Do you know what exsanguination is?
Exsanguination is the loss of blood to a degree sufficient to cause death. One does not have to lose all of one's blood to cause death. ... It is most commonly known as "bleeding to death" or colloquially as "bleeding out". The word itself originated from Latin: ex ("out of") and sanguis ("blood").
According to an article in Discover Magazine, more than half a million people bleed to death each year. Those deaths are not all combat wounds either. Many people die from car accidents and other severe trauma. Depending on how bad the injury is, you could bleed out in less than two minutes.
The ambulance isn't going to get there to save you.
You or someone near you has to perform immediate care, or you will die from a severe bleeding wound. The National Trauma Institute reports, "After a traumatic injury, hemorrhage is responsible for over 35% of pre-hospital deaths." People die before getting the advanced help they need.
A regular first aid kit will not stop severe bleeding either. You need a kit that is specifically designed for it. I looked for one that would work, but none were offered that had the individual components I needed. The ones I did see were designed for the military or police too, and they would have their own pouch to be worn on a belt or to be mounted on a chest rig.
Those pouches are expensive and raise the kit's price dramatically. Regular people are not going to walk around with a medical pouch strapped to their belt either. An example of a "civilian" kit is a D.A.R.K. Trauma Kit shown to the right. It is extremely expensive for the small amount of supplies it has however, and it cannot be stored easily in a pocket.
I gave up searching for a pre-built kit and made my own.
For a lack of a better name, I call it a CPST (Cargo Pocket Severe Trauma) Kit. Here is a list of the contents:
- Ever Ready Bandage Battle Dressing First Aid Compression Bandage (large wounds without arterial bleeding)
- Celox V12090 Blood Clotting Granule Applicator and Plunger Set (Deep puncture or bullet wounds that are too small to be packed with blood clotting cloth. At the Vegas shooting people were using their fingers to plug bullet holes in victims.)
- Celox™ Z-Fold Gauze (Blood clotting cloth that is stuffed, packed, into a large wound with arterial bleeding. Place the packing material as close to source of blood loss as possible even if it is deep within the body.)
- NAR Hyfin Vent COMPACT - Two Pack (Chest seals to place over bullet or stab wounds that have penetrated the chest cavity and can cause a collapsed lung. They let air out but not back into the wound.)
- North American Rescue Nasopharyngeal Airway (Adult nasal airway tube to be used when a person, for whatever reason, cannot breathe through their mouth.)
- North American Rescue ARS Decompression Needle (33% of military combat casualties are due to chest wounds that cause the lungs to squeeze the heart until the person dies. By releasing the built up chest cavity air, the pressure on the heart is relieved.)
The needle should only be used by a properly trained person, but I’ve included it in the kit anyway since wounds to the chest can easily cause the problem. If a person has a severe wound to the chest and is dying because of the pressure, using the needle isn’t going to make their situation worse.
The kit does not include medical shears or tourniquets. You should have a way to quickly remove clothing, but it doesn’t have to be a pair of shears. I also carry two tourniquets on me. One is an actual military designed retail bought model, and the other is my leather belt that has had holes punched through the entire length of it.
Here are some photos of the kit:
A vacuum sealer is used to make the kit compact.
That allows it to fit right into a cargo pocket.
Then it becomes part of your EDC (Every Day Carry).
Right before Christmas, I purchased enough individual components to make 10 kits. Most of them were sent to my friends, to include @grow-pro and @mbrown121500, as gifts. Two kits remain. Until recently I wasn't sure what to do with them, but then I came up with the idea to do a contest and giveaway.
The contest and rules are simple:
Whoever resteems this post to the largest number of followers wins a kit. Then the last kit goes to the person with the most non-bot upvotes, actual number of votes not dollar amount, to their reply. The reply must contain an image of their EDC drop (everything carried on them on a day to day basis).
