Trauma Care / trauma care

Severe burns need fast, correct first aid. How to cool, cover, and protect a serious burn — and the myths that make burns worse.

Gunshot wounds kill through blood loss and chest injury. The first-5-minutes response using tourniquets, wound packing, and chest seals.

A penetrating chest wound can collapse a lung. How to recognize a sucking chest wound and seal it with a vented chest seal before EMS arrives.

Counterfeit CAT tourniquets flood the market and fail under real pressure. How to spot a fake and where to buy a genuine, CoTCCC-recommended TQ.

Wound packing stops bleeding a tourniquet can't reach. The step-by-step technique for packing a deep wound with gauze and holding pressure.

The best IFAK is the one you have on you. How to build a slim, pocket-size trauma kit for everyday carry without sacrificing the essentials.

The 10 core items every IFAK needs, why each belongs there, and how to build a kit that treats the injuries that actually kill.

Vented vs. non-vented chest seals compared: mechanism, tension pneumothorax risk, and why TCCC guidelines favor vented seals for penetrating chest trauma.

A 2026 buyer's guide to CoTCCC-recommended limb tourniquets — CAT Gen-7, SOF-T Wide, SAM XT, TMT — plus how to avoid dangerous counterfeits.

Impregnated gauze vs. hemostatic powder vs. sponges and injectors, compared on efficacy, FDA/CoTCCC status, and why gauze wins for laypeople.

CAT Gen 7 vs. SOF-T Wide compared: windlass, width, one-handed use, training, price, and CoTCCC status—so you carry the right tourniquet.

Hemostatic gauze vs. regular gauze compared: mechanism, speed, cost, wound packing technique, and exactly when each belongs in your IFAK or trauma kit.