One seal covers one hole. A chest wound that goes through leaves two — carry at least two seals, and watch the breathing after every one.
At a glance
12 things to know about the HyFin Vent
How the vent works, where the TCCC Guidelines put it, and what the swine studies found for the HyFin and its competitors.
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01
One seal per pouch — plan for two holes
This is the single-seal HyFin Vent, in a compact, rugged foil pouch with Red-Tip Technology® tear notches.3 A wound that goes through the chest leaves an entry and an exit, so a kit needs at least two seals — two of these, or the HyFin Vent Twin Pack, which carries the same seal two to a pack.3
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02
How the vent works
The vent is not a valve. There is no adhesive over a central area above the wound or along channels that run to the edge of the seal: when pressure in the chest rises, air and blood move out along the channels; when the casualty breathes in, the film collapses against the skin and blocks air from entering.3,7
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03
Three channels, one fail-safe
North American Rescue designs the three channels so that blood can escape as well as air, and states the vent is designed to stay fully operational even if two of the three channels become obstructed.3
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04
Vented first — non-vented if that is all you have
The TCCC Guidelines direct that every open or sucking chest wound gets a vented chest seal immediately; if no vented seal is available, a non-vented seal is used, and the casualty is monitored for a developing tension pneumothorax.1 The vented-first wording entered the Guidelines in 2013.8 Practice lagged: in a 2013–2014 Afghanistan registry, most chest seals placed were still non-vented.14
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05
Why vented — the swine data
In 8 pigs with an open chest wound and air added to the chest to mimic a leaking lung, both a vented and an unvented seal restored breathing at first; as air kept building, the unvented seal led to tension pneumothorax in every animal at about 1.4 L, while the vented seal held up to 2 L. That study used the Bolin (vented) and HALO (unvented) seals.9
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06
The HyFin Vent in head-to-head tests
In 24 pigs, the HyFin, SAM and Sentinel vented seals (8 each) all evacuated air and blood, and no animal developed hemodynamic compromise with a seal in place.10 In a harder model — a bleeding chest wound in 26 pigs — the HyFin succeeded in 4 of 6 applications, against 6 of 6 for Sentinel and Russell, 1 of 4 for SAM and 0 of 4 for Bolin.12
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07
Channels beat one-way valves when the wound bleeds
In that bleeding-wound study, seals with laminar venting channels — HyFin, Sentinel, Russell — let blood and air out; seals with one-way valves either clogged with clot or were pushed off the skin by pooled blood.12 A 2021 systematic review of six quantitative studies reached a consensus recommendation for the HyFin Vent and the Russell seal, while noting how thin the evidence is.13
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08
Adhesion — what was measured
North American Rescue formulates the hydrogel adhesive for skin covered in blood, sweat, body hair or dirt.3 On live swine skin soiled with contaminants, the HyFin was one of five vented seals with comparable adherence at room temperature, and it kept that adherence after about 17 hours stored at −19.5 °C or 71.5 °C.11 Wiping the skin first still matters — that is what the gauze pad in the pouch is for.3,4
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09
A vent lowers the risk — it does not remove it
Any chest seal can fail: blood can pool under it, an edge can lift, a channel can clog.12 The Guidelines call for monitoring after every seal; increasing hypoxia, respiratory distress or falling blood pressure means burping or removing the dressing, or needle decompression by a trained provider.1
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10
The red tab does two jobs
The large red tab peels the backing in one step, and it is the handle you lift to burp the seal — open one edge, let trapped air out, press it back down.3,4 The transparent film lets you center the seal over the hole and see the wound under it.3
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11
Registration and supply data
The FDA lists the HyFin Vent as an occlusive wound dressing (product code NAD) — FDA-registered, Class I (510(k)-exempt) — labeled single use, not made with natural rubber latex, with a lot number and an expiration date on the label.5 The individual seal carries NSN 6510-01-624-0840, issued each.6
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12
Civilian use is a real debate
The National Association of EMS Physicians says EMS clinicians may consider a vented chest seal for an open chest wound in a casualty who is breathing on their own — and that in a casualty receiving positive-pressure ventilation, chest seals may be harmful and are not recommended.15 Know which situation you are in.
How to apply the HyFin Vent
The sequence from the TCCC Guidelines and North American Rescue's demonstration, in order.
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1Bleeding first. Massive bleeding comes before the chest — tourniquet or packing first, then the open chest wound.1 Never pack a wound in the chest or abdomen.
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2Find every hole. Expose the chest and look front, sides and up into the armpits, then roll the casualty and check the back — exit wounds are easy to miss.4 Cover the hole with a gloved hand while you tear the pouch open at the red notch.
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3Wipe the skin. Use the gauze pad from the pouch to wipe blood, sweat and debris from around the wound so the adhesive can grip.3,4 The seal goes on bare skin, never over clothing.
