Essential Items to Include in Your First Aid Bag for Every Emergency

What would you do if you were in the middle of nowhere and a friend broke his leg? What would you do if your girlfriend suffered a serious injury and started bleeding profusely? Here at FALST, we really enjoy the medical emergency training that we offer. As a former Navy Hospital Corpsman attached to a Marine Corps unit, First Aid, Medevac, Triage, and CLS (Combat Lifesaving) were topics covered over and over to make sure we were not guessing in the middle of chaos.

Combat Lifesaving or Tactical Combat Casualty Care is the training offered to the troops to ensure that everybody has the basic knowledge to reduce casualties and be able to take care of each other during deployment.

Every Corpsman in the Navy or Medic in the Army carries a med bag with very important equipment that will be used to assist the troops during missions. Some of these tools are very uncommon for many of you. For now, I will mention some of these tools and then explain the ones that you should have with you before going on any hunting, boat trip, fishing, or outdoor activity. If you want to read more about each tool mentioned here, you are more than welcome to click the image below and search for that specific item to learn more.

Some of the items I personally carried were a stethoscope, otoscope, quick clot, Kerlix, tourniquet, epinephrine shots, morphine, King LT, Combitube, cricothyroidotomy kit, surgical or suturing kit, over-the-counter pain medication, medication for diarrhea (this one was used pretty often), M.A.C.E exam cards (for concussion assessment), Penrose, IV bags (sodium chloride and lactated Ringer's), IV needles, OPA (oropharyngeal airway), chest seal, F.A.S.T.1, and more.

In this blog, we will talk about the most common and important products you should purchase and learn to use properly.

The first one is the C.A.T tourniquet. This is the most used item in our med bag. In the military we practice with a tourniquet very often. The C.A.T tourniquet is a very strong and easy to apply tool used on the limbs to stop the bleeding and treat amputations or big wounds affecting arteries and veins.

This is the official tourniquet for the U.S. military and is proven 100% effective in occluding blood flow in upper and lower extremities according to the Army Institute of Surgical Research.

Click on the image to learn more.

The next item that you need in your med bag is the QuikClot gauze. It's an awesome product to stop bleeding when applying direct pressure on the wound or simply when placing it on the skin if the casualty suffered a laceration or abrasion. This dressing has hemostatic agents that will help accelerate the coagulation process.

This product was created after the September 11 attacks by Frank Hursey, and after performing many tests on antihemorrhagic technologies, QuickClot had the best results. Later, it was selected by the US military as one of the preferred items used in combat to stop bleeding..

It has a proprietary technology, which consists of a non-woven material impregnated with kaolin. Kaolin activates Factor XII, which in turn accelerates the clotting process, leading to faster bleeding control.

Click on the image for more info.

The Israeli gauze is one of the most versatile products you can have in your med bag. The bandage was invented by an Israeli military medic, Bernard Bar-Natan. You will be able to stop the bleeding, create direct pressure, stabilize fractures, and even use it as a tourniquet. It’s a sterile personal bandage in a tightly sealed vacuum bag and is an integral part of every first aid kit at home or at work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNRd6cZoIlI

This product was first used during a NATO peacekeeping operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Later, it was successfully used during the Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom wars.

Click on the Image to learn more.

NPA Tube, or Nasopharyngeal Tube, is one of the available options utilized to open the casualty’s airway when it has been obstructed. You will need a water-based lube to insert the tube before placing it through the nasal cavity with the bevel facing the septum and down the pharynx.

The NPA can be used when the casualty is awake or unconscious. “It was introduced by Hans Karl Wendl [de] in 1958.”

When a patient becomes unconscious, the muscles in the jaw commonly relax and can allow the tongue to slide back and obstruct the airway.” (Wiki)

Click on the Image to learn more.

The Kerlix Dressing is used as a primary dressing for exuding wounds, burns, as a surgical wound cover, and to protect and prevent movement of primary dressings. It may also be used as a secondary dressing to keep bacteria from penetrating and growing within the dressing. (Proremarks)

You can use this dressing to support a QuickClot or a petroleum gauze when treating burns, for example. But remember that this dressing is used primarily to treat bleeding or support other primary dressings and shouldn’t be applied directly on a burn. This type of dressing will adhere to the burn area and will have to be scraped once the casualty gets to the nearest medical facility. Let me tell you, it looks very painful when it's being done.

And finally, you should always carry a good knife or a multitool like the Gerber. These are extremely useful for many reasons. I personally have a Smith and Wesson knife in my rifle bag and a very cool British handmade knife that my wife gave me for Christmas, and I love it. Super sharp knife and awesome for fishing.

And those are some of the items I think everybody should carry just in case a medical emergency occurs.

Please send us a message if you know of any other product that can be very useful and practical and want to share it with us. That way, we can all learn from each other.