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Why correctional officers need to train to use and carry an IFAK
The modern Individual First Aid Kit or IFAK was developed as a result of research performed into the causes of preventable deaths in combat during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in 2003-2004 and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in 2006.[1] The findings were sobering. The number of preventable deaths in combat accounted for 7.8 percent of total combat deaths.[2] This significant number had remained essentially unchanged since the Vietnam War.To get more news about IFAK kits, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.
Military officials felt that these were unacceptable losses and developed a new system of medical training for non-medical military personnel, Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC).[1, 2] Along with TCCC training, every soldier would also be provided an IFAK. This kit would be worn by every soldier in combat operations for immediate self-aid or buddy aid.
The first IFAK’s were simple in design. The equipment was selected for its ease of use by non-medical personnel and to address the two major causes of preventable deaths in combat: uncontrolled hemorrhage and airway obstruction. This rapid response by the military paid off, and, by 2011, the percentage of preventable deaths in combat in was significantly reduced to 2.6 percent.[3] The IFAK, combined with TCCC training, has saved thousands of lives.
Recent events, such as the Boston Marathon bombing, the Fort Hood shooting, and several other mass casualty shootings have made it clear that law enforcement officers, like the military, must be prepared to provide immediate life-saving first aid. This need is especially important as civilian paramedics are traditionally staged away from the scene until it is safe or mostly safe to enter. This time delay can prove deadly when rapid bleeding or airway obstruction is present.
In the Fort Hood shooting incident, the officer who stopped the assailant was shot through both thighs. She did not have an IFAK. Off duty physicians on the scene applied improvised tourniquets, but they were not effective. Her life was saved when a military medic applied a C-A-T tourniquet similar to the ones found in military IFAKs.[3]
During the Boston Marathon bombings response, 27 tourniquets were applied in the prehospital setting.[1] They were all improvised tourniquets and many of them required replacement with a C-A-T tourniquet to prevent ongoing extremity exsanguination.
In 2015, department issued IFAKs were successfully used by law enforcement officers at a mass shooting incident at a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana.[4] These cases demonstrate the need for IFAKs for law enforcement and how IFAKs can save lives in the civilian setting.
In June 2015, the United States InterAgency Board (IAB) released a white paper on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) and IFAKs for law enforcement. This paper, referencing the concepts of TCCC and the military IFAK, established recommendations for Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) training and IFAKs for law enforcement officers. The IAB recommendations, along with a description of each item, are listed below.[5]
The tourniquet is essential to control external hemorrhage to extremities. The reintroduction of the tourniquet to emergency care has demonstrated a significant improvement in the number of lives saved without the feared loss of limb amputation from prolonged restriction of blood flow.[6] After-action analysis of the Fort Hood shootings and the Boston Marathon shootings have demonstrated that improvised tourniquets are often inadequate in controlling severe extremity hemorrhage.
Hemostatic Gauze (1)
Hemostatic gauze is a gauze roll coated with a hemostatic agent that helps to stop bleeding faster and more effectively than gauze alone. It can be used in conjunction with tourniquets or by itself. This is especially useful for wounds to the head, neck or torso where tourniquets cannot be applied.
Mechanical Pressure Bandage (1)
Also known as an Israeli Bandage, a pressure bandage is designed to stop hemorrhage by the application of direct venous pressure at the site of injury. It is usually 4-6 inches in length and has an attached cravat made of elastic ace bandage style material. Many brands also have a device attached to the bandage that allows it to be self-applied using only one hand.
Compressed Gauze (1)
Compressed gauze is traditional rolled gauze that is 4.5 inches by 4.1 yards long that has been vacuum-sealed into a smaller compressed package. This makes the gauze easier to pack than regular rolled gauze. Compressed rolled gauze can be used in a variety of ways to control hemorrhage or bandage wounds.
Best First Aid Kit Recommendations for Home
As part of our emergency preparedness preparations, we've been slowly beefing up our stash of emergency medical supplies. In this post we cover our recommendations for best first aid kit for different skill and preparedness levels.To get more news about stop the bleed, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.
We recommend a couple first aid kits for different skill levels, tips for first aid kit use and items missed in many kits. Get a kit, get prepared BEFORE emergencies happen.
These are suitable for car first aid kits, travel emergency kits or home and office. You should have at least one small Basic First Aid Kit for each vehicle, and one or more in your home. We do suggest adding certain items to the First Aid Kits, which are noted below the emergency kit lists.
We recommend you get basic first aid and medical training. Local organizations such as the Red Cross often offer basic first aid training, including programs targeted to teens who do babysitting.
There are a lot of good videos on Youtube, such as those hosted by Dr, Bones and Nurse Amy. Get books such as First Aid Fundamentals for Survival or Where there is No Doctor. The more you know, the easier it is for your to respond to emergencies, big or small.
Even with training, a fold out first aid guide is a good addition to your home first aid kit.
Some first aid kits include labeled pouches and step by step guides in the kit. These are great even for seasoned medical professionals, as the professional can hand the kit to a novice and get some level of assistance.Try all products on your skin BEFORE an emergency to ensure you are not allergic. Wear the gloves, try the meds etc (as appropriate). If you have an emergency you can call 911 – which is much better than if you are in the middle of no-where and find out you are allergic to a medication or the gloves.
RTS Tactical releases Rapid Deploy IFAK kit
RTS Tactical recently announced the release of its Rapid Deploy IFAK – just in time for SHOT Show 2022.To get more news about stop the bleed, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.
The Rapid Deploy IFAK is lightweight with a rugged shell and includes all the necessary medical components in a compact kit, according to the company. Its one-motion pull system can be used by the main operator or a fellow operator.
