Reminder: The Vehicle FAK

 

Somebody's patient, somewhere, may have blown out a varicose vein at work, managed to spurt out two units (a liter) of blood while driving to the hospital, had it immediately repaired by the ED MD on duty, and then, apparently stable, have then actually gone into mild shock, passing out, and requiring fluid resuscitation with half a gallon of normal saline, and required a hospital admission, for "just a little bleeding".

If that were my patient, I - of course - couldn't talk about it because of HIPPA laws. But there's always the possibility it happened somewhere.

Which is why keeping at a minimum some QuikClot, a roll of Coban, an ACE or Israeli bandage wrap for a pressure dressing, and a CAT-T tourniquet or equivalent, in a small and handy vehicle first aid kit isn't just a random option.

You may not be interested in trauma, combat medicine, or bleeding control, but that doesn't mean trauma isn't interested in you. Failure to plan is planning to fail.

This was "just a little ruptured vein". That wouldn't stop.
This patient didn't get to the hospital. But they made it to the morgue.
Leaks - ANY leaks - in your meatsuit can be terminal.

Unless you want to roll the dice on passing out in your car at freeway speeds, injuring yourself and possibly other people, and ending up in shock in Main Trauma all busted to hell, after the equivalent of a pinhole in a minor superficial vein turned into Demolition Derby. All because "you thought you could make it to the ER okay on your own", right up until things got hazy, and your car went all spinny and flippy and perhaps explodey.

Don't want to deal with the hassle of having that kind of stuff near to hand, anywhere, anytime?

No problem. Suture self.