Survivalist Anthologies Volume 1

by George Shepherd

  So do yourself a favor and throw some hygiene gear into that pack, you will be glad you did!

  How to Build a Blowout Kit

  by Dave White

  How many of us have a small trauma kit intended specifically for penetrating wounds? Think gunshot wounds and stab wounds. My guess is not many people have a kit geared only for those events.

  Kits like this have been gaining popularity not only with the military, but also with law enforcement officers. In these circles, these kits are often referred to as “Blow Out “ kits. You will not find Band-Aids or moleskin in the Blow Out kit. The contents of the Blow Out kit are for the treatment of penetrating trauma, usually to the chest or abdomen or traumatic amputations. Cuts, scrapes and blisters are handled by your bigger, more comprehensive medical kit.

  I was first introduced to Kerlix gauze while taking my civilian Emergency Medical Technician class. I learned of its value in treating gunshot wounds in the bestselling book: “Blackhawk Down”. In the book, author Mark Bowden, tells of U.S. Army Ranger and Delta Force medics jamming rolls of Kerlix into soldier’s gunshot wounds to control hemorrhaging. After I finished that book, I immediately went out and purchased two rolls of Kerlix and made room for them in my trauma bag. Ever since reading Blackhawk Down, it has been my firm belief that it should be read by every military and tactical medic for the lessons that can be learned from that dark day in U.S. military history.

  Many people in wilderness medical circles suggest keeping a small roll of duct tape in your first aid kit. Duct tape is far stickier than regular tape. It will stick to your patient if they are bloody or wet. Keep a small roll of duct tape in your Blow Out kit. You may not need it, but if you do need it, you will really need it.

  Israel has been in an almost constant state of war since it was founded in 1948. Several years ago, the Israelis developed a new type of field dressing. This dressing, officially named the Emergency Bandage, but known universally as the Israeli Dressing, can fulfill three distinct functions. It can be used as a conventional field dressing, a pressure dressing and as a tourniquet. Newer versions of this dressing come with a moveable second dressing. This one field dressing can be used to treat both entry and exit wounds. The Israeli dressing is the field dressing all others are now judged against.

  For the vast majority of wounds, direct pressure is all that is needed to stop the bleeding. However for those times when direct pressure is not enough, science comes to the rescue with four new methods of bleeding control from two different companies.

  Z-Medica markets Quik Clot powder, Quik Clot sponges and Quik Clot Combat Gauze. Quik Clot was developed to stop severe arterial and venous bleeding. After wiping away excess blood, the Quik Clot powder is slowly poured into the wound (Quik Clot sponges and gauze are packed into the wound). The clot formed by Quik Clot can be removed by irrigating the wound in the operating room. Quik Clot is included in many of the Individual First Aid Kits (IFAK), which are being issued to our soldiers and marines.

  When using the powder, care should be taken to protect the eyes. Quik Clot reacts with liquid and our eyes are always moist. If you don’t have protective eye wear, at least turn your head away from the site as you pour the Quik Clot into the wound. After applying the Quik Clot, apply direct pressure to the wound. Secure the now empty Quik Clot pouch to your patient. This will alert the emergency department staff that you had to use this item, and they will in turn relay this information to the surgical team.

  Quik Clot generates heat when it is forming the blood clot. About a year and a half ago, Quik Clot introduced a newer version of the Quik Clot sponge which generated less heat. I have heard that some ambulance services pulled Quik Clot off their rigs, because it burned their patients. I have not heard whether these ambulance services have begun using the new, cooler Quik Clot, but the following is my personal opinion: To keep my patient from bleeding out, I am perfectly willing to risk giving them a burn.

  Celox is another wound clotting powder. It’s active ingredient is chitosan from shrimp shells. It works much the same as Quik Clot and is used in a similar fashion. It is slowly poured into the wound and then direct pressure is applied. No heat is generated during the use of this product, it works in severe cold and even works on patients who are on the blood thinning drug; Heparin. While shrimp are shell fish and a certain percentage of the population have allergies to shell fish, literature on the Celox package states that medical studies have shown no adverse reactions to date.

  Celox gauze is ordinary rolled gauze coated with chitosan. In addition to helping to stop bleeding, Celox gauze can be used on first and second degree burns. Irrigate the burn first to cool it and then wrap the burned area in the Celox gauze. It can be used as both a dry and wet dressing. To use it as a wet dressing, first apply it to the wound and then wet the dressing. Once it becomes saturated, the dressing will change to a gelatin like substance that will both cool the burn and protect it from the environment.

  Since the AIDS epidemic burst on the scene over twenty five years ago, protective gloves have become a “must have” for anyone who may come into contact with blood or other body fluids. I personally prefer nitrile gloves. Nitrile gloves last longer in storage than latex gloves and in my opinion, and are more tear resistant. I have lost count of the times that I pulled on a latex glove only to have it tear. I have had fewer nitrile gloves tear while pulling them on than latex gloves.

