First Aid: Part one
First Aid
This topic is huge. So grab some hot tea. I have spent several hours doing research. What you decide to go with depends on your philosophy. Mine has always been priority/likelihood first, and then mobility. When I prepare, I want to prepare for things that I think are most likely to happen. In addition I want something I can hike with. Portable. Things will be sacrificed in terms of “firepower” for mobility.
Before we get started I want to remind everyone, I’m not a doctor or EMT. This is simply my opinion formed through my research.
Priority:
What will typically kill someone the fastest in a first aid circumstance is choking/airway obstruction/lack of breathing and bleeding.
Most response to choking is physical. There are some tools, but for the most part, if someone is choking you aren’t going to be pulling out a first aid kit. You are going to be doing the Heimlich, CPR, etc…
So the philosophy behind the first aid Kit I’m putting together has four parts:
1. Focuses on stopping blood loss as first priority.
2. Attempts to address other 1st aid areas in a general way
3. Strives to be mobile so someone can carry it on their person.
4. Doesn’t have things that I don’t know how to use.
This isn’t an ideal Kit if you are staying at home without “Rule of Law” for a year or so. This is a smaller kit that can be backpacked and will work for a short term 1st aid solution in a short term emergency without doctor/hospital access. Short term is my first priority because a short term 1st aid situation is more likely than a long term one. I don’t have the money to put together an entire ER center in my house at this time and I don’t have the knowledge to operate it. I do have the money to develop a short term emergency solution.
This entire kit will be around 100 bucks and weigh close to 5 pounds. It is extremely powerful. It is based upon the kit presented by Nut N Fancy (5 part youtube series). After researching several kits, his 140 minute youtube med kit fit my philosophy the best.
If you agree with my philosophy, using this post can save you hours and hours of time.
THE SHOPPING LIST
Here is your shopping list. Most of it is self explanatory – but I make detailed notes on some items. Several of the items can be found at walmart. I will provide links for specific items that are harder to find, and a few other general resource links at the bottom of the second post.
Pouch/Container.
You want something with several divided compartments and around 16x12x10’’ dimensions. Pouches you can see through are the best. Here are some starting points.
Blackhawk Emergency Medical Roll.
A Roll up shower bag can even be used.
FOR BLEEDING: (Brands are opinions only)
5x9 Kendall-brand Abdominal Pad (1)
4x4 in J&J (Johnson and Johnson) -brand Topper Sponges (4)
4x4 in J&J Surgipad thick gauze pads (6)
4x4 in J&J All-Purpose sponges (gauze pads) (6)
3x3 in J&J (or other brand) Gauze Pads (8)
2x2 in J&J (or other brand) Gauze Pads (6)
2 Equate-brand maxi-pads (soaks blood at a fraction of the price of gauze pads)
Kendall-brand 4.5 in x 3 yd gauze roll
Polymem® 4x4 non adhesive bandage
3x8 in Oil Emulsion Adaptec dressing (4)
These are dressings that are soaked in a Vaseline type substance. So when the wound starts to heal, and you have to change the dressing, you won’t have flesh stuck to the dressing when it’s removed. If you don’t have these, soak the dressing in CLEAN water (boiled and then cooled is best) before removing.
10cmx12cm 3m Tegaderm® transparent dressing (4)
6cmx7cm 3m Tegaderm® transparent dressing (8)
Tegaderm is new bandage technology. Think of it as a Goretex for your wounds. It allows vapor to escape – but water cannot penetrate reducing the risk of infection. It will not allow your wounds to scab – so don’t use it more than a couple days if you can help it. Don’t use anything like Neosporin with Tegaderm. You will want to swab adhesion area with Benzoin Tincture to help it stick and stay clean (item later on in the list).
1 roll Nexcare-brand microspore medical tape or J&J paper tape.
Atheletic tape and other tapes don’t breathe. You need tape that breathes.
¼ inch 3M-brand Steri-Strip (4)
1/2 inch 3M-brand Steri-Strip (4)
Steri Strips are a great alternative to stitches. In a worst case scenario, you can use medical tape for the same reason. These strips won’t work if the flesh around the wound isn’t clean and dry. A picture can be seen here.
BandAid-brand (or Nexcare-brand) large bandaids (15)
BandAid-brand (or Nexcare or 3M-brand) large elbow/knee adhesive bandages (5)
2x2 in non-adherent pads (Telfa-style) gauze pads (4)
latex tourniquet
Use this as a very last resort to stop bleeding. Gauze pads, pressure, elevation above the heart, etc… should all be tried extensively before using this tool.
Military compressed triangular OD bandage (1)
A great and diverse tool – one of the main reasons to include it is its ability to be used as a sling.
Mini super glue tubes in baggie
(don’t want superglue all over your kit!) This can be used to patch a wound as well.
TOOLS:
Streamlight Stylus Pro penlight with AAA lithium batteries
A very well reviewed light. Extremely bright. You may need light to clean a wound.
Fiskars general purpose scissors
EMT (public) scissors are wimpy. Medical scissors dull.
Hemostat (1)
Think of these as medical pliers/vice grips. They are crucial for grasping things within a wound, and if worst comes to worst, for stopping blood flow from a vein by clamping it.
Size 11 Scalpels (4)
These are crucial for any cutting you might need to do.
sharp tweezers
You have to have a fine/sharp tip tweezer to clean wounds/shrapnel/splinters.
LaCross-brand Tini-Tweeze tweezers (small, flat bladed)
Sometimes you need some tweezers with more leverage and power than the fine tipped ones. These are cosmetic and only cost a few bucks to add.
Benchmade-brand Rescue 5 cutting tool
An extremely small and light tool that can cut away any clothing, boot, etc… that can no longer be removed because of swelling (or you don’t have the time). A broken ankle can swell up quick –and if you are wearing boots…you will certainly want this tool.
4x6 in plastic zip bags (2),
Used as back up for waterproofing gauzes.
1 Mylar Envelope/bag (1 gallon)
Put your most important “keep dry” stuff in here. Also, cut this up and tape it to a sucking chest wound. Nutnfancy originally had a different Mylar bag. I could no longer find it for sale online.
Wooden cotton swabs (10),
Apply cleaning agents to wounds with these.
Large sewing needle on index card material
Single edge razor blade (1 maybe 2)
The sharper your tool, the less painful and finer the cut. Don’t skimp on something that costs less than a dollar.
Gorilla-brand duct tape wrapped on a part of a plastic card
Hundreds of uses if in a pinch. You can even use some of this on areas that are starting to blister.
Latex gloves (2 pair),
Don’t be cleaning out a bloody wound of a stranger without these. Also, if you tend to be light headed with blood – these help separate you from the job so you can work with your mind instead of your emotions.
Folding magnifying glass,
See if the wound is cleaned out of foreign objects, find splinters, etc…
Container for eye washing
Drug stores have cheap glass ones. A Shot glass works. Just find something small you can hold up to your open eye to rinse it with.
I told you this was long! The next post will be part two. Disinfectants, Pharmacy, and other things you can’t do without. I sincerely hope you are making a shopping list and spending a few hours now so that you can save someone’s life in the future…
…and I hope you enjoyed your tea.
