Field Manual: Medi-Kit

Data Canister 603a ; X-COM Archives
Specialized X-COM equipment
Specialized Battlefield Medical Administration Equipment
Codename: Medi-Kit.

Combat attrition rates are currently catastrophic. It has even begun to become expected of each mission to sustain casualties. Personal Combat Armour, developed from alien alloys, has reduced this rate somewhat, but has produced a new problem. Many soldiers that survive the aliens' weaponry may sustain severe injuries. These have often proved fatal for the soldiers, as they had been unable to recieve proper emergency medical attention in time.

The MediKit is a hopes to reduce casualties. It is a versatile and simple to use piece of equipment which may save many soldiers' lives. Any persons can utilize the MediKit, after basic training, so it reduces the need for specialized Medics on the battlefield. The MediKit contains four primary functions.

The Medikit is able to quickly analize a soldier's life signals, and display it on a large LCD screen located on the front of the apparatus. It will notify the user of severe conditions to an ailed soldier. It can also help determine the locations of wounds fatal to a soldier.

Once the medic has located a wound, the MediKit is equipped to quickly neutralize the fatality of a wound. It contains ten pouches of a chemical designed to treat fatal wounds. This chemical is a non-toxic gelatinous liquid which hardens immediately when in contact with gaseous nitrogen. When spread over an open wound, it will stop the bleeding long enough to transport the injured person(s) to proper medical facilities.

Soldiers may become unconscious during combat. The MediKit contains ten pouches of a powerful stimulant blend that will quickly revive unconscious persons. Revived soldiers may even return to combat, if the field commander deems it acceptable under the conditions. There appears to be no harmful effects of the stimulant at the dosages used; one could take all ten doses with no harmful effects, although this is not recommended. Long-term studies have not yet been conducted on this particular stimulant blend, but it is unlikely that its use would cause permanent harm.

In addition, the MediKit contains ten pouches of fast-acting pain-killers. These work immediately to lessen the pain of combat-sustained injuries, and to help a soldier concentrate more effectively on the situation at hand. Combatants have sometimes reported that the pain-killers have made a solder become more detached from the current battle, producing a higher morale than normal. This is obvious a side-effect from the medication. As with the new stimulants, these pain-killers have not undergone long-term testing.

Although the methods used are highly experimental, the needs of combat have dictated the release of the MediKit. It is hoped that while combat squads are equipped with the MediKit, combat casualties will be greatly reduced. It does not completely obsolete Combat Medics, however, as the MediKit does not replace medical expertise, nor will it help in situations outside the narrow scope of the MediKit's applications.

Addendum (3/16/2001) 603b: Autopsies on recovered alien bodies have revealed parallels between alien and human physiology. As yet, we do not know what this implies, but it appears that the functions of a medi-kit can be applied to live aliens without apparant harmful effects (to the alien.) It is an unlikely aspect, but still possible under commander's discretion. Such situations that may warrant this unorthadox use may be if a captured high-ranking alien officers have suffered fatal wounds and will not make it to the base for interrogation.

- Alitorious on StrategyCore Data Canisters, pasted by JellyfishGreen

See also http://www.hemcon.com/home.html