First-Aid Treatment Kit And Resupply System
A first-aid treatment and resupply system comprising: a resupply bag having a plurality of resupply bag system connectors; a plurality of resupply containers removably attached to the interior of the resupply bag; a personal bag having a plurality of personal bag system connectors wherein the personal bag removably attached to the resupply bag using the resupply bag connectors and the personal bag connectors; a plurality of personal containers removably attached to the interior of the personal bag; a drop-down mount removably attached to the personal bag and having a leg strap attached to the drop-down mount; and an immediate response bag removably attached to the drop-down mount so that the resupply bag, personal bag, drop-down mount and immediate response are all attached as a system for transportation and are disconnected for deployment and use by responding personnel.
Latest North American Rescue, LLC Patents:
This application claims priority from provisional application No. 61/303,827 that was filed on Feb. 12, 2010 and has the same title as the present application.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention is directed to a first-aid treatment kit and resupply system and more particularly, to a field first-aid treatment kit and resupply system for treating and resupplying medical personnel in the field and transporting medical supplies to the field.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFirst responders, including combat medics, play a critical role in mitigating preventable death. Their ability to reach and treat injured personnel within moments of injury, especially injuries from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other items that result in major trauma or penetrating injuries, can mean the difference between life and death. Proper training is only part of needs for properly field treatment; the first responder also needs the right equipment to cope with these serious injuries.
For first responders, it is critical that they be equipped with the proper supplies for treating injured personnel. The most critical supplies include nasopharyngeal airway, supraglottic airway, cricothyroidotomy, suction device, chest seal, decompression needle, bag valve mask, emergency trauma dressing, combat application tourniquet, gauze, hemostatic bandage, compression wrap, splint and shears on a leash. Typically, these materials are placed in a first-aid bag such as the EMS Rapid Deployment Kit offered by North American Rescue, LLC.
One significant disadvantage for the first responder is that the first-aid bag needs to be fairly large, thereby making it unwieldy. When carrying these bags, typically in the back of the first responder, such as the combat medic, the combat medic is easily identified. This causes the first responder to be targeted by the enemy because their loss is devastating to a unit.
Additionally, the resupply of these first-aid kits is shipped to the battlefield. Many times the kit, resupply portion and even the individual items are separated in shipping so that the combat medic is not provided with the critical items that are needed for the first responder.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a first-aid kit that does not distinguish the first responder, particularly the combat medic, from the other individual on scene.
It is an object of this invention to provide a first-aid kit that can ship integrated to prevent the loss of one or more components of the first-aid kit or the resupply items from being separated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a first-aid treatment and resupply system comprising: a resupply bag having a plurality of resupply bag system connectors; a plurality of resupply containers removably attached to the interior of the resupply bag containing medical supplies items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management items, breathing management items, hypothermia prevention items, and any combination thereof; a plurality of resupply bag system connectors securing members attached to the resupply bag for stowing the resupply bag system connectors when they are not in use; a personal bag having a plurality of personal bag system connectors wherein the personal bag removably attached to the resupply bag using the resupply bag connectors and the personal bag connectors; a plurality of personal containers removably attached to the interior of the personal bag containing medical supply items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management items, breathing management items, hypothermia prevention items, and any combination thereof; a plurality of personal bag system container securing members attached to the personal bag for stowing the personal bag system container when they are not in use; a drop-down mount removably attached to the personal bag and having a leg strap attached to the drop-down mount; an immediate response bag removably attached to the drop-down mount containing medical items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management, breathing management, and any combination thereof; and, whereas the resupply bag, personal bag, drop-down mount and immediate response are all attached as a system for transportation and are disconnected for deployment and use by responding personnel.
