Trauma / Med Kit

[dakotalawdog]

Anyone else carry a med kit with them in the woods? I have some training and experience in patching gunshot wounds (we have a saying about carrying two trauma kits - one for fixing trauma, and one for inflicting it), so I modified a few things from a small kit I would carry at work, and put one together that I keep with me when I'm out cutting. Chainsaw wounds are ragged, nasty messes. One that hits a femoral artery, and you could be toast before you make it back to your truck.

I've got an example of a fancy kit, and one that can be done "on the cheap." Both can be pretty effective.

This is a "fancy" one with stuff I snagged from work.
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The first item is a "CAT" tourniquet, which is used by our military and widely used on SWAT teams. They run about $25, can be applied one handed in a few seconds to leg or arm. They have bright orange ones, but all the ones they give us are "tactical" black. (You can color something black and call it "tactical" and then sell it for twice the price).

The old school thought was not to apply a tourniquet unless other methods to control major bleeding fail, because there was a thought a tourniquet could increase the risk of losing the limb. That has been proven false, so long as you can get to a hospital within a few hours. Modern training says if you have gushing or spurting blood from an artery, especially if you are alone, put a tourniquet on it right away. You can always improvise something, but it's best to use a strap at least an inch wide. Using cord or something thin can cause tissue damage and endanger the limb.

The next item is a shears for removing clothing to expose a wound or help apply a tourniquet. It is much easier to cut away clothing than to try to take it off when you have a massive injury to your leg. A sharp knife also works well, just don't stab yourself.

The next two items are "battle dressings" which are fancy bandages. It's compressed gauze with an elastic bandage attached. They run about $6, and can be used to pack a wound and hold pressure on it.

The final item on the far right is a QuikClot gauze. It's gauze impregnated with a clotting agent. Very effective when packed into a serious wound. A pack this size costs about $25 and is good for several years.

All in all, there's about $75 in this kit if you score a free pouch somewhere, but you're well equipped to stop major bleeding. Really, with a gunshot wound kit, we carry a few extra items for chest wounds, and airway management, but with a chainsaw, I think the biggest risk is blood loss.

You can do a similar thing much cheaper that still works pretty good.
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This consists of a roll of "vet wrap." It's a stretchy, tacky roll of latex wrap you can get at your pet store. They use it for horses and stuff I guess. With a few packs of gauze from the drug store, you can pack a wound and use the vet wrap to hold it in place and apply quite a bit of pressure. You can tuck some gloves inside too if needed. $1 a roll, gauze is a couple bucks.

I have a tourniquet in here too. There are some cheaper tourniquets than the CAT which can be had for $5-$10, but this one is definitely worth spending a few bucks on. I actually keep one inside the pocket of my chaps too so I always have one on my person if I need it.

Everything fits inside a zip lock bag. For about $5 ($30 if you add the tourniquet) you again have a pretty effective kit that you can use to control serious bleeding until you can get to a hospital.
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[buck futter]

Anyone else carry a med kit with them in the woods? I have some training and experience in patching gunshot wounds (we have a saying about carrying two trauma kits - one for fixing trauma, and one for inflicting it), so I modified a few things from a small kit I would carry at work, and put one together that I keep with me when I'm out cutting. Chainsaw wounds are ragged, nasty messes. One that hits a femoral artery, and you could be toast before you make it back to your truck.

I've got an example of a fancy kit, and one that can be done "on the cheap." Both can be pretty effective.

This is a "fancy" one with stuff I snagged from work.
View attachment 301050

View attachment 301051

View attachment 301052
On the left is a "CAT" tourniquet, which is used by our military and widely used on SWAT teams. They run about $25, can be applied one handed in a few seconds to leg or arm. They have bright orange ones, but all the ones they give us are "tactical" black. (You can color something black and call it "tactical" and then sell it for twice the price).

The old school thought was not to apply a tourniquet unless other methods to control major bleeding fail, because there was a thought a tourniquet could increase the risk of losing the limb. That has been proven false, so long as you can get to a hospital within a few hours. Modern training says if you have gushing or spurting blood from an artery, especially if you are alone, put a tourniquet on it right away. You can always improvise something, but it's best to use a strap at least an inch wide. Using cord or something thin can cause tissue damage and endanger the limb.

The next item is a shears for removing clothing to expose a wound or help apply a tourniquet. It is much easier to cut away clothing than to try to take it off when you have a massive injury to your leg. A sharp knife also works well, just don't stab yourself.

The next two items are "battle dressings" which are fancy bandages. It's compressed gauze with an elastic bandage attached. They run about $6, and can be used to pack a wound and hold pressure on it.

The final item on the far right is a QuikClot gauze. It's gauze impregnated with a clotting agent. Very effective when packed into a serious wound. A pack this size costs about $25 and is good for several years.

All in all, there's about $75 in this kit if you score a free pouch somewhere, but you're well equipped to stop major bleeding. Really, with a gunshot wound kit, we carry a few extra items for chest wounds, and airway management, but with a chainsaw, I think the biggest risk is blood loss.

Obviously, if I worked in the middle of nowhere, I'd probably add some smaller items for stings, scrapes, twisted ankles, but this is the minimum I keep with me when I'm out cutting.