Make sure your image includes a way to confirm your identity. Purse contents are acceptable for the ladies, but no packs or similar containers for the guys please. Both winning requirements will be tallied at the end of the usual 7 day post payout period. Thanks for your participation and good luck everyone!
Edit: The cover image was updated thanks to @grow-pro's contribution and help. Thank you, brother!
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Thank you!
Thought-provoking and potentially lifesaving!
Thanks to @ecoinstant, this post was resteemed and highlighted in today's edition of The Daily Sneak.
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That's awesome! Thanks to you both!!
This is a very cool thing to keep on you. Currently I have a small kit, nothing as complete as you have that I keep in my car glove box, (not shown below). I drive Uber on occasions and in the last year have already been used twice as an Ambulance Service. I also keep a couple of Tampons in the glove box in-case of a gun shot wound and hope to God I never have course to use them. I live in the Atlanta area so I may in fact need them one day.
My Wife and I both have ready packs in our vehicles in case we get stranded. We carry a fishing kit, a LifeStraw water filter a thermal blanket a spare handgun and extra ammo as well as a pocket knife with a built in magnesium stone and several MRE packs.
But we don't have anything as complete for emergency medical as this firstaider kit you have put together. In that realm we are woefully lacking
It would be cool to see you do a @dtube video on each part of your kit with it being put to use. You may of course reserve the use of the needle for a stuffed animal and not your volunteer victim.
Great Job and kudos for your thoughts of others.
The note in the middle of the picture has my user name on it.
Show us your EDC dump, and you may be able to win a kit. That's a lot of gear above, so I doubt you're carrying that on your body. haha
Yes, I never want to have to use the kit, but it is nice to have it. I'm reminded of the mass shootings, and people have car accidents all the time. When I witness a major crash too, I always stop to help. Having my kit on me makes helping that much easier.
The ARS needles are a difficult issue. Yes, people need training to be "qualified" to use them, but anyone can look up how to do it. Just make sure it is never used any closer to the heart than a person's nipples. If you stay on the outside of them, you should be safe.
The hope is that someone who has proper medical training will respond to you before the ambulance gets there. Then they can use the kit you have. In Charlottesville's car ramming incident, people were only a few blocks from the hospital in town, but even then care took way too long to respond. They would have benefited from a kit like this one.
Yes this does not stay on my person but in my car. If I am away from my car it is an EDLIIMC dump , (Every Day Leave It In My Car). I have a basic first aid kit in my glove box. Nothing special but the tampons to plug a bullet hole with. Unfortunatly I don't have a pocket carry kit, EDC as you have shown.... not yet anyway.
Oh, no. An "EDC Drop" or "Dump" is an image of everything you carry on yourself. Your pocket contents, things you wear like a watch, etc. Maybe I should have clarified what an EDC drop was above. Hmmm I'll take a picture of mine later to upload it as an example!
oh no, I understood. Carry is like carry on your person. My post was more of a show off of what I had will admiring what you have that I need to put together.
What I always have on me...
I keep one of those magnesium knives, a bandaid in my wallet & a 9mm and two extra 13 rnd magazines. My bandaid is as close to the first aid carry you have.
Great contest though. I of course don't think my trunk backpack & Glovebox boyscout 1st aid kit qualifies as EDC however.
Carry on : )
Awesome contest @Finnian!! I would be too embarrassed to show the contents of "my bag" haha. I carry it rather than a purse because I can basically fit my whole life inside it including my laptop. When shopping, I just remove my wallet and carry it only. Maybe some ladies with a not-so-giant-bag can share their EDC.
Seriously, my friends call me "the bag lady".
Just for fun, here she is sitting on the end of my friend's 4'x7' pool table for size reference.
Thanks! You could always remove the embarrassing items. haha :)
Not so much embarrassing items, just... So. Much. Stuff. LOL... I may try to arrange them here shortly so that everyone can see, I'll have to do some organizing. :)
Surprisingly no one else has posted an image of their EDC yet, so you could win it by posting yours! Make sure you include your worn and other items.
Sorry for the dark pics, I'm at a friend's house and not in the best lighting situation.
Here it goes, starting on the right, I have a scarf, usually I keep an extra hoodie in there, but not today. Then my laptop in it's case with charger, plus a phone charger and cheap ear phones, I hate earbuds (phone always travels too, but I'm using it to take pics).
Next up is a little notebook, during normal working hours I usually have a couple more full-sized notebooks too, and then, of course, my little arsenal of writing utensils.
The smallest matching bag is actually my wallet, which is nice because it is big enough to fit my phone, keys, and chap-stick, along with all my normal wallet-stuff, for short outings.
Now, to the girl stuff... The bag on the left is my toiletries bag, it contains most of my daily makeup (which isn't even daily anymore since I mostly work from home), plus any toiletries I may need - most valuable items being toothbrush/toothpaste, deodorant, eye drops for my eye allergies, and pH balanced wipes, which are actually "feminine wipes" but, I use them on my face MANY times a day as a nice refresher - they are mainly just water and aloe juice. And lastly, hair brush and clips - my hair is quite long, but fine so it needs managed to keep from tangling like crazy.
I also keep a lot of stuff in my trunk and will exchange items in my bag to my trunk, or vice-versa. In there I keep blankets, at least 2 chairs, extra clothes, rain boots, and lots of other crazy stuff. The whole living out of my car/bag came from years of doing outside sales, and just kind of stuck. Anytime someone needs something and I'm around, I'm the first they'll ask because more than likely, if it's not in my bag, it's in my trunk.
As far as worn items, there is only one thing I feel completely lost without (besides my glasses), and that is my silver rose ring. I bought it in 2010 after my divorce because I felt naked without having something on my finger, plus it was about the same weight/feel as my wedding set, and it is just awesome. Now, of course, I'm completely over the divorce, but the ring will be sticking around. At this point, it is my "signature piece", and I've even came back to the house to get it if I've forgotten it somehow. Weird, I know... ;)
And here I am today, with my glasses and without makeup chilling in a warm house robe - so much for carrying all that makeup around, eh? LOL
Thanks, @Finnian - this was actually very fun!! I know that I should be carrying more preparedness items, but I do keep lots of that in my car, even stuff to make a little candle heater. I could use my big bag as a bug-out if need be by throwing in a few other items, it's certainly big enough!
Millennia, you're the winner of one of the kits since you're the only one that did EDC drop within the rules. I cannot use Discord here at work, but please PM me on there with a mailing address. :)
Wow! I wasn't expecting that! Thanks, Finnian! It will make an awesome addition to my med kit!!
You're very welcome! It's perfect size for carrying in a purse or backpack. Please do keep it near you. If you ever have a major bleeding wound, it will save your life. The box was mailed yesterday. You should have it soon!
I will definitely do that! Thanks, again! :)
Good kit!
To anyone that doesn't have any sort of training on this stuff I recommend trying to find a "Stop The Bleed" seminar in your area if you're in the US. It will cover tourniquet and pressure bandage use. I don't believe they get into airway problems or treating a tension pneumothorax at the classes.
Thanks! Yes, the hope is that the person qualified will be there, and then you'll have the supplies they need.
I resteemed but I don't count! Thanks to you, have mine handy.
I carry a few preps with me, but most stays in the car. I bring the pack inside during the evenings.
This is something that can't hurt to have nearby. It's like a firearm; something that is great to have and not need it - than to need it and not have it.
This is a very generous giveaway, @finnian! Thank you for mine!
You're very welcome, and thanks again for the awesome graphic you provided today for the cover / thumb nail image! These kits will save a life eventually. If they save even one, they are worth all the work I've put into them from the very beginning.
Yes, very snazzy graphic!!!!! :)
That's cool, might be good to keep in the car. Tampons are supposed to be great for bullet wounds, sterile, they are good to go.
