Basic Skills Required by a Combat Lifesaver

A combat lifesaver is a soldier who is well-trained in advanced first aid skills. Also, this soldier should have paramedic skills, wilderness first aid skills, and ample knowledge about advanced airway management. A combat medic usually carries a combat lifesaver kit with essential first aid kit supplies to respond to an emergency situation in an effective manner. A combat lifesaver can stock his/her backpack with emergency medical supplies ready to care the injured on the spot. First aid kit supplies generally include a tourniquet, combat gauze, chest seal, homeostatic, nitrile gloves, and nasopharyngeal airway.

A combat lifesaver should posses a combination of skills optimized to respond to emergency medical situations in the battlefield. Wilderness first aid will be required when evacuation of the injured is prevented due to weather, terrain, equipment restrictions, or gunfire. In such situations, the combat lifesaver is expected to give medical care to the injured until help arrives, which could last from several hours to many days.

The basic skills required by a combat medic include CPR, airway management, spinal immobilization, traction splitting, IV therapy (intermediate level), and endotracheal intubation. The advanced level skills are EKG interpretation, advanced airway skills, pediatric life support, and advanced cardiac life support. These lifesavers, with their efficient skills along with effective first aid kits, and combat lifesaver kits, should be able to stabilize the victim's condition till he/she can be taken to a safe place.

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