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4Peel and place. Pull the red tab to peel off the backing, center the seal over the hole and press it down firmly all the way around.3,4
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5Seal the second hole. Open a second seal and cover the exit wound or any other hole in the chest wall the same way.4
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6Position the casualty. A conscious casualty can sit up or take whatever position makes breathing easiest; an unconscious casualty who is breathing goes in the recovery position.1
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7Watch the breathing. If breathing gets harder, oxygen saturation falls or shock develops, suspect tension pneumothorax: burp the seal by lifting an edge with the red tab, or remove it. Trained providers then decompress the chest as the Guidelines direct.1,4
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8Evacuate and keep checking. A penetrating chest wound can hide internal bleeding — move the casualty toward care early and keep reassessing the seal and the breathing.4
Where it fits
- Open or sucking chest wounds — gunshot, stab or fragment wounds through the chest wall1
- Building a kit to an exact seal count, or replacing one used seal without opening a twin pack
- Holes in the back and sides of the chest, found by rolling the casualty and checking the armpits4
- A casualty breathing on their own — the setting the NAEMSP statement addresses15
- Packing — never pack a wound in the chest or abdomen; the seal goes over the hole
- Treating a tension pneumothorax — burping, removal or needle decompression does that1
- Clothing, or skin still wet with blood and sweat — wipe first, apply to bare skin
- Casualties on positive-pressure ventilation — NAEMSP advises chest seals may be harmful there15
- A kit with only one seal — through-and-through wounds need two
The evidence
Every study cited above, the seals it actually tested, and how strong the evidence is.
| Study | Evidence type | What was studied | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schauer et al., J Spec Oper Med 2017 | Human · combat registry | 62 casualties with gunshot or puncture wounds to the chest, Afghanistan, 2013–2014 | 74.2% received a chest seal; most seals placed were not vented, despite the 2013 guideline change |
| Kheirabadi et al., J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2013 | Animal · swine | Bolin (vented) vs HALO (unvented) on an open chest wound, 8 pigs, serial air injections into the chest | Both restored breathing; unvented seal led to tension pneumothorax in all pigs at about 1.4 L; vented seal held to 2 L |
| Kotora et al., J Emerg Med 2013 | Animal · swine | HyFin vs SAM vs Sentinel vented seals, 8 pigs each, communicating pneumothorax with air and blood challenges | All three evacuated air and blood; no hemodynamic compromise with any seal in place |
| Arnaud et al., Injury 2016 | Animal · swine skin adhesion | Vented seals on soiled live swine skin; five down-selected (Bolin, Russell, Fast Breathe, HyFin, SAM), then stored ~17 h at −19.5 °C and 71.5 °C | Comparable adherence at room temperature; HyFin, Russell, Fast Breathe and SAM held after extreme storage, Bolin did not |
| Kheirabadi et al., J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2017 | Animal · swine | Five vented seals on a bleeding chest wound (hemopneumothorax), 26 pigs | Success: Sentinel 6/6, Russell 6/6, HyFin 4/6, SAM 1/4, Bolin 0/4 (p = 0.002); one-way valves clogged or detached |
| Paquette et al., J Spec Oper Med 2021 | Expert review · systematic | Systematic review of quantitative chest seal studies, 1990–2020 (6 included) | Consensus recommendation for the HyFin Vent and Russell seals; evidence on individual devices is limited |
| Lyng et al., Prehosp Emerg Care 2024 | Expert review · NAEMSP position | Structured review and position statement on EMS care of traumatic pneumothorax | May consider a vented seal in spontaneously breathing patients; seals may be harmful with positive-pressure ventilation |
| Butler et al., J Spec Oper Med 2013 | Expert review · guideline change | TCCC Guidelines Change 13-02, management of open pneumothorax | Vented chest seal first; non-vented if no vented seal is available; monitor and burp, remove or decompress |
Strongest to weakest: human data, then animal studies, then expert review. The product-specific data on the HyFin Vent come from swine studies; no human trial has compared chest seal brands.
How it compares
The HyFin family side by side — the same three-channel vent in three formats, and the non-vented seal.
| HyFin® Vent — Individual | HyFin® Vent Twin Pack | HyFin® Vent Compact Twin | HyFin® (non-vented) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seals per pack | 1 | 2, each in its own foil pouch | 2, each in its own foil pouch | 1 |
| Seal size (excluding tab) | 6 × 6 in. | 6 × 6 in. | 4.75 × 4.75 in. | 6 × 6 in. |
| Vent | 3 laminar channels | 3 laminar channels | 3 channels | None — fully occlusive |
| Packaged | 4.625 × 7.5 × 0.1 in. | 7.5 × 4.5 × 0.25 in. folded | 3.875 × 6.6 × 0.13 in. | 4.625 × 7.5 × 0.1 in. |
| Weight | 1.37 oz | 2.5 oz | 1.55 oz | 1.44 oz |
| NAR item · NSN | 10-0029 · 6510-01-624-0840 | 10-0037 · 6510-01-642-6212 | 10-0042 · 6510-01-682-2091 | 10-0015 · 6510-01-532-8019 |
| TCCC position | First choice — vented | First choice — vented | First choice — vented | When no vented seal is available |
All dimensions, weights, item numbers and NSNs from North American Rescue.3 The TCCC position row reflects the Guidelines' Respiration/Breathing section.1
Build the system
The twin-pack format, the non-vented HyFin, the other three jobs in the kit — tourniquet, packing gauze, pressure dressing — and a trainer.
Questions buyers ask
Package & specifications
Specifications coming soon. Contact us for detailed product information.
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