What to put in a first aid kit?

[Graveworm]

Generally the best way stop yourself from getting Tetanus is by being vaccinated and keeping it up to date. No need to carry anything with you; unless you also carry a fridge it won't be much good. As for stitching a dirty puncture wound in the field, I can't think of any reason to do that. A phone battery lasts for months if you don't switch the phone on and if you go places with no phone signal then a Sat phone and or PLB (5 year battery life) are much more essential than 30 suppositories. There are crank and solar chargers as well.
Loving the person who told you you need multiple bottles of Ipecac to go with your active charcoal (Tablets). If you know enough about poisons to identify them and know which treatment(s) and dose(s) to take, and the rare occasions where you might use Ipecac; then you probably know not to take them in the first place.

 

[omass]

GOOD IDEA! I will get a small mini-fridge which runs on batterys! I'm not sure if they exist but I will look for them. Oh if anyone has them please do notify me!
Stop telling me to get Medical Training...or I will shove some Soviet Medical Candles up your ****. Oh and about those candles. If you hadn't figured out that by saying "Soviet"
I mean they were made in 1986 in the Soviet Union and That Soviet is the producer then tell me so I can have a laugh for a month
Oh and about the quantities-I like having alot of stuff. I am like a Hamster always stashing things (behind my cheeks xD) I tend to use things up (except the medical candles which I don't like shoving up my friends ****).
Thanks for telling me about you med kit Neboviski. I will get an eye patch!
Oh and graveworm I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for telling me to get a mini-fridge! I might get one of those big batteries, you know-the ones that power lanterns.

Thx! I will keep you updated to what I add!

 

[santaman2000]

GOOD IDEA! I will get a small mini-fridge which runs on batterys! I'm not sure if they exist but I will look for them. Oh if anyone has them please do notify me....

Here you go: www.nextag.com/portable-car-refrigerator

 

[21st century pict]

I have 2 first aid kits, one ultra light weight kit containing 1x 25g pack of Celox Haemostatic Granules one 4” trauma bandage 1x 300g aspirin 1 plaster x2 antihistamine and some paracetamol.
The other kit is far more comprehensive which I carry it when out camping with others.
Well the other day some guy that was recently in a RTA and just had brain surgery only 4 weeks previously had a fit, passed out, fell back, and smacked his head on the road which sounded F#####g hellish "very frightning", split the back of his head open on the tarmac, totally out cold, I was only feet away and there in no time and already there was what seemed like masses of blood pouring out under his head, the largest bandage I had was a triangular bandage which was swamped in seconds and instantly had to moved on to a beer towels, he was lying in the rain so only other thing that was of any use in the First aid kit was the space blanket .He regained concusses about 3 or 4 minutes later he kept complaining about a pain across his chest and only used his left arm to point at his chest and right shoulder, nothing I could do there, so the only other thing I could do for him was to keep reassuring him till the ambulance turned up 22min later, I was still trying to holding his head as still as possible and keep some pressure on the bandages on the back of this head and not wanting to frighten him further whispered to the paramedics that he may have dislocated his right shoulder or broken collar bone when he fell as I hadn’t seen him used his right arm .

The first Aid Kit helped for sure but the first aid course I get every year ( same course as MADGAZ )Get the Soviet Candles ready :aargh4: Training is infinitely better, otherwise I would have been way out of my depth.
Different circumstances require different stuff but the small first aid kit with the 4” bandage would have been of more help.

 

[woof]

After cutting myself(yet again) i've just been out & got some steri strips. You know that feeling when that big glob of dark red blood comes out, & you never even felt the cut.. Damn that Bernie Garland for making such sharpe knives..

Rob

 

[rik_uk3]

GOOD IDEA! I will get a small mini-fridge which runs on batterys! I'm not sure if they exist but I will look for them. Oh if anyone has them please do notify me!
Stop telling me to get Medical Training...or I will shove some Soviet Medical Candles up your ****. Oh and about those candles. If you hadn't figured out that by saying "Soviet"
I mean they were made in 1986 in the Soviet Union and That Soviet is the producer then tell me so I can have a laugh for a month
Oh and about the quantities-I like having alot of stuff. I am like a Hamster always stashing things (behind my cheeks xD) I tend to use things up (except the medical candles which I don't like shoving up my friends ****).
Thanks for telling me about you med kit Neboviski. I will get an eye patch!
Oh and graveworm I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for telling me to get a mini-fridge! I might get one of those big batteries, you know-the ones that power lanterns.

Thx! I will keep you updated to what I add!

Get some training, you have no idea what your doing at the moment which is reflected in what you carry and have said

 

[JohnC]

http://www.etcsterilization.com/sterilizer-products/m-138-field-sterilizers

You may consider one of the above, if you are considering fridges etc in a first aid kit. There is a huge amount on that first list. Keep that in the bunker and take a smaller kit as outlined in the other posts.

Also ipecac isnt recommended for poisoning anymore, and it didnt do much when it was.

 

[Toddy]

Omass, do you know the phrase, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing ?"


You seem to be prepared to spend money on surplus medical equipment but miss the most vital part of that perparation.
If the courses for wilderness first aid and assistance are outwith your budget then maybe actually listen to folks when they honestly are giving you good advice.