  Nomex and kevlar gloves have been increasing in popularity in both military and police circles. Knowing this, you may want to pack a larger than normal size nitrile gloves in your blow out kit. Having larger than normal protective gloves in your kits means you will be able to pull them on over your nomex or kevlar gloves easier than you would your normal size protective gloves. You may be in an environment where you do not want to remove your nomex or kevlar gloves or you may not have the time to remove them before needing to don nitrile or latex gloves.

  Until just recently, tourniquets were always considered a tool of last resort. Probably all of us were taught in whatever first aid class we took, that putting a tourniquet on our patient meant that you were choosing to sacrifice your patient’s limb to save their life. Well, thinking on tourniquets has changed in the last few years. Keep in mind that in some orthopedic surgeries, tourniquets are left on for over two hours with the patients suffering no ill effects.

  Now, tactical medical personnel are being taught to place a tourniquet on a severely bleeding extremity if they are under fire or in a threatening environment. Once in a more secure setting, the tourniquet can be loosened and an appropriate field dressing applied. Please note, the tourniquet is loosened, it is not removed. The reason it is not removed, is if the application of the field dressings along with direct pressure does not stop the bleeding, the tourniquet is still in place and can be re-tightened.

  The tourniquet that is getting the most use in Afghanistan and Iraq is the Combat Application Tourniquet or C.A.T. tourniquet, made by north American Rescue Products. The C.A.T. tourniquet is 31.25” long and slightly over 1.5” wide. One end of this tourniquet has a plastic buckle through which the other end of the tourniquet is fed through. The tourniquet has a windlass rod which is twisted to tighten the tourniquet down. Once the plastic windlass rod has been twisted enough to stop the flow of blood, the windlass rod is secured under a C shaped clamp. The windlass rod is kept even more secure with a velcro retaining strap. The C.A.T. tourniquet can be easily applied and tightened down with one hand by the patient themselves.

  When my C.A.T. tourniquet arrived I started experimenting with it. I put it on my arm and twisted the windlass rod. I knew immediately that I had stopped the blood flow in my arm below the site of the tourniquet. I have used the C.A.T. tourniquet in training and I have also trained about 150 soldiers how to use it in three Combat Life Saver classes that I helped to teach before I retired from the Army National Guard.

  One area of concern with the C.A.T. Tourniquet is that dirt and grime can accumulate
in the sections of the tourniquet that incorporate velcro. You should make a special effort to keep these areas of the tourniquet as clean as possible. Keeping the tourniquet in a plastic bag should make this task easier.

  With my tourniquets, I keep a Sharpie style felt tip permanent marker. This is for writing a large “T” on the patient’s forehead along with the time that the tourniquet was applied. The trauma team that treats your patient will greatly appreciate this information. To say that the C.A.T. tourniquet is a vast improvement over the old cinch type military issue tourniquet or an improvised tourniquet is a vast understatement, but Murphy’s law is always in effect, so you should still learn how to improvise a tourniquet and practice applying one.

  With an unconscious patient the tongue can fall back and block the airway. A nasopharayngeal airway (NPA) which is inserted in one of the patient’s nostrils can hold the tongue in place, keeping the patient’s airway open. NPAs can be tolerated in a conscious patient, where as oral airways will cause gagging if the patient is conscious. NPAs should be lubricated with a water based lubricant before insertion. If you suspect your patient has suffered a skull fracture, DO NOT use an NPA. Part of it could actually enter the cranial vault and come into contact with the brain, inadvertently introducing bacteria and possibly viruses into the cranial vault.

  When a bullet or sharp object like a knife enters the thoracic cavity (chest cavity) air from the outside enters the chest cavity. This causes the lung on the injured side to collapse. This is called a pneumothorax. It is extremely uncomfortable, but you can live with it. An airtight dressing taped on three sides keeps this from progressing to the next level, a tension pneumothorax.

  Several years ago a dressing was developed specifically to treat a pneumothorax and more importantly keep that pneumothorax from progressing onto a life threatening tension pneumothorax. This dressing is the Asherman Chest Seal and it has some unique properties. The first thing you will notice about the Asherman Chest Seal is the tube which acts as a one way flutter valve. The one way flutter valve allows the air in the chest to escape, while at the same time preventing air from entering the chest cavity. The tube which functions as the one way flutter valve is attached to a clear plastic dressing, similar to the plastic dressings that are used to cover intravenous sites. A single piece gauze is also part of the dressing. This helps to soak up any blood from the wound. I have heard reports from the field that the with bloody chest wounds, the adhesive backing on the Asherman Chest Seal is not sufficient. Be prepared for this. Another good reason to keep some duct tape in your Blow Out Kit.

  The Bolin Chest Seal is similar to the Asherman Chest Seal. Instead of a single one way valve, the Bolin Chest Seal has three one way valves. These one way valves are low profile in design. Meaning there’s less chance of them snagging on something that could possibly tear the dressing off. The Bolin Chest Seal measures six inches in circumference. The side of the Bolin Chest Seal that goes against the wound has a thick layer of gel based adhesive that is strong enough to seal over hair and blood.