The invention can also include a method of transporting and resupply first-aid items to medical personnel comprising: providing a resupply bag having a plurality of containers removably attached to the interior of the resupply bag containing medical supply items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management items, breathing management items, hypothermia prevention items, and any combination thereof; attaching a personal bag to the resupply bag having a plurality of personal bag containers containing medical supply items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management items, breathing management items, hypothermia prevention items, and any combination thereof; attaching an immediate response bag to the personal bag containing medical items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management, breathing management, and any combination thereof; transporting the attached resupply, personal and immediate response bag from an assembly location to a deployment location as a connected unit; detaching the resupply bag from the personal bag and the immediate response bag; stowing the resupply bag for subsequent use; and, outfitting medical personnel with the personal bag and the immediate response bag.
This invention will more readily be understood by referencing the following drawings:
Referring now to
Referring to
Referring to
In one embodiment, the placement of removable containers is identical to the configuration of the personal bag so that resupply of the personal bag simply involves moving the removable container from the resupply bag to the personal bag and placing it in the same position in the personal bag as it was in the resupply bag. This greatly simplifies the resupply process and is significantly advantageous to having to resupply through providing individual parts.
In one embodiment, there are a plurality of removable containers 30a through 30d. One container can be designed for hemorrhage control and vascular access and can contain medical items such as tourniquets, C-A-T tourniquets, emergency dressing gauze, s-rolled gauze, abdominal dressing, combat gauze, saline lock kits, compression wraps, tactical compression wraps, IV constricting band, sharps container and any combination thereof. In one embodiment, there can be a plurality of hemorrhage control removable containers since hemorrhage control can assist in preventing a significant majority of preventable combat deaths. Having a plurality of hemorrhage control removable containers allows several personnel to each use a hemorrhage control removable container at the same time as they can be removed from the personal bag and distributed to the treating professional. This comprehensive set of hemorrhage and vascular access supplies equip the Warfighter/Operator, Tactical Healthcare Professional and Prehospital Care Provider with the vital tools to effectively stabilize a patient in the critical minutes after sustaining a wound.
A plurality of airway management removable containers 32a and 32b are included in the resupply bag. Items contained in the removable container include supraglothic airway kit, cricothyroidotomy kit, surgical cricothyroidotomy kit, nasopharyngeal airway tube, airway tube lubricant, tactical suction device, tracheal hook, and any combination thereof. These removable containers are placed in the resupply bag in the same configuration as the personal bag to simplify resupply of the personal bag.
A breathing management container 34 can also be included in the resupply bag that contains items for breathing management. Items contained in the breathing management container include needle decompression for treating tension pneumothorax, chest seal for treating penetrating chest wounds, and any combination thereof. In one embodiment, airway management and breathing management items can be combined in one container.
Further, a hypothermia prevention and management kit can be included at location 36 or other container and can be removed to prevent hypothermia during transport of the injured individual.
Referring to
The personal bag can also be secured in the closed position through security connectors 44a through 44d so as to secure the personal bag in the closed position even when the zipper fails as shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
When the pull tabs of the shoulder straps or yoke are tightened, the personal bag is pulled so that it conforms to the individual's back and fits snugly against the individual. When the individual runs, the backpack will be less prone to moving from side to side. This allows the individual to more efficiently maneuver into spaces such as doorways and prevents the center of gravity of the individual from being as altered as it is with a traditional backpack. The inside of the rear portion of the personal bag can contain the hook or loop portion 74 of a hook and loop connector. An accessories strap 76 can be included in the bottom of the inside of the personal bag and secure items such as rolls of tape 78. The accessories strap can have a release member to allow the accessory strap to be pulled apart for replacing the tape.
In one embodiment, the personal bag includes removable containers in the same configuration as in the resupply bag. The personal bag could therefore include airway management removable containers, breathing management removable containers, hemorrhage control and vascular access removable containers. Since the resupply bag and the personal bag can have the same configuration of removable containers and in the event that it is necessary, a first responder can treat an injured individual directly from the resupply bag and the training and experience concerning the location of medical items would be the same since the resupply bag and personal bag would have items located in the same location and configuration.
