Emergency Medical Kit

B

Bayd

Joined
Jun 24, 2004
Messages
23
Well.. I just sliced off a piece of my middle finger due to my new folder :p (luckily while at home) which has upped the priority of the fact I have hardly any medical supplies with my outdoors/hunting gear. So anyone have suggestions on either materials that should be included (this is mainly for forests in Oregon) or a quality comerical kit?

I have :

Various assorted bandaids
Insect sting relief pads
alcohol prep pads
Bacitracin Zinz-neomycin sulfate-polymyxin B Sulfate Ointment
Benzalkonium chloride antiseptic towelettes
Clinipad antiseptic toweletts
Burn cream
Antihistamines for hay-fever
Antiseptic wipes
Triple antibiotic ointment
sunscreen
Gauze sponges
Latex gloves
Sissors
Povidone-iodine prep pad
Lip ointment
Some big selfadhesive pad

Its basically some REI trail-lite first aid kit plus this tiny pocket one
 
I'd add -

- Sliver Gripper tweezers
- local anaesthetic creme - i.e. Nupercainal (or any with lidocaine, which is less likely to cause potentially fatal allergic reactions)
- A few maxi pads
- Steri-strips
- duct tape
- scalpel blades (holder optional), get #10 and #11's, one is pointy, one has more belly. Great when you need them for imbedded items (splinters, etc.)
- small trial size hydrogen peroxide
- a medium syringe (no needle req'd) for irrigation use.

That's about all I can think of now.

Oh yeah, forgot to add, take a first aid course, and maybe get a manual or 2. I like Forgey's "Wilderness Medicine". sweet kits for just your terrain.
 
Keep practicing with that knife, ya still got 91/2 more fingers to go. ;)

I'd add:

Ibuprofen/Aspirin
Benedryl
pepto chewables
Imodium AD
------------------
Antacid
Chapstick
Sterile eye pad
A couple of field dressings or Kotex pads
Tweezers
Moleskin
A few hard candies
A few packets of salt
 
Start with the Z-Medica trauma package with Quik Clot and a Cinch Tight compression bandage.

http://www.z-medica.com/

You can get it with a little belt/pack pouch and stuff some other stuff in it for less than forty bucks on Ebay.
 
A roll of paper medical tape, 1 to 2 inches wide.

This is good for everything from repairing a torn tent to keeping your feet and hands from blistering to holding an open wound closed. The principle advantages of paper tape over others are that it is breathable and conforms well to odd shapes. It is great for covering a dressing to keep the grime out, and does not leave a residue of adhesive when changed.

Scott
 
Vaseline to stop chaffing or plugging wounds.

Super Glue (Loctite) for emergency closing. You can use 'surgical' grade which is about 25x more expensive and the only benefit is a better applicator.

Triangular bandage

Diapers (Makes a great compress)

Thin sandwich bags to keep something dry in the short term

Bit of thicker plastic sheet for a possible sucking chest wound.

Have a look at a reputable pharmacology site and get some Rx meds off the Internet, namely Post Op pain killers. Be VERY careful about the dependency these things can create though.

Broad spectrum Anti-biotics (Rx)

A small bottle of quality Scotch :D Hey! You never know!

An inflateable sleeve for fractures, or a means of supporting a fracture between two sticks. inflatable is best.

Glucose tablets

Alka Seltza or other stomach settling meds
 
first, get a good first aid course under your belt.

then, develop a kit based on your perceived needs & level of training.

I would not suggest adding antibiotics or Rx painkillers to the average first aid kit - do you know how to properly use them?

Superglue - may work for small paper cuts, small lacerations - downside when compared to medical grade stuff - it's toxic, produces a fair amount of heat when curing & most importantly (for the average person), has minimal flexibility - doesn't really move well w/ the skin.

Kotex/feminine napkins/etc. - they will work to absorb fluids, but I would suggest spending the extra 20 cents & buying sterile bandages

Peroxide - not good for wounds, better off cleaning w/ clean water (sterile if you have it).

Povidone-Iodine - also not good for open wounds when used at full strength, but works pretty well when diluted to about 10:1 ratio.

Most commonly used meds, all OTC: Benadryl, Tylenol, Advil, Immodium, Zantac - all available as generics, all relatively safe (tylenol & advil , used together at recommended doses have pretty decent pain relieving abilities)

Supplies: Gauze - lots of gauze - maybe 2-4 rolls of sterile gauze, some 4x4s, some ABD pads, various bandaids

ACE-type wrap
Triangular bandages
Butterfly bandages or steri-strips
Vaseline gauze
SAM splint - takes up little space/weight, easy to use

Agree w/ the syringe for irrigating, but, you can use a freezer bag & poke a hole at one corner & use that to direct a water stream

Tape - I prefer 3" cloth tape (I like the 3M brand) - it's stronger than paper, somewhat breathable, holds better, conforms better, etc...


CPR shield/mask/barrier of some type

GLOVES!

basic instruments - forceps (tweezers), trauma shears, scalpel blades. sterile needles

bottle of eye wash - can also be used as wound irrigation

flashlight

mirror

bacitracin ointment

sunscreen

campmor.com sells a house-brand FAK that's pretty good (and about 1/2 the cost of the Adventure Medical Kit it closely resembles), and can be easily tailored to your needs

Good luck!

Sam
 
I'm a beginner in planning these out, but ...

For my own needs, what's most missing from your kit is a more major trauma dressing. The trauma kit that rgkeller suggested seems to be a big step up: Quik Clot, Cinch Tight or Emergency Bandage (I actually like the Emergency bandage), and two gauze bandages (important to wipe away extra blood before application of Quik Clot).

If that's too much -- and I assume it is, since you didn't include any trauma dressings at all except bandaids and those thin self-adhesive pads -- you might just pick yourself up an Emergency Bandage and call it a day for the trauma side. It's very easy to use and can replace many other bandages. Just add some gauze and tape for smaller wounds.

Joe
 
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