Now, you can do a similar thing much cheaper that still works pretty good.
View attachment 301054
The first item is a roll of vet wrap. It's a stretchy, tacky roll of latex wrap you can get at your pet store. They use it for horses and stuff I guess. With a few packs of gauze from the drug store, you can pack a wound and use the vet wrap to hold it in place and apply quite a bit of pressure. I tucked a few rubber gloves inside as well.

Again, a CAT tourniquet. There are cheaper tourniquets out there too which can be had for $5-$10, but this one is definitely worth spending a few bucks on. I actually keep one inside the pocket of my chaps too so I always have one on my person if I need it.

Everything fits inside a zip lock bag. Vet wrap is $2. Gauze is $2. For about $5 ($30 if you add the tourniquet) you again have a pretty effective kit that you can use to control serious bleeding until you can get to a hospital.
View attachment 301053

a little knowledge and a basic kit can make sure you see your family again. Thank you for this!:msp_thumbup:

 

[procarbine2k1]

Great post, rep sent! Labonville also had a loggers first aid kit a few years back, I dont know if they still sell it or not.

 

[HuskStihl]

Which kit has the oxycontin?

 

[hamish]

I carry one with me into the woods and have greater means on the atv/tractor/truck or whatever my means of transport are.

Mine are a little more old school (field dressing, 550 cord etc...).

One has to know how apply first aid and actually practice it on a regular basis, to be truly effective.

 

[sarge3604]

Great post, rep sent! Labonville also had a loggers first aid kit a few years back, I dont know if they still sell it or not.

Labonville still has one saw it a few days ago

 

[FergusonTO35]

Which kit has the oxycontin?

The one in Eastern Kentucky.

 

[cobey]

I was thinking about this yesterday.....then had a board kick out of a table saw and ruin one of my fingers, we didnt have a good kit I will have one when I heal up. got to have this stuff around after this hopefully safe saw operatin will keep me from needing a kit

 

[2dogs]

I carry a similar ifak. My basic pouch is a purpose built Buckingham from Wesspur that holds an Israeli dressing. I added a Swat-T tourniquet as it fit the pouch. I crammed in a package of Benadryl and abug bite stick. If a crew is working with me I add a commercial first aid kit for liability purposes. In the back of the truck is a Home Depot orange tool box plainly marked first aid. It is waterproof and pretty muchly bomb proof. In it there is enough stuff to manage nearly any trauma. Vet Wrap, bulky dressing, 2 kinds od Quik Clot, Cat tourniquet etc.

I was an EMT for 18 years including 10+ as a full time firefighter/EMT. I acted as a tactical Medic on sveral high risk warrant searches too. My only serious tree related injury was in January 1982 working storm clean up. I ended up in the hospital with "just a bruise" but I was on crutches for 2 weeks afterward.

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[machinisttx]

There are generally plants around in the woods that will stop or slow bleeding, others that have antimicrobial and/or antibacterial qualities, etc..

Most hot peppers, if dried and ground up will slow or stop bleeding when applied to a wound. Cayenne pepper powder is an example.

 

[o8f150]

my wife is an emt,, I really need to get her to put a kit together for me to keep in the truck

 

[Gologit]

There are generally plants around in the woods that will stop or slow bleeding, others that have antimicrobial and/or antibacterial qualities, etc..

Most hot peppers, if dried and ground up will slow or stop bleeding when applied to a wound. Cayenne pepper powder is an example.

That's good to know and we appreciate the information. Have you yourself poured ground up peppers, cayenne or any other kind, into an open wound? If so, how big was the wound? We talking serious blood loss here or just a scrape?
If you haven't actually poured cayenne pepper into an open wound would you be willing to try it? Would you make a video? We'd really like that. Don't forget the sound portion.

In the meantime I think I'll follow dakotalawdog and 2dogs examples and the use plain old fashioned irrigate, swab, wrap, tape, and tie method. It may not be as environmentally correct as skipping through the woods humming little logger songs and gathering organic remedies but I probably won't bleed out either.

 

[apn73]

Thanks for the info, very cool. I'm actually planning a trip up to Labonville (main store in Gorham, NH) sometime this summer, actually the trip will be for work, but will still make the stop BTW, sharp looking 391 as a prop for your first aid kit.

 

[ncpete]

That's good to know and we appreciate the information. Have you yourself poured ground up peppers, cayenne or any other kind, into an open wound? If so, how big was the wound? We talking serious blood loss here or just a scrape?
If you haven't actually poured cayenne pepper into an open wound would you be willing to try it? Would you make a video? We'd really like that. Don't forget the sound portion.

In the meantime I think I'll follow dakotalawdog and 2dogs examples and the use plain old fashioned irrigate, swab, wrap, tape, and tie method. It may not be as environmentally correct as skipping through the woods humming little logger songs and gathering organic remedies but I probably won't bleed out either.

I was thinking the same thing. I do NOT want to put ground up cayenne pepper on a wound. I could imagine the dance one might do afterwards!