The front portion of the inside of the personal bag can include closable pockets 80a through 80c of
Referring to
Shears 86 (
Referring to
Referring to
Referring now to
The backpack straps of the resupply kit can include resupply system connectors 110a and 110b that can attach to strap connectors 108a and 108b, respectively. Further, the straps can be carried by the backpack yoke and serve to provide additional support to the backpack yoke when the backpack yoke is attached to the resupply kit. When not in use, the backpack straps can be stowed in resupply storage areas 106a and 106b, respectively.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A first-aid treatment and resupply system comprising:
- a resupply bag having a plurality of resupply bag system connectors;
- a plurality of resupply containers removably attached to the interior of said resupply bag containing medical supplies items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management items, breathing management items, hypothermia prevention items, and any combination thereof;
- a plurality of resupply bag system connectors securing members attached to said resupply bag for stowing said resupply bag system connectors when they are not in use;
- a personal bag having a plurality of personal bag system connectors wherein said personal bag removably attached to said resupply bag using said resupply bag connectors and said personal bag connectors;
- a plurality of personal containers removably attached to the interior of said personal bag containing medical supply items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management items, breathing management items, hypothermia prevention items, and any combination thereof;
- a plurality of personal bag system container securing members attached to said personal bag for stowing said personal bag system container when they are not in use;
- a drop-down mount removably attached to said personal bag and having a leg strap attached to said drop-down mount;
- an immediate response bag removably attached to said drop-down mount containing medical items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management, breathing management, and any combination thereof; and,
- whereas said resupply bag, personal bag, drop-down mount and immediate response are all attached as a system for transportation and are disconnected for deployment and use by responding personnel.
2. The system of claim 1 including:
- a backpack yoke attached to said personal bag having a stowed position and a deployed position;
- a backpack yoke pocket defined in said personal bag for receiving said backpack yoke when it is in said stowed position; and,
- a plurality of yoke connectors carried by said personal bag for securing said backpack yoke to said personal bag when said backpack yoke is in said deployed position.
3. The system of claim 2 including:
- a plurality of yoke connector pockets defined in said personal bag for receiving said yoke connectors when said backpack yoke is in said stowed position.
4. The system of claim 2 including a plurality of backpack yoke reinforcement straps carried by said backpack yoke and removably attached to said personal bag.
5. The system of claim 2 including:
- said backpack yoke is removably attached to said personal bag;
- a personal bag deployed position included in said deployed position wherein said backpack yoke is removably attached to said personal bag; and,
- a resupply bag deployed position included in said deployed position wherein said backpack yoke is removably attached to said resupply bag.
6. The system of claim 1 including:
- a carrying assembly connector attached to said personal bag; and,
- a shoulder strap removably attached to said personal bag.
7. The system of claim 6 including:
- a waist support connector attached to said personal bag; and,
- a waist strap removably attached to said personal bag.
8. The system of claim 6 including:
- a connection and a tightening end included in said shoulder strap;
- molle-type webbing attached to said personal bag; and
- wherein said connection end is attached to said molle-type webbing, and a middle portion of said shoulder strap is connected to said carrying assembly connector; and,
- said shoulder strap is tightened when said tightening end is pulled.
9. The system of claim 1 including:
- a top personal bag system connector attached to the top of said personal bag; and,
- a drop-down mount system connector attached to said drop-down mount so that said personal bag, said drop-down mount and said immediate response bag are connected together as a secondary unit.
10. The system of claim 1 including:
- a top personal bag connector attached to the top of said personal bag; and,
- an immediate response bag system connector attached to said immediate response bag so that said personal bag and said immediate response bag are connected together as a secondary unit.
11. The system of claim 1 including:
- a resupply system connector attached to said resupply bag; and,
- a backpack strap having a lower end attached to said resupply bag and an upper end removably connected to said resupply system connector.
12. The system of claim 11 including a resupply storage area defined in said resupply bag for receiving said backpack strap when said backpack strap is stowed.
13. The system of claim 11 including a backpack yoke removably attached to said resupply system connector and carried by said backpack strap.
14. The system of claim 1 including a hinge incorporated in a back wall of said personal bag so that when said personal bag is worn by an individual, said personal bag conforms to the individual's physical shape.
