Do you EDC? What do you EDC?

[Ttaskmaster]

If it's straightforward and the tag is for blood type, NOK, etc I'd argue that is useful for when you get to the emergency department and they'll see it there during the primary survey

That's pretty much all it does. I have no conditions or allergies (apart from a mild aversion to chemical weapons), so it was just whatever I could think of that might be useful. At the time I got the tags done, they were about to bring out a system that would allow medical professionals to access complete patient records from anywhere using their NHS number, so that got put on... and about 3 months after that, the NHS scrapped the scheme and the system, which was annoying, since part of my job involved pulling all the patients' notes from wherever they last visited!

Therefore I have a few simple plasters and some tape and some basic dressings, just for basic first aid stuff as, you never know, I might burn myself whilst effecting a roadside repair or something.

Ah, but your world will come crashing down if you don't have your alcohol-free wipes!!
I find the average FAK has about half the number of wipes that it does dressings and plasters, which always seems pretty useless to me...

2x combat application tourniquets - these can go over clothes, be applied one handed and are an amazing invention.

I don't think I've ever seen a proper tourniquet, except on an American soldier. We were always taught not to use them because they're bad and people never do them right, and they can cause more harm than good... before being taught to improvise one out of paracord!
My medical training is rather outdated by two or three decades, though - These seem straightforward and obvious enough. I'm not sure what's so revolutionary about these compared to older ones, though? Is it just the refinement of the design?

Celox A - this is a haemostatic agent which causes clotting even in extreme circumstances. I used to get sponges but they got too expensive for stuff that went out of date before being used

Wow... a single sachet of that is £15, apparently!
It certainly sounds good.

Basic airway adjuncts - these sit in your mouth and keep your airway open. They're great as when you get conscious enough to maintain your own airway, you'll spit them out and they're not invasive. Great for patients who don't need full on airway management but where it is compromised.

Do they work as resusc aids, or are they purely for keeping airways open?

iGel - proper airway for those who might otherwise need an emergency cricothyrotomy.

Yeah, that's getting well outside my abilities!

My Medic training is pretty limited, but CAT's are fantastic. Make sure you have a marker pen. Also, you can wear the Velcro tab out of the side pocket of your 511's for the ultimate in poser chic.

Being somewhat experienced in Allyness and Tacticool Posing, I believe the optimum positioning is lashed to the left shoulder strap of your webbing... right where it can interfere with your bergan!

On a more serious note, there may be an opportunity for a thread for recommendations of first aid training courses. I imagine most people have had some CPR training through their employment, but I can see some might be interested in taking that further. Any chance of a write up, Phil?

Definitely seconded.

[Butcher]

EDC:
Wallet (small, cards only).
House keys.
Car keys.
Swiss army knife (it's a simple one).
Phone.

That's pretty much it. I have trimmed things down a lot - my wallet easily fits in a jeans pocket for instance, as it's the size of a credit card.

[Hoonigan]

Wallet, phone, keys and dog poo bags.

Also have a Micro-USB Female to Lightning Male adaptor for charging my iPhone, attached to my keyring. That's about the most interesting thing I carry.

Of course, my wallet contains my Blood Donor cards (both English and Scottish), Organ Donor card and Anthony Nolan card, making sure that my organs stand the best possible chance of being harvested if the worst should happen.

[philehidiot]

To be honest, knowing there are no chronic conditions or drug allergies is in itself is useful as it means you can administer treatment without worrying things are going to go tits up as a result.

Suffice to say, I added many more IPA wipes to my kit. Useful for so many things. I am also prescribed injected medication so it's useful for that in case I've forgotten them with my meds. You can always turn a wipe inside out and use that side as well.

The best tourniquet is the one you have to hand. If you need one, you need it fast. As for efficacy, the ones we use in hospitals now are just strips of rubber. They work just as well as a CAT in ideal circumstances. The benefit of a CAT is that you can apply the minimum amount of pressure required to stop the bleeding, the surface area is larger so there's less chance of it causing damage and most importantly, they stay in place when you're moving people. Honestly if you know what you're doing with a tourniquet, (i.e. the best place to put it and when one won't work and you need your haemostatic agents) anything will do in a pinch. Paracord as you say or a belt... doesn't matter. Placement does - if you're trying to stop a high femoral bleed with paracord, you're likely gonna find it stops when your patient runs out of blood.... As for them being bad, I suppose if you leave them on too long but that's why you write the time of application on the patient's head (you can write it on the touniquet but writing on someone's forehead is awesome fun - plus it means someone will look and see there's a touniquet on there, whereas when everything is a mess, clothes are cut and blood is everywhere, and someone is wrapped up to warm them, it can easily get missed) and I'd rather lose a leg rather than die within a few minutes. You really shouldn't use them unless you're failing to stop the bleeding another way or you know it's fuitile to try and the blood loss is likely to be deadly.

