IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit)

Last week's conventional medicine blog post was on boo-boo kits and what items they should contain.  Boo-boo kits, though they might sound like it, are definitely not Individual First Aid Kits (IFAK).  This acronym comes to us from that great lover of all acronyms, the US military.  And since they created the acronym, they get to define what it is as well.  For military purposes, an IFAK contains some items from the boo-boo kit and a number of more critical items for managing traumatic injuries until a medic is available.  However, the specific contents of military IFAKs are customized to the specific activities of the different branches of service.  Not everyone needs an IFAK.  IFAKs are primarily for those carrying weapons, or hanging out with or near such people.  Basically, anyone who carries a weapon carries an IFAK as well.  It's just common sense.

Create your own IFAKs based on your perceived needs.  The following is what we put together for our concealed carry permit people.  Their IFAKs contain:

--everything from the boo-boo kit  (complete checklist below if you don't need an explanation of the usage of these items)

--an additional pair of exam gloves--whatever has happened, it's probably going to be pretty messy and you're going to want an extra pair of hands to help manage it;


--tourniquet, CAT or SOF-T are designed for military use, able to be applied very quickly with only one hand if necessary;

--chest seal for penetrating chest wounds to cover both entry and exit and prevent outside air from entering and preventing the lungs from expanding;

--Quikclot or Celox gauze--for stopping bleeding in penetrating wounds;

--Sharpie permanent marker, fine point, to write on the patient the time the tourniquet was applied;

--moxifloxacin, the broadest spectrum antibiotic and what soldiers carry in their IFAKs--military studies showed that soldiers who took an antibiotic at the time of injury reduced the wound infection rate to 0%, as opposed to those who did not get an antibiotic until a few hours later;

--meloxicam, a pain reliever more effective than acetaminophen that does not interfere with blood clotting;

--mylar blanket for hypothermia and shock

--triangle bandage, multiple uses

--1.5" wide medical tape, multiple uses, but especially for taping a sprained ankle.

Obviously, you'll need a bit larger bag to carry these items.  (We chose this one from Amazon for our family members: https://www.amazon.com/Orca-Tactical-Medical-Utility-Multicam/dp/B01I05C94Q/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1539345071&sr=8-5&keywords=ifak+bag).  Soldiers in combat carry these on their chest where they can be quickly accessed, and the tourniquet has its own case as well, so that it can be even more quickly deployed.  More on tourniquet use in a future post.

Abrasions and lacerations:
     ▢     3 Band-aids in various sizes
     ▢     4 alcohol wipes
     ▢     1 benzalkonium chloride wipe
     ▢     2 Q-tips
     ▢     1 packet of triple antibiotic
     ▢     5 Steri-strips (or butterfly closures)
     ▢     1 tincture of benzoin
     ▢     1 Tegaderm

Topical creams: 
     ▢     1 burn gel for burns
     ▢     1 hydrocortisone for bug bites and stings
     ▢     1 Benadryl for poison oak, ivy, or sumac

Oral medications: 
     ▢     Benadryl, 2 tablets
     ▢     Imodium, 1 tablet
     ▢     Tylenol, 2 doses
     ▢     Aleve, 2 doses
     ▢     Vivarin (caffeine) 2 doses
     ▢     moxifloxacin
     ▢     meloxicam

Other items:
     ▢     2 pairs nitrile exam gloves 
     ▢     2 safety pins
     ▢     1 super glue
     ▢     1 razor blade or scalpel
     ▢     1.5" wide medical tape
     ▢     tourniquet
     ▢     chest seal
     ▢     Quikclot or Celox gauze
     ▢     Sharpie permanent marker, fine point
     ▢     mylar blanket
     ▢     triangle bandage