You should have had the course of tetanus injections *before* you went. It's a better preventative than taken after possible infection. That way the body builds up it's own defence to the infection.

A little mirror would be more use than a stethescope; not only would it steam up with the slightest breath of the living, but it'd let you see the stick in your own eye too, besides it can act as a signalling device if necessary.

There are some truly excellent wilderness medicine books, but one I would recommend is 'Where there is no Doctor' by David Werner, et al.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_There_Is_No_Doctor

Parts of the book can be downloaded free of charge and are well worth absorbing.
It'll cover stuff you'll never likely need, but there's a lot that might be of interest to even someone like yourself.

Toddy

 

[bilmo-p5]

... but it'd let you see the stick in your own eye too, ...

Nice one, M.

 

[Dartmoor navigator]

Hmmmmm

​

 

[rik_uk3]

Same thought has crossed my mind.

 

[MattB]

There is legislation from the HSE dictating what the minimum requirements are for a FA kit in the work place if it is work orientated.

I have been a first aid instructor / assessor for over 10 years - I wouldn't know what the hell to do with a stethoscope! I have dealt with quite a few 'issues' on the hill - more than most folk I would imagine, it's just like bushcraft IMHO; the knowledge and abilty that you carry outweighs much of what is in your medical kit - what first aid training have you had?


If I had:

Small and medium bandage
Triangular bandage
Roll of insulation tape
Elastoplast

Pretty much agreed (although I'd change the insulation tape for actual bandage tape, and add a pair of scissors and a pair of tweezers).

Add some blister care stuff and a few over the counter medicines (ibuprofen, anti-histamines, etc) and you're away.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Tweezers are an interesting inclusion.

On a recent First Aid course, they were discussed, saying -"... the removal of items from the skin (despite them being foreign to the body itself) is classed as a surgical procedure, therefore not to be attempted by those not sufficiently qualified."

You can of course offer the tweezers to the patient for them to do with as they please - but if you were to cause more damage to the patient, you could be held culpable.

Ogri the trog

 

[xylaria]

tweezers the pointy ones not the blunt ones and tick remover go my first aid kit. Somethings I wouldn't feel comfy leaving in situ. I would be quite grumped off if a someone esle wouldnt remove a tick out say the small of my back, there is more risk from leaving the tick in out of fear, that stuffing up and a leg breaks off. The common sence rule " would you trust your mother to do this! " should cover what normal people should have in a first aid kit, and what unqualified people should attempt to treat. I know some people really lack common sence. But as a rule mothers can;
Put plasters on
Put an arm in sling
Pull a splinter out
make some concotion for colds and other regular ills that are treated at home
give you a painkiller if needed
give a hug if needed
give you a slap if needed
ring an ambulance
sit in A&E for a 18 hours waiting

They dont
do surgery
do injections
do stitches

 

[Itzal]

Lets see some pictures of your med kits guys.

 

[rik_uk3]

Lets shut this troll thread down.

 

[Toddy]

t...............
But as a rule mothers can;
Put plasters on
Put an arm in sling
Pull a splinter out
make some concotion for colds and other regular ills that are treated at home
give you a painkiller if needed
give a hug if needed
give you a slap if needed
ring an ambulance
sit in A&E for a 18 hours waiting

They dont
do surgery
do injections
do stitches

Brilliant reply
atb,
M

 

[Al North]

Basic first aid skills are lifesavers. As an associate of mine says - "It is better to spend your time getting good at the basic skills rather than ending up poor at the advanced stuff". Shiny Kit Syndrome is dangerous in First Aid. Learn how to deal with the common (boring) stuff well because thats what happens commonly! Looking at the list of kit the OP gives I would suggest there is a lack of understanding in some key areas although I would expect first aid techniques to be different for trolls.........................

 

[Graveworm]

Basic first aid skills are lifesavers. As an associate of mine says - "It is better to spend your time getting good at the basic skills rather than ending up poor at the advanced stuff". Shiny Kit Syndrome is dangerous in First Aid. Learn how to deal with the common (boring) stuff well because thats what happens commonly! Looking at the list of kit the OP gives I would suggest there is a lack of understanding in some key areas although I would expect first aid techniques to be different for trolls.........................

Great first post :welcome1: I couldn't agree more. Always better to send 5 people on a one day course than one person on a 5 day course.

 

[cbr6fs]

Lets see some pictures of your med kits guys.

As requested.

Here is what i usually carry when hiking/camping

Top left clockwise.
Recover Ice compression and cooling wrap
Reliburn burn treatnent
Sol emergency blanket
Resuscitation face shield
First aid kit
Israeli type compression bandage

I'll really only throw in the Israeli bandage if i plan on using sharps.

Inside the FAK i have

Gorilla tape in 2 sizes
Surgical tape
Tick remover
Tweezers
Tablets are: Nurofen, Immodium, Paracetamol, (usually have a few soluble aspirin as well)
Eye cleaner (always can be used to clean wounds)
Various bandages, wipes etc
In the sealed bag i have various plasters and Compeed blister treatment plasters.
Paracord
Scissors

If anyone is interested in weights

In a separate pocket i have 2 x lighters, 2 x whistles, torch.




Cheers
Mark