 

[dakotalawdog]

I was thinking the same thing. I do NOT want to put ground up cayenne pepper on a wound. I could imagine the dance one might do afterwards!

Holy smokes, I've had a few shots of OC spray. Feels like your face is melting off. I can't imagine it in a wound - but I guess if I get stabbed in a spice shop, good to know.

 

[2dogs]

There are generally plants around in the woods that will stop or slow bleeding, others that have antimicrobial and/or antibacterial qualities, etc..

Most hot peppers, if dried and ground up will slow or stop bleeding when applied to a wound. Cayenne pepper powder is an example.

It is fun to learn folk remedies and ditch medicine but please do yourself a favor and put together a real kit. A small belt pouch just might save your life.

 

[machinisttx]

That's good to know and we appreciate the information. Have you yourself poured ground up peppers, cayenne or any other kind, into an open wound? If so, how big was the wound? We talking serious blood loss here or just a scrape?
If you haven't actually poured cayenne pepper into an open wound would you be willing to try it? Would you make a video? We'd really like that. Don't forget the sound portion.

In the meantime I think I'll follow dakotalawdog and 2dogs examples and the use plain old fashioned irrigate, swab, wrap, tape, and tie method. It may not be as environmentally correct as skipping through the woods humming little logger songs and gathering organic remedies but I probably won't bleed out either.

Haven't had a need to do so yet, although I do know people who have. Last time I had a serious enough cut to do so, it required 16 stitches...eight internal and eight external. I was 11 or so and knew nothing of natural medicine. If I happen to get a serious cut at work, I'll nab some of the bosses cayenne powder out of the break room. It works by causing a constriction of the blood vessels. If I was bleeding seriously enough, and all I had was the "green stuff"(brand name of oil absorber) at the shop, I'd use it. Then again, I'd pack a wound with poison ivy leaves if I thought it would mean the difference between getting back to the ER or coyotes cleaning my bones. Also, from what I understand, quikclot is not any less painful to use, and most ER docs/nurses are not particularly fond of the stuff as it is very difficult to clean out of a wound. Cayenne | University of Maryland Medical Center

By the way, if you didn't already know, most all "medicine" consists of one or more constituents of plants, though they are synthetically manufactured and then combined with what amounts to filler so that the drug companies can acquire a patent. Aspirin(more correctly, salicylic acid) is derived from the bark of the willow tree, as an example. Hippocrates left records showing the effective use of powdered willow bark to treat pain, fever and swelling....roughly 2300 years ago. Ricin comes from the castor oil plant. Native americans used the bark of the prickly ash to relieve toothaches.

In any case, I'm not even close to the kum-ba-yah hippy type as your post seems to imply. Neither do I see anything constructive in berating a tidbit of information which may help someone out when they leave their kit in the truck several hundred yards or more away. *shrug*

 

[2dogs]

Haven't had a need to do so yet, although I do know people who have. Last time I had a serious enough cut to do so, it required 16 stitches...eight internal and eight external. I was 11 or so and knew nothing of natural medicine. If I happen to get a serious cut at work, I'll nab some of the bosses cayenne powder out of the break room. It works by causing a constriction of the blood vessels. If I was bleeding seriously enough, and all I had was the "green stuff"(brand name of oil absorber) at the shop, I'd use it. Then again, I'd pack a wound with poison ivy leaves if I thought it would mean the difference between getting back to the ER or coyotes cleaning my bones. Also, from what I understand, quikclot is not any less painful to use, and most ER docs/nurses are not particularly fond of the stuff as it is very difficult to clean out of a wound. Cayenne | University of Maryland Medical Center

By the way, if you didn't already know, most all "medicine" consists of one or more constituents of plants, though they are synthetically manufactured and then combined with what amounts to filler so that the drug companies can acquire a patent. Aspirin(more correctly, salicylic acid) is derived from the bark of the willow tree, as an example. Hippocrates left records showing the effective use of powdered willow bark to treat pain, fever and swelling....roughly 2300 years ago. Ricin comes from the castor oil plant. Native americans used the bark of the prickly ash to relieve toothaches.

In any case, I'm not even close to the kum-ba-yah hippy type as your post seems to imply. Neither do I see anything constructive in berating a tidbit of information which may help someone out when they leave their kit in the truck several hundred yards or more away. *shrug*

Do you carry on your person or have close by a first aid kit that will handle a chainsaw injury or do you rely on expedient methods found in the field?

 

[RenaisSAWnceMan]

Just bookmarkin'........

 

[Gologit]

Do you carry on your person or have close by a first aid kit that will handle a chainsaw injury or do you rely on expedient methods found in the field?

If he was working with you and me and he got hurt we'd have to grab him fast and start using approved remedial methods...otherwise he'd be packing floor sweep or poison ivy into the wounds. I'm sure he'd be okay with that but I've been grumbled at by ER people before and I don't want to hear it any more.

On the other hand, if the wound wasn't too severe we could make a poultice out of cayenne with some habenero thrown in for good measure. Whiskey could be the irrigant...topical and oral. Lean him up against a log and try to remember to pick him up at quitting time. We'd need to keep him away from the road, though. All that screaming might upset the tourists. :msp_rolleyes: