#Trauma

Back in September 2021 some of the TFB crew were in Refugio Texas for an event. At that event, Brad Gilpin of Blue Force Gear taught us a combat medicine course. Basically how to treat gunshot wounds. At the end of the course, we all got our own Micro Trauma Kits. Brad had set them up with the advanced supplies but he took the chest darts out since we didn’t need those. My Micro Trauma Kit has been sitting unused in my FJ Cruiser and sometimes out on the range with me or in my backpack when I am traveling. I never thought I would have to use it let alone on myself but Murphy’s law reared its ugly head.

EDC is always a hot topic, but the importance of medical gear is often overlooked. This might be because it doesn’t seem as sexy of a topic, but it is an important part of the gear we might need. There is a greater probability that we will need to plug holes than make them. This simply means the likelihood of us having to defensively protect ourselves is far outweighed by the probability we will come across someone in medical trauma needing medical gear. However, there are some drawbacks to medical gear. Often medical gear is large and difficult to carry, getting torn up when carried in a pocket or taking up valuable space for other tools. Defense Mechanisms came out with an ankle med kit to solve this problem. I previously had never carried anything on my ankle so it was a new endeavor for me, but it was worth the effort.

From the beginning, ITS Tactical has worked hard to provide concise knowledge and information for all breeds of warrior: Military, Law Enforcement and Civilian alike. So it is no surprise that they also produce superior gear. After realizing that my ITS ETA Trauma Kit had surpassed its recommended expiration date (by a wide margin), I decided to crack it open to see how everything held up. After five years of bouncing around both the U.S. and the world (nothing Tier 1) it was time for a refresh anyway.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the XSTAT-30 Rapid Hemostasis System for use on humans. XSTAT is a product of RevMedX, which has been in use with the military for a few years, helping prevent death by exsanguination (ie bleeding out).

The Washington Post has a fascinating short expose into the training of Navy doctors who are using Chicago-area hospitals for trauma experience. Due to the high violent crime rate, Navy doctors and nurses are put into rotation and gain exposure to gunshots, knife wounds, and other serious injuries.