UK Forces get issued it when entering either of the current theatres of Operation; they also recieve training on its use
What does a decent first aid kit really need ?
- Thread starter Toddy
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UK Forces get issued it when entering either of the current theatres of Operation; they also recieve training on its use
I have a couple of confusions from Ray Mears's recommendations from Essential Bushcraft.
Not Savlon then? I know people have opinions here, so what is a good topical antiseptic?
What would the green cannula bit be all about?
Not Savlon then? I know people have opinions here, so what is a good topical antiseptic?
Green is 18g, but not sure why he mentions it. A canular is invasive and certainly not first aid. It must never be used by someone who has not been trained to use one.
I'd avoid Savlon. Can be a bit nasty. Tisept is very good. If you are doing stuff in the UK though, there should not really be a need to use antiseptic, as you should never be that far away from help. Personally I'd rather people avoided putting stuff in wounds unless they really have to (read that as they have proper training and they are days from help) as it can often cause more problems then it solves. Lots of clean water or saline is the way forward.
Alex
Depends how long you want to wait for it. Steripods cost tens of pence and are also squirtable.
You can just use sterile water to irrigate, saline is great, but its not the end of the world if you don't have it to hand.
H
He' s left the building
Guest
Guys, can I suggest that you don't get hung-up about cleaning wounds.
This thread is about sticking an axe into the back of your hand, it will be squirting claret and stopping this blood loss is the aim of the game.
As Alex has advised, clean minor wounds with saline/tisept solution, don't bother with large wounds as they are self-cleaning and you would need immediate medical treatment anyways (which would involve debridement and cleaning by qualified medical staff in a medical facility).
Advice for remote areas is outside the remit of this thread/forum, as expeditions to truly remote areas are supported as part of their medical plan.
Boop's top tips:
#1. Avoid sticking axes into any part of your anatomy.
#2. Carry a big dressing if you can't avoid Point # 1
This thread is about sticking an axe into the back of your hand, it will be squirting claret and stopping this blood loss is the aim of the game.
As Alex has advised, clean minor wounds with saline/tisept solution, don't bother with large wounds as they are self-cleaning and you would need immediate medical treatment anyways (which would involve debridement and cleaning by qualified medical staff in a medical facility).
Advice for remote areas is outside the remit of this thread/forum, as expeditions to truly remote areas are supported as part of their medical plan.
Boop's top tips:
#1. Avoid sticking axes into any part of your anatomy.
#2. Carry a big dressing if you can't avoid Point # 1
True field First Aid....
forestwalker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
There is also the issue that while it breaks down (as it does in the body) it releases formaldehyde. The medical preparations (2-ocyl cyanoacrylate IIRC) have a longer carbon chain, and will therefore break down slower, generting lower tissue concentrations of formaldehyde.
Just bumping this excellent thread.
My First aid kit is my Insurance policy , I really don't want to 'claim' on it , but i know i need the best one i can afford.
Can i ask a question of the Directly mediacally trained guys , now that some more time and i guess field reports have circulated , what are the current views on CELOX?? for addressing deep T**** arterial bleeds??
My First aid kit is my Insurance policy , I really don't want to 'claim' on it , but i know i need the best one i can afford.
Can i ask a question of the Directly mediacally trained guys , now that some more time and i guess field reports have circulated , what are the current views on CELOX?? for addressing deep T**** arterial bleeds??
CELOX is now carried by some ambulance services and I have heard very good reports. Never used it in anger myself, but I have spoken to those who have and they say very good stuff. Still a bit expensive if you have to buy it yourself, but cheaper then death or HemCon!
Hope this helps
Hope this helps
So, basically
Big holes= stop the claret (with a pad not a cord), get the professionals out
Small holes= stop the claret, clean and cover
Extra joints in the limbs= Immoblise and get the Pros out
Burns= cool and cover (I was told its a get the Pros job if they're palm-sized or bigger...is that right?)
Blisters(friction)= pad (don't burst), dress if/when they burst
KO=Pro job
Don't put anything in any holes (no glue, cream or other stuff) as it makes the Pros job harder
That about it?
So, a good to decent kit should have:-
Phone
Torch
Mirror
Gloves and/or hand cleaner
Big pad (or two)
Small pads
Bandages (Field dressings are pad and bandage)
Tri- bandage (or two)
Plasters, Tape(micropore,surgical or whatever)
Cotton wool
Saline (I'm assuming the sterile squeezy things)
Sissors (which are not used for anything else)
Basic tablets (painkillers, anti-his and something for the trots)
Tick remover (I'm a fan of the lttle crowbar like hooks, no moving parts, cost pence and weigh nowt)
Anything that you need (epi-pen, prescribed meds, etc)
That sort of it?