I'd avoid Celox sachets as if there's a lot of blood rising out of the wound it just gets flushed out and also the wind will carry it away. Celox-A syringe application is good as are Quik-clot ACS sponges. These are a last resort if pressure fails and it's a judgement call as to whether to use this or a tourniquet.

Airway adjuncts are mostly for when someone is totally unconscious and you can see their tongue is causing a problem. Useful for resus and severely depressed consciousness. If there's a gag reflex there, you don't wanna be using them which gives you an idea of how severe things need to be. As I think I said in the last post, my kit is tailored for situations where you simply can't wait for an ambulance. There's an argument for a needle for relieving a tension pneumothorax but when you get into invasive stuff at the side of the road you really need to be more experienced in emergency care than I am or ever will be.

I won't be cutting open any throats either. The iGel is as far as I'd ever go. I am not trained to go further and I'd never want to.

As for first aid courses, most of my stuff is from internal training. The scene management was part of my advanced rider training. I've never been on any external courses as I've never needed to so I'd honestly never be able to recommend anything. If people are perhaps wanting advice on whether course content is suited to them or maybe needs experience / a basic anatomy grounding then yeh I could certainly do that.

[Ttaskmaster]

but that's why you write the time of application on the patient's head (you can write it on the touniquet but writing on someone's forehead is awesome fun

Now that I can do!
We used these dummy morphine syrettes when practising Casevac actions, and I've carried a Sharpie in my EDC ever since. Always a laugh, as everyone would be going round for days with the remnants of permanent marker numbers and a big M on their heads!

There's an argument for a needle for relieving a tension pneumothorax but when you get into invasive stuff at the side of the road you really need to be more experienced in emergency care than I am or ever will be.

My argument against it is that if I have to Google what something is, it's beyond my capability to treat!

I won't be cutting open any throats either.

That one, we actually did cover, though I've forgotten how to find the puncture point and, strangely enough, choking is quite low on the list of common battlefield injuries...

If people are perhaps wanting advice on whether course content is suited to them or maybe needs experience / a basic anatomy grounding then yeh I could certainly do that.

Well, I believe there's a dedicated Parents' thread on here somewhere.
Might be a good place to post some links to stuff people can read about and learn...

[philehidiot]

Yeh, I've managed to escape my paediatric life support stuff for now (adults only for me, yey!) but I could certainly have a gander at sites and say if they seem to be talking sense.

[TeePee]

Yeh, I've managed to escape my paediatric life support stuff for now (adults only for me, yey!) but I could certainly have a gander at sites and say if they seem to be talking sense.

I hated flying kids in the Air Ambulance. It was way too depressing.

[Ttaskmaster]

So... what else are people carrying these days?

[Saracen999]

My argument against it is that if I have to Google what something is, it's beyond my capability to treat!

Well, a dentist friend of mine did once, with a patient un his chair with a gob full of clamps, bits of plastic barrier material and utensils, get a text book out, plonk it on the increasingly worried patient's chest, and start leafing through it saying something like

Right, now where is ....

Oh, got it

Oh.

/flips page

OHHH. Ick.


Right, so I ... okay, that's easy .. hmmmm ..... Uh - oh.

Well that's new. But ..... okaaaaay.

Then .... WHAT?

Well I suppose I can try that. Never done it before, but hey, everybody learns sometime.

/flips page

What? No, never. I'd never have thought of that. S'pose it could work. Somehow.

When was this book written anyway?

/checks

Oh. Never mind, recent enough,

And so on.

The patient, a mutual friend with a penchant for practical jokes never EVER targetted my dentist friend again.

[philehidiot]

Well, a dentist friend of mine did once, with a patient un his chair with a gob full of clamps, bits of plastic barrier material and utensils, get a text book out, plonk it on the increasingly worried patient's chest, and start leafing through it saying something like

And so on.

