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Chosen by a flight paramedic

Two emergencies. Minutes to act. Two tools.

Choking and severe bleeding can both take a life before the ambulance arrives. You can keep the tool for each one in your kitchen drawer, and both ship from Amazon.

No account neededOrder on AmazonSkill first, tool second
Picture this

Saturday. The garage. A slip of the saw.

Your husband is building shelves. You hear the saw stop too early, then your name — not the way he usually says it.

There's more blood than you've ever seen. You call 911. Out here, the ambulance is a long way off.

You press down with both hands. It keeps coming.

Choking and bleeding are the two emergencies where what's in the drawer decides the next four minutes.

Walter Dusseldorp, flight paramedic
"I've been the crew that arrives. By the time we land, the most important minutes have usually already happened — with whoever was in the room. I want that person to have what they need."
Walter Dusseldorp, flight paramedic · founder, MedicPathPioneers
5,553

Americans died from choking in 2022 — the 4th leading cause of unintentional injury death.

National Safety Council [1]
Minutes

is all it can take to bleed to death from a severe injury without someone stepping in.

American College of Surgeons [2]
2026

LifeVac became the first FDA-authorized suction anti-choking device, as a backup after standard first aid.

FDA De Novo DEN250012 [3]
Choking
FDA-authorized 2026 [3]

LifeVac Home Kit

Why it exists

Inventor Arthur Lih heard about a young boy who choked on a grape; standard first aid was tried and failed. He spent a year building a prototype and launched LifeVac in 2014. The company reports more than 6,000 lives saved since [4].

Do this first

Call 911. Give 5 firm back blows, then 5 abdominal thrusts, and keep alternating. If that fails, LifeVac is the next step.

  • Non-powered suction: place the mask, push, pull
  • Adult and pediatric masks, plus a practice mask
  • Can be used on yourself if you're alone

Authorized for adults and children over age 1, after standard choking first aid has failed. It does not replace back blows and abdominal thrusts.

Get LifeVac on Amazon
LifeVac Home Kit · check today's price on Amazon
Severe bleeding
HSA/FSA-eligible

My Medic Bleed Stopper

Why it exists

My Medic was started by a family whose father bled to death at a highway crash scene. The witness who stopped had no tools and no training. They set out to put both into as many hands as possible [5].

Do this first

Call 911. Press hard with both hands. Pack a deep wound tightly with gauze. On an arm or leg that won't stop, apply the tourniquet above the wound.

  • RATS tourniquet, compressed gauze and a hemostatic dressing
  • Pressure bandage, shears and gloves in one 9-ounce pouch
  • Small enough for the kitchen drawer, the shop or the truck

Pair it with a Stop the Bleed class: pressure, pack, tourniquet.

Get the Bleed Stopper on Amazon
My Medic Bleed Stopper · check today's price on Amazon
The pair

One drawer. Both covered.

Each button opens that product on Amazon. Add both to your cart and check out once.

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Cardiac arrest

Home AED

Most cardiac arrests outside the hospital happen at home. An AED talks you through every step. Start with a CPR class.

Find a CPR class
Overdose

Naloxone (Narcan)

If anyone at home takes prescription opioids, keep it. Sold over the counter and often free from your health department.

Find naloxone near you

Straight answers

Does LifeVac replace back blows and abdominal thrusts?
No. The FDA authorized it as a second-line device, for adults and children over age 1, after standard choking first aid has been tried and hasn't worked.
I've never used a tourniquet. Should I still buy one?
Yes, and take a Stop the Bleed class. The steps are simple: call 911, press hard, pack the wound, and apply a tourniquet above the wound on an arm or leg that won't stop.
Where should I keep them?
LifeVac in the kitchen, where most choking happens. A bleeding kit in the kitchen, plus one in the garage or shop and one in the car if you can.
LifeVacon Amazon Bleed Stopperon Amazon