Made with bonded Cordura fabric, zippers, MIL-SPEC bungee cords and tactical Nylon materials, the Rapid Deploy IFAK kit is available in black, ranger green, coyote and MultiCam. There are also three tourniquet options: SWAT-T, SOF Tactical and Combat Application.
It was always my intention, from Day 1, to get students involved so at the end of the day they would be able to say they participated in a humanitarian relief operation delivering front line medical supplies to a war zone. If this turns into what it can turn into, it can be a pretty impressive item to put on your CV,” he said. “I can imagine this becoming a credit-bearing course with all kinds of implications in various majors, from public relations to supply chain management.”
buckley neilWhen contemplating his own career after the army, Arvisais-Anhalt reached out to Dr. Neil Buckley, associate professor and chair of biological sciences, who helped set him up in the program.
“Nicholas is a truly impressive young man with tremendous focus and drive,” Buckley said. “(With his experience) he is highly qualified to be leading the iFAK effort. In fact, he’s almost uniquely qualified to do this because he not only has the medical training to devise how best to put these first-aid kits together and the connections with medical supply companies to source the supplies, but he has the drive and determination to move this project forward.”
Today, RTS Tactical launches their new rapid deploy IFAK, a comprehensive medical kit outfitted with cutting-edge components designed for injuries in the field. Rapid one-hand deployment allows access to all components instantly while maintaining situational awareness.To get more news about portable medical kit, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.
Other IFAKs currently available were developed in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom to fulfill a critical need and have been left behind by advances seen in tactical gear today. RTS Tactical reached out to Combat Medics and other personnel who understood the importance of a quick deploy IFAK to make the RTS Tactical Rapid Deploy IFAK the ultimate field-tested solution. The RTS Tactical Team researched the latest materials that would achieve a lightweight yet strong and rugged shell. The company incorporated all the necessary medical components for an advanced compact and Ready Kit while the engineering department created and field-tested the comprehensive one motion pull system that can be used by the operator itself or a fellow operator.
Mendel Berns, Marketing Director at RTS Tactical, shares, "When treating an injury in the field, time is critical. Every second counts. You need to be ready when called upon to save the life of a team member, even perhaps your own. Your new RTS Tactical IFAK Kit has been field-tested to be the most comprehensive one motion pull system that can be used by the operator itself or a fellow operator in a time of critical need."
The light-weight Rapid Deploy IFAK is made with bonded cordura, high performing zippers, MIL-SPEC bungee cords and all the premium materials available in advanced tactical nylon today. The design lets customers control their IFAK contents as well as laser-cut MOLLE and bungee attachment points. The RTS Tactical Rapid Deploy IFAK Kit is available in Black, Ranger Green, Coyte, and Multicam.
RTS is a group of military and defense equipment experts dedicated to building better armor and tactical equipment. Each product is designed to better serve real-world military and law enforcement personnel in the field with Extensive testing and innovative technological development.
Blood plays an essential role in the human body. Hemorrhage is a critical cause of both military and civilian casualties. The human body has its own hemostatic mechanism that involves complex processes and has limited capacity. However, in emergency situations such as battlefields and hospitals, when the hemostatic mechanism of the human body itself cannot stop bleeding effectively, hemostatic materials are needed for saving lives. To get more news about IFaks, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.
In this review, the hemostatic mechanisms and performance of the most commonly used hemostatic materials, (including fibrin, collagen, zeolite, gelatin, alginate, chitosan, cellulose and cyanoacrylate) and the commercial wound dressings based on these materials, will be discussed. These materials may have limitations, such as poor tissue adhesion, risk of infection and exothermic reactions, that may lessen their hemostatic efficacy and cause secondary injuries. High-performance hemostatic materials, therefore, have been designed and developed to improve hemostatic efficiency in clinical use. In this review, hemostatic materials with advanced performances, such as antibacterial capacity, superhydrophobicity/superhydrophilicity, superelasticity, high porosity and/or biomimicry, will be introduced. Future prospects of hemostatic materials will also be discussed in this review.
Silk Fibroin Based Formulations as Potential Hemostatic Agents
Effective hemorrhage control is indispensable for life-threatening emergencies in defense fields and civilian trauma. During major injuries, hemostatic agents are applied externally to mimic and accelerate the natural hemostasis process. Commercially available topical hemostatic agents are associated with several limitations, e.g., burning sensation, necrosis, futile in severe injuries, and high costs of the products. In the present study, we developed silk fibroin fiber-based formulations and evaluated their use as a cost-effective potential hemostatic agent with shortened clotting time. To get more news about stop the bleed, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.
Silk fiber-based powder was produced following the alkaline hydrolysis process, wherein Bombyx mori silk fibroin fibers were treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution that randomly chopped the silk microfibers. Physicochemical reaction parameters, e.g., reaction temperature, molarity of NaOH solution, and incubation time, were optimized to achieve the maximum yield of microfibers. The surface properties of alkaline hydrolyzed silk microfibers (AHSMf) were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray studies. The water uptake capacity of AHSMf and the change in pH and temperature (～30 °C) during blood clotting were analyzed. Further, the hemostatic potential of AHSMf was evaluated by an in vitro whole blood clotting assay using both goat and human blood. The in vitro studies demonstrated a reduced blood clotting time (CT = 20–30 s), prothrombin time (PT = ～27%), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT = ～14%) in the presence of AHSMf when compared to silk hydrogel powder (devoid of NaOH). Thus, the developed AHSMf could be a promising material to serve as a potential hemostatic agent.