The patient, a mutual friend with a penchant for practical jokes never EVER targetted my dentist friend again.

Ha!

I have definitely Googled stuff with patients. Either because it was something I didn't know the answer to (there are very few unreasonable people who expect you'll know everything off the top of your head) and didn't want them to leave without the information they needed or to find a resource for them to educate / manage themselves better. There are a few things I never trust to memory and will always look up in front of the patient. DVLA guidelines for driving after certain procedures / events are an example unless I'm absolutely certain and whether a specific pacemaker system is suited to an MRI is another we always check as the consequences of getting it wrong just aren't worth it.

I generally draw the line at "EWWWW, that's MANKY" though.

[Ttaskmaster]

The patient, a mutual friend with a penchant for practical jokes never EVER targetted my dentist friend again.

You know some cunning and devious people!!

There are a few things I never trust to memory and will always look up in front of the patient.

It's always good to lead these things with the phrase, "As you can see for yourself, the standard procedure is...."
Even highly trained pilots still have to get out emergency checklists and have their co-pilot or wingman read through everything step by step. It's not about memory, it's procedure and regulations, y'see... at least, that's what I'd tell the patient, if it made them happy. Good practice, either way.

Better than a GP just leafing through a copy of Mimms and picking something at random to prescribe!!

[Ttaskmaster]

Got bored, started leafing through the sillier side of EDC websites in America.
Have ended up buying a ridiculous new torch... but the retail therapy is always good!!

[Spreadie]

I did have a cheapo mini-multitool on my keyring, but I broke it.

Just ordered a (hopefully) better quality replacement:



I've had a Paraframe knife for years, and it has lasted well so I hope this will follow suit. It's not exactly a Leatherman, but then nor does it carry a Leatherman price tag.

[TeePee]

Got bored, started leafing through the sillier side of EDC websites in America.
Have ended up buying a ridiculous new torch... but the retail therapy is always good!!

OK, I have to ask. What's the sillier side? Because I already feel like I have the essentials!

I recognize first aid kit is probably a good idea for some, but I can't have that for liability...

[Ttaskmaster]

I've had a Paraframe knife for years, and it has lasted well so I hope this will follow suit. It's not exactly a Leatherman, but then nor does it carry a Leatherman price tag.

That doesn't look half-bad, actually. I'd look at one of these myself if I didn't already have a Leatherman Squirt PS.

Having tried both, I prefer Leatherman tools over Gerber's, usually.
But saying that, Leatherman are pricey and a good deal of their larger tools are pretty shocking, especially the ones that chip, break or just rust. Overall, they bring nothing special to the table other than a set of folding pliers, really... and the screwdrivers are cack. In the UK, you're usually much better off with a Swiss Army Knife.

OK, I have to ask. What's the sillier side? Because I already feel like I have the essentials!

Well, you have the really expensive side, where people buy blued-titanium carabiners for a couple-hundred bucks instead of the 10 or so they usually cost, to go with their matching blued-titanium folder flip-blades, blued-titanium torches, blued-titanium money clips, blued-titanium pens, blued-titanium watches, blued-titanium wallets, blued-titanium notebooks and blued-titanium red-dot sights... at a few hundred bucks each!

Then you have the Prepper type who carries a 72-hour bag, with which he reaches his Vehicle Bag, which lets him drive to pick up his Get Home Bag, so he can retrieve his Bug Out Bag...
Between these, you have the sort who carry a lot of tactical or 'tacticool' kit, and need the larger sizes of Maxpedition Pocket Organiser (the Fatty, Beefy, Humongous, Lard-Ass, or whatever else they're called) just to nip down the shops with. These are the sort who also carry a wilderness survival kit in downtown LA... Typically they have 3-4 knives, 2-3 tactical torches, 2 or more Leatherman tools, plus a whole host of other junk, as well as various kits in Altoids tins, and loads of wallet tools (which all do the same thing, and always always incorporate a bottle opener)...

Or just things like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juB1pdB72x0

[LondonTom]

I guess I have usual things, wallet (currently Marvel themed), phone (s10+), Galaxy Watch and mostly my keys. I do also tend to have a little olbas oil inhaler on me, as I find I get blocked up and need it.

I guess if I am going to work or out for the day I tend to have a backup charger for my phone and a reusuable water bottle now.