  A tension pneumothorax is a condition in which so much air has leaked into the chest cavity that not only is the lung on the injured side collapsing, but the other structures housed in the chest cavity are being pushed over to the injured side. This condition is a killer. The way one treats a tension pneumothorax is to get the air out of the chest cavity and this is done by inserting a large bore catheter, (14 gauge or larger) into the chest cavity. This will allow the air that is trapped in the chest cavity to escape. This procedure is called a thoracic decompression. I will not go into the steps for performing a thoracic decompression. This technique needs to be learned in a class room utilizing a “hands on” approach. You need to both see and feel anatomical landmarks on an actual person when you are learning this technique.

  When you build your own Blow Out Kit, pack it in a specific pouch. Mark this pouch in some way

  so that anyone with you will know that this is your Blow Out kit. By having the kit in a specifically marked pouch, they won’t waste precious time searching the rest of your emergency gear for a field dressing or tourniquet. Be sure you tell your companions what is inside that specially marked pouch. Remember, you may be unconscious or otherwise incapacitated. Keep your Blow Out kit on your person, if at all possible. You do not want to be separated from this kit.

  There are several companies currently manufacturing pouches intended specifically for housing Blow Out kits. I chose the Spec-Ops brand pouches for both my own Blow Out Kit. The Spec-Ops pouch has a section of red webbing sewn on the tip flap. This helps to identify this pouch As a container for a first aid or Blow Out kit pouch. I have been purchasing and using Spec-Ops Brand gear for over seven years now. Their products are very well designed and very ruggedly built.

  Before you build a Blow Out kit and fill it with your emergency gear, get the training to properly use it. Some of the items in the kit, if improperly used, can harm your patient. Putting a large bore catheter into someone’s chest if they do not actually have a tension pneumothorax will, at the very least, CAUSE a pneumothorax. GET TRAINING before you attempt this procedure. You not only need to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of a tension pneuomothorax, you also need to learn certain anatomical landmarks that are utilized in performing this procedure.

  The Blow Out kit is for severe wounds like gunshot wounds, stab wounds, shrapnel wounds and traumatic amputations. Get the training to use the items in your Blow Out kit before you actually have to use it and then make it a point to keep as current as possible in regards to trauma care. The Blow Out Kit is not the cure to your life threatening wound. All it does is buy you time. The cure for your life threatening wound is bright lights and cold steel. The bright lights of the operating room and the cold steel of the surgeon’s instruments. Hopefully you will never need to use your Blow Out Kit, but if you ever do need it, you’ll really need it.

  David White is a retired Army National Guard medic assigned to an infantry battalion. He was a National Registry Emergency Medical Technician-Basic and is also a graduate of the Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support course and the Medical Response in Hostile Environments course by Medical Corps.

  He has practiced field medicine in the United States, Central America and Germany.

  Resources:

  Due to the increased interest in tactical medicine numerous supplier are carrying not only the individual components for constructing you own Blow Out Kits but prepackaged Blow Out Kits as well. My best advice to you, the reader, is to check the prices of the various products. Prices vary from website to website.

  Rescue-Essentials.com - www.rescue-essentials.com

  North American Rescue Products - www.NARescue.com

  Performance Systems, Medical Div. - www.ps-med.com

  Gall’s - www.galls.com

  Best Glide Aviation Survival Gear - www.bestglide.com

  Chinook Medical Gear - www.chinookmed.com

  Tactical Response Gear - www.tacticalresponse.com

  Treating Chronic Disease WITHOUT Pharmaceuticals

  by Robert Scott Bell

  While most of us are aware of the need to store food, secure and purify water – what about the millions of Americans who are currently dependent upon FDA-approved medication? After the collapse is not the time to reduce and then eliminate your “need” for patented synthetic pharmaceutical drugs. For one, you can only store so much before the active ingredient collapses. Also, since there is no genuine deficiency for the FDA-approved toxin to begin with, it would be much smarter to wean yourself off now before you can’t get a refill.

  Where are the articles that actually help you to solve the medical problem so that the need for drugs no longer exists? I am specifically referring to chronic diseases where the norm has become symptom management and suppression – resulting in drug dependence for mere survival. Let us focus upon diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma as they are prevalent and life-threatening in an immediate way if not managed.
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  But given the choice, wouldn’t you rather be rid of the disease?

  In this way, you can focus on everyday survival needs, rather than trying to medically manage potentially life-threatening chronic conditions.

  Since all of these diseases start in the gut, we must know how to heal it back where it all began. Inflammation in the intestinal tract has become a way of life in modern America, resulting in poor assimilation of nutrients, leading to the deficiency syndrome (nutrient deficiencies leading to medical diagnoses, including diabetes, HBP and asthma. So how do we heal the gut?

  Silver hydrosol and aloe vera are two substances, which when used in combination, can rapidly restore integrity to the epithelial lining of the intestine, so proper nutrient absorption may once again occur. Here is how to get started:

  Use 1 oz Sovereign Silver hydrosol mixed with 1 oz aloe vera juice, drink before mealtimes on empty stomach. Follow protocol for 2-4 weeks, noting changes in your health/symptom presentation (small adults can divide dose size in half).

  Utilize pre- and probiotics every night before bedtime while on this protocol.

  100% whole food silica (5000 mg daily to accelerate recovery of connective tissue)