First Aid: Part Two

I’m going to get right back into the shopping list.

DISINFECTING:  

1/2 oz mini bottle of Povidone-Iodine solution,

30ml BandAid-brand antiseptic wound rinse (others ok too),

PDI-brand 10% Benzoin Tincture swabs in foil package (5),

BD-brand Alcohol Swab (16),   —

other swabs are small and light on alcohol.  You will use these to disinfect all your tools before using them on flesh.  You can also, obviously, use these to help disinfect flesh itself (though it stings). 

PDI-brand Povidone-Iodine prep pad (medium size, 10),

Neosporin NeoToGo spray, (comfort item)

Neosporin-brand antibiotic ointment (1 tube),

4 oz Swift-brand Eye wash,

4 oz Hydrogen Peroxide,

Don’t expose this to sunlight. 

1.5 oz hand sanitizer gel;

OTHER:

Adventure Medical Kits-brand compact Emergency Bivy sack,

A bivy sack is much better than a space age blanket because it retains heat way better.   

6 inch ACE bandage (1)

4 inch ACE bandage (1)

Safety Pins (5)

An alternative to ACE Bandages that someone might want to try is Camo Form - you don’t need clips because its self adhesive. 

moleskin sheets (2)

These are most effective when applied when the blister is first “heating up” – not once the blister is formed.   

Oral thermometer within a protective case,

Cotton balls

CPR MicroShield

Its extremely common that people “reviving” after CPR vomit or cough into the giver of CPR’s mouth.  Get at least one of these.

Flexible finger splint,

Suturing kit (includes syringe and 1% Xylocaine local anesthetic)

Don’t use this type of kit if you haven’t done some research on how to stitch people up.  This is a last resort.  I will dedicate a post to the details of what a suturing kit contains later and online info about it, so don’t worry about this item yet.

PHARMACY:

salt packets in baggie (6),

Get these from McDonalds.  Use for emergency dehydration circumstances.

Extra-Strength Tylenol (lots),

Advil (lots),

Loperamide (lots),

            Diarrhea can kill. 

Benadryl tabs (20),

Large antacid tablets (5),

(pharmacy) heavy duty pain killers (your choice, use with care),

(Pharmacy) antibiotics (10 days worth);

Please note – you use these at your own risk.  I don’t know your allergies…and you don’t know other peoples allergies.  If you are using narcotics, you also don’t know other peoples drug history.  These can be addictive.   I am currently talking with experts to find the best “general purpose” type.  I will post names once I know. 

COMFORT:

If you are having trouble with space/weight - these are the things to be eliminated/traded. 

Chapstick,

GoldBond-brand single use antiseptic wipe,

itch relief cream or Benadryl-brand itch relief stick,

½ oz Clear Eyes-brand eye drops,

10ml transport tube of Burn Free or Medi-Burn relief gel,

            These tubes are great for transporting small amounts of liquids/gels.  Find  them here. 

EXTRA:  These are items to consider, but will likely not fit unless you remove other things - they also go over the 100 dollar mark.

Quick Clot,

            Don’t use this until you have researched it!  There are some big risks that the manufacturers don’t really talk about.

flexible splints (like the one here),

emergency dental kits (something like this, modified to fit your pack),

medic book:  Some free for download.   To buy:  Check out “Where there is no doctor”

Here is a good general medical supply link:  StatMedical

Other items have been linked to google products or can likely be found in a local store (like walmart).  If anyone has specific problems finding something, please message me! 

I think this first aid kit will enable you to deal with most circumstances with the right tools. 

You should feel good and prepared having one.  Enjoy the feeling. 

~ J 

P.S. 

Just for visualization’s sake, I’m going to go through the quick steps of taking care of a wound.  These steps should be verified by your own research.  

Wound: 

Access wound.  (Scissors, etc…)

Stop the bleeding.  (Gloves, Pressure, Elevation, Gauze’s, Blood Sponges, Feminine products ect… - worst case scenario: tourniquet)

Wound cleansing.  Hydrogen Peroxide/Povidine/Band aid wound wash…ect…  Remove foreign objects. (Magnifying glass/tweezers/etc…)

Wound closure if needed.  (Tape/Steri Strips/Suture)

Wound dressed.  Non Adherent down first.  Topper/Sponge.  Tape down.  OR just Tegaderm.

When needed, change dressing.  When you take the dressing off without a Non Adherent…you will rip tissue.  So if you don’t have a Non Adherent or Tegaderm, soak the topping in CLEAN (boiled then cooled) water first to help eliminate tissue damage. 

It helps to visualize different things in your kit in use.  :) 

P.S.S.  Please realize that your first aid kit is yours.  Especially if you know much about first aid - you will probably not agree with some of my choices.  That’s fine.  I would love to hear feedback on what you would include and why.  Please realize the constraint of trying to stay mobile.  It is an important priority for me.  But beyond that - build one!  Something is always better than nothing when it comes to saving lives. 

My next post will be focusing back on the economic side of things.  There have been some amazing resources and developments in the economic world this last week…and you deserve to know about it ASAP.  (That is why I released part two so soon!)   

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 1^st 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 1^st aid solution in a short term emergency without doctor/hospital access. Short term is my first priority because a short term 1^st 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. 

Brigade pouches.  

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.