My oldest son does not carry a kit on him, but he keeps one of the kits in his glove compartment.
He also doesn't carry a gun every day like me. :)
I assume that you are first aider or doctor, you brought innovation into this challenge!
I have had some medical training due to my experience, but I am not a doctor. These kits are designed so a medical professional can use them on you. They are really not meant for you to use them on yourself, but you could if needed. The main objective of the kit is to stop major bleeding, and regular first aid kits are simply not designed for that problem. You don't have to be stabbed or shot to bleed to death either. It is a very common problem, and I think it is strange that more people do not carry the supplies needed to save a person's life. An ambulance will not get there in time. We have to be our own first responders.
I agree with you, 100%.
Absolutely true.
For years I kept a self-made first aid kit in my purse, in one of the old metal band-aid boxes, that contained essentials such as fabric bandaids, Neosporin, gauze pads and tape, but also dental floss and needles (which can be used to sew wounds shut), butterfly bandages, burn pads, a mini Swiss Army knife with scissors, and even a length of rubber tubing, that could be pressed into service as a tourniquet. And of course, aspirin, Alka Seltzer and the like.
Luckily the only times I had to use it were for minor injuries, but since we sailed a lot. and a lot of things can happen far from shore, I was always glad to have it close at hand. And I was always amazed by how much I could fit in there.
I'm actually in the process of putting together another small emergency pack for my car. Always good to be prepared.
If I were on a boat, I would definitely have a lot more medical gear. The delay between injury and hospital is even longer of course. What's the worst injury someone had while out sailing?
Typically either drowning, or getting conked on the head by the boom, though obviously puncture wounds and/or deep lacerations, as well as burns, are always possible.
I've been hit hard in the head with the boom, during a sailboat race no less, which was no damned fun, but thankfully I was not concussed, which was a bit of a miracle in itself. It did, however, end the race for us, which I argued against at the time, as we were beating one of our regular competitors boat for boat.
We did have a larger more complete medical kit that stayed on the boat, which included a flaregun, emergency blankets and rations, splints and gear for more extensive wounds. Thankfully, aside from using the emergency blankets on one cold, becalmed night, we were never called to use either kit.
The kit I referred to above went with me everywhere in my purse.
What I believe is when you life timeout no one can save you, whatever the reason could be death is death.
Thank you for the informative post :)
Lots of people needlessly die from severe bleeding. Live to fight another day, warrior! Live to further the cause further.
@teamsteem, thanks for the upvote, friend! You need one of these kits, and it would be easy for you to get one. :)
Very clever to make one of these. You never know when you need it!
Also very generous to give away two kits! It would be cool to have for me, but I'm gonna be realistic here. The Netherlands is a very safe country in comparison to the United States, so I'm not going to participate in the giveaway itself. I will share your post though!
Steem on!
Thanks! You don't have knives or cars there? ;-) No matter where you are, it is possible to have a life threatening bleeding wound.
True, but I think on average I'm safer in public than people from other places :)
This is pretty awesome; I'm resteeming it.
Any way to include links to where to buy the components?
Sourcing all the individual pieces is a pain. Tons of places sell them for different prices. I'll be looking into getting them whole sale if I can sell these kits in the future. The retail names are all included above. Be careful with things like the packing material. Some places will sell you the 5' one for the same price as the 10' one. Watch out for that scam in particular. It is all over. The 10' cost me around $42 USD just for that one piece of the kit. Thanks for the resteem!
A great idea. I didn't know about this issue?
Dying from blood loss? haha It happens all the time, but no one wants to talk about it. Why? Well, it's because the system, government provided service through stolen taxes, is a failure. That's why. No one wants to talk about how most people with major injuries will die prior to help arriving. Individuals have to be the first responders, and neighbors, family, and friends make the best first responders!
I do not have the an easy way to confirm it here at work, but I believe @kafkanarchy84 is the winner of a kit due to his 5300 follower resteem. Was there someone else who had a higher follower count and resteem?