15. A method of transporting and resupply first-aid items to medical personnel comprising:
- providing a resupply bag having a plurality of containers removably attached to the interior of said resupply bag containing medical supply items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management items, breathing management items, hypothermia prevention items, and any combination thereof;
- attaching a personal bag to said resupply bag having a plurality of personal bag containers containing medical supply items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management items, breathing management items, hypothermia prevention items, and any combination thereof;
- attaching an immediate response bag to said personal bag containing medical items taken from the group consisting of hemorrhage control and vascular items, airway management, breathing management, and any combination thereof;
- transporting said attached resupply, personal and immediate response bag from an assembly location to a deployment location as a connected unit;
- detaching said resupply bag from said personal bag and said immediate response bag;
- stowing said resupply bag for subsequent use; and,
- outfitting medical personnel with said personal bag and said immediate response bag.
16. The method of claim 15 including:
- arranging said resupply bag containers in said resupply bag in a configuration similar to the arrangement of said personal bag containers in said personal bag so that a resupply bag container can be moved from its location in said resupply bag to a corresponding location in said personal bag while maintaining the arrangement of personal bag containers.
17. The method of claim 15 including:
- detaching said personal bag from said immediate response bag;
- deploying a backpack yoke attached to said personal bag allowing the medical personnel to carry said personal bag; and,
- attaching said immediate response bag to the gear of said medical personnel.
18. The method of claim 17 including attaching said immediate response bag to the body armor generally at the medical personnel's chest area.
19. The method of claim 17 including attaching said immediate response bag to a drop-down mount attached to the gear and thigh of the medical personnel.
20. The method of claim 15 including:
- using medical items taken from a personal bag container from said personal bag for treating an injured individual; and,
- removing said personal bag container from its location interior to said personal bag; and,
- replacing said personal bag container with a respective resupply container taken from said resupply bag so that said personal bag container is resupplied after use.
21. The method of claim 15 including:
- using medical items taken from said immediate response bag for treating an injured individual; and,
- replacing said immediate response bag from a second immediate response bag taken from said resupply bag.
22. A first-aid treatment and resupply system comprising:
- a resupply bag having a hemorrhage control and vascular container, airway management container and breathing management container arranged in a predetermined configuration and removably connected to said resupply bag;
- a personal bag having a hemorrhage control and vascular container, an airway management container, and breathing management container arranged in said predetermined configuration removably connected to said personal bag; and,
- an immediate response bag having medical items used for hemorrhage control and airway management removably attached to said personal bag so that said resupply bag, personal bag and immediate response bag can be transported and stored as a system.
23. The system of claim 22 including a drop-down mount carried by said immediate response bag.
24. The system of claim 22 including a backpack yoke removably attached to said resupply bag.
25. The system of claim 24 including a backpack yoke pocket defined in said personal bag for receiving said backpack yoke is at least partially detached from said personal bag and stowed.
26. The system of claim 24 including a plurality of backpack yoke reinforcement straps carried by said backpack yoke and removably attached to said personal bag.
27. The system of claim 22 including:
- backpack straps connected to said resupply bag at a distal end and removably connected to said resupply bag at a proximate end; and,
- resupply storage areas defined in said resupply bag for receiving said backpack straps when said back straps are disconnected at said proximate end when said backpack straps are stowed.
28. The system of claim 22 including an accessory strap carried by said personal bag.
29. The system of claim 22 including:
- a leash port defined in said immediate response bag;
- a scissor leash carried by said immediate response bag having a distal portion carried internal to said immediate response bag and a proximate end projecting through said leash port external to said immediate response bag; and,
30. The system of claim 29 including scissors attached to said proximate end of said scissor leash and carried by said immediate response bag.
31. The system of claim 22 including an internal pocket included in said personal bag containing personal protection medical items.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 14, 2011
Publication Date: Aug 25, 2011
Applicant: North American Rescue, LLC (Greer, SC)
Inventor: Robert Miller (Simpsonville, SC)
Application Number: 13/026,693
International Classification: A45F 4/00 (20060101);