BTW, if you're out on the moors or somewhere like, would a smoker be any use to make you easier to spot (assuming that Heli-extraction is likely)
Big holes= stop the claret (with a pad not a cord), get the professionals out
Small holes= stop the claret, clean and cover
Extra joints in the limbs= Immoblise and get the Pros out
Burns= cool and cover (I was told its a get the Pros job if they're palm-sized or bigger...is that right?)
Blisters(friction)= pad (don't burst), dress if/when they burst
KO=Pro job
Don't put anything in any holes (no glue, cream or other stuff) as it makes the Pros job harder
That about it?
So, a good to decent kit should have:-
Phone
Torch
Mirror
Gloves and/or hand cleaner
Big pad (or two)
Small pads
Bandages (Field dressings are pad and bandage)
Tri- bandage (or two)
Plasters, Tape(micropore,surgical or whatever)
Cotton wool
Saline (I'm assuming the sterile squeezy things)
Sissors (which are not used for anything else)
Basic tablets (painkillers, anti-his and something for the trots)
Tick remover (I'm a fan of the lttle crowbar like hooks, no moving parts, cost pence and weigh nowt)
Anything that you need (epi-pen, prescribed meds, etc)
That sort of it?
BTW, if you're out on the moors or somewhere like, would a smoker be any use to make you easier to spot (assuming that Heli-extraction is likely)
The green canula he attatches to the syringe to use as kind of a squirt gun to irrigate wounds, an alternative to steripods.
The betadine (no longer available in the uk, search for videne) is just 10% povidone iodine, can be mixed 8-16 drops per litre for purifying drinking water or mix it 10ml (approx 200 drops, or quite possibly the whole bottle!) to 1litre of water for wound irrigation.
An alternative and more compact option to mixing up one litre is to carry a few rolled up zip lock bags that each hold 200ml; fill each with water, add 40 drops of povidone iodine, wait for the contact time then puncture a hole in the corner of the bag with a knife or safety pin and squeeze the bag to expel the liquid under pressure at the wound site.
Just going back to the blisters, I think the general rule and what people have done FOR THEMSELVES AND FOUND IT WORKS FOR THEM should be understood by all. If you want the text book answer then it is packing around with a ring bandage or moleskin, etc etc. Personally, I put a stitch through large blisters. I haven't had one for a long time, but when I was a yoof in training, I got a large blister on my heel and the Doc put a stitch through the blister from one edge to the other and then placed a sterile dressing over it. A piece of tubagrip held the lot in place so it didn't ruck up in my boot and create further problems.
The piece of thread left running through the blister acted as a sort of wick, and this helped the fluid to be released from the blister. The dressing soaked that fluid up and also added an element of comfort and I was told to pull the thread through just a millimetre or so a few times a day so that it didn't get stuck and if the wound got a little sore to remove the thread. When I removed the thread, I continued dressing it and within a few days the skin had reattached itself and it was as if I had never had a blister.
Now, this is how I deal with my own blisters. I use a needle and thread that I sterilise in boiling water. It is my foot at the end of the day and I will deal with the consequences of treating my own blisters in this way, although I have never had a problem yet. These days, I'd slap a load of iodine on it to boot! If a blister is all that stands in the way of me completing a fun weekend out, then I'l dress it and move on. Bear in mind that this is for friction blisters only, a burn would be treated with a damp sterile dressing and off to hospital.
The piece of thread left running through the blister acted as a sort of wick, and this helped the fluid to be released from the blister. The dressing soaked that fluid up and also added an element of comfort and I was told to pull the thread through just a millimetre or so a few times a day so that it didn't get stuck and if the wound got a little sore to remove the thread. When I removed the thread, I continued dressing it and within a few days the skin had reattached itself and it was as if I had never had a blister.
Now, this is how I deal with my own blisters. I use a needle and thread that I sterilise in boiling water. It is my foot at the end of the day and I will deal with the consequences of treating my own blisters in this way, although I have never had a problem yet. These days, I'd slap a load of iodine on it to boot! If a blister is all that stands in the way of me completing a fun weekend out, then I'l dress it and move on. Bear in mind that this is for friction blisters only, a burn would be treated with a damp sterile dressing and off to hospital.
My first aid kit contains:
- First Aid aide memoire
- Tweezers
- Scissors
- Toe nail scissors (pliers-style)
- Small packet of tissues
- Bottle antibacterial handgel (50ml)
- Sun cream
- Insect repellent
- Mycil foot powder
- Vaseline (49g)
- Painkillers
- Imodium
- Army field dressing (2)
- Compeed medium blister plasters (8)
- Gauze dressing (90cm x 3m)
- Zinc Oxide plaster tape (2.5cm x 8m)
- Dressing strip (6cm x 1m)
- Assorted plasters
- Pack finger bandages (6)
- Masterplast antiseptic wipes (4)
- Tube Daktarin athlete's foot cream (30g)
- Tube Germolene antiseptic cream (30g)
- Eye drops (10ml)
- Assorted safety pins (6)
- Latex gloves (10 pairs)
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