers will find them handy.
· Cake Icing Gel Tubes (2) – These are basically sugar paste with some food coloring. They are used to treat hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in diabetics. The gel is nicer than liquids because you can rub the gel between cheek and gum for absorption if the person has a decreased level of consciousness and not compromise their airway or choke them. Honey packets or similar will work well too, but make sure you put them in a stronger container. Thin packets burst and make everything gooey. Don’t ask me how I know that.
· Chewable Baby Aspirin (1 Bottle) – These are the only pills in the kit. They are used for chest pain patients who are 1) conscious, and 2) not allergic to aspirin. If the person is having a heart attack, it will help counteract the clotting factors in the blood a bit.

Instruments (Front Velcro Pockets):
· Head Lamp – Handy when both of your hands are busy. Plus, this is one of those times when you don’t want to hold a light in your teeth!
· Leatherman Wave – The most handy rescue tool I’ve used to date. The serrated blade, screwdrivers, pliers, and cutters make this one a workhorse.
· Pediatric Medical Card – Only needed if you may treat kids. It shows what their vital signs should be for their age and size.
· Vital Stats Pad – Documents vital signs and other information like Allergies, Medications, Previous Medical History, etc., etc. for the responding medics.
· Extra AAs and Fenix LD10 – Great on-scene light.
· Spring-Loaded Center Punch – This will break a window if you need to get access into or out of a wrecked car or get a baby out of a back seat.
· Pens – For the Vital Stats Pad.
· Trauma Shears – Indispensable!

These are my basics, but there are many other things you may consider for your kit – Perhaps a SAM Splint, commercial tourniquet, battle dressings, or a dedicated folding rescue knife. The choices are endless. Make it yours for your level of training, expected emergencies, and terrain. Most of all, get good training and practice, practice, and practice again how to use it. Who knows – the life you save may belong to your family or friends!

I hope this has been helpful and I didn’t blah-blah you to death. Please send me any feedback and good ideas you have for improvements. Like you, I’m still tweaking it and looking for that “perfect set-up”! Thanks for looking!

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