First Aid kits suck

[dzzz]

A recent first aid discussion got me thinking about how much even large, expensive pre-made kits suck. I suppose it's a combination of needing to be very general, and keeping costs low.

Maybe first responder kits are better, but these are also different than what I need.
I'm thinking in particular about kits for larger vehicles on longer trips away from convenient support. The reality of 99% of bush first aid is comfort, preventing a small problem from becoming big, and handling problems without needing to travel for help.

What I find missing is:
-Lots of bandages and wraps - The whole bandaging and wrapping supplies are woefully deficient. There's a big difference in the comfort of a well wrapped wound and bandaging that is improvised and just enough.
-Narcotic painkiller and general purpose antibiotic. Obviously not part of a purchased kit, but I've always been able to carry both in prescription bottles. My dentist tells me that an antibiotic course will handle tooth pain from infection for about two weeks. Much better option than finding a dentist on a Sunday night in Nigeria.
- Wound cleaning supplies for running water. The kits don't assume running water, and have less effective waterless cleaning materials.
- Skin care, including bug and sunburn, can usually be improved substantially. Zinc Oxide is a really good protective substance that sometimes doesn't have a good substitute.
- A big bottles of pepto bismol. I assume most people know to start dosing this stuff for gastrointestinal distress while traveling. I don't want to count on enough being available in the general "medicine cabinet".
- Individually wrapped Q-tips
- a regular strength aspirin for that guy with chest pains
- good burn comfort supplies, including gel pads

The bad: 1)Triple antibiotic ointment instead of Bacitracin. 2)"Night Tme Cold Medicine". The former is an allergen to some people. The later causes psychological distress in some people.

This list is by no means comprehensive, but what I've found wrong with purchased kits

I'm not sure how most people do it, but I now keep a stocked Pelican first aid kit. I don't mix first aid supplies with what I think of as "medicine cabinet stuff" - Alleve, antacid pills, Sponge Bob bandages. I do better with keeping a true first aid kit stocked.

So that's my rant and my list.

 

[Firetacoma]

Chewable asprin is the best for chest pains when you suspect heart attack.

I carry an expired IV bag of saline for the cases when you need clean water.

 

[dzzz]

Chewable asprin is the best for chest pains when you suspect heart attack.

Is it more absorbable, or just better tasting? I know buffered is not good. The dose I was told was 325mg. I thought just a chewed 325 was the way to go.
If they complain about the taste maybe they're O.K.

Two easy things people miss when helping with a suspected heart attack is not chewing an asprin and calling the ambulance. Unless the victim is alone, the ambulance just delays treatment. But I suppose when traveling the location of the ER may be uncertain.

 

[Firetacoma]

Our protocol is 4 child's chewable asprin (324 mg total). Chewable is more readily absorbed by the body, making it more effective quickly.

If I'm having a heart attack and I'm any distance from an ER, I'm going to want a paramedic there who can give me drugs and monitor my heart until I can see a doc. I have never heard of a medical study suggesting that you have a higher chance of survival if you drive yourself.

 

[dzzz]

I didn't mean to say that a person should drive themselves. I was referring to helping someone with a possible heart attack.

The right approach for a heart attack would be a guesstimate of what is the fastest way to begin treatment. If one can get to, say a level II trama center quickly, the expected time to treatment would be faster driving the patient. That would be true in most metropolitan areas.

In my town the one firehouse with EMT is a block from the level II emergency room. When my daughter had a severe asthma attack calling 911 and waiting might have killed her. That's true even if I were sure the EMT crew was in the fire house. Of course I had no way of knowing where the ambulance was located at that moment.

 

[winkosmosis]

The local news had a segment where a guy at the Red Cross was talking about how their kits are better than the drugstore ones.
What do you think of these?

http://www.redcrossstore.org/shopper/ProdList.aspx?LocationId=2
http://www.redcrossstore.org/?utm_source=RCO&utm_medium=FApage&utm_campaign=Anatomyofkit

 

[WoldD90]

My philosophy has always been to pick the best first aid kit for me and my family, then add the ancillaries specific to the trip, event or destination.

To try and plan for everything, you would need a fully loaded semi with you at all times.

 

[skysix]

Our protocol is 4 child's chewable asprin (324 mg total). Chewable is more readily absorbed by the body, making it more effective quickly.

In the UK you can get "Disprin" which is 300mg ASA in a dissolveable form. Drop into 50+ml water and easy to get down - very rapid absorption. Kind of an ODT preparation (like zofran)

 

[keezer37]

324 mg total

What happened to the 86 mg thing? Must I constantly pay attention?

 

[Token]

Found a link to this in my email today.. Better than not having anything..

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=678983&ecid=EX24A

 

[Firetacoma]

What happened to the 86 mg thing? Must I constantly pay attention?

What 86 thing? Children's aspirin is 81 mg each, x3 gets you 324 mg...

Are you talking the suggestion to take one a day to "prevent heart attacks"?

 

[kellymoe]

I struggle with exactly what a good FA kit should include. I have been a paramedic in Los Angeles for over 20 years and in all honesty when i am out in the back country I don't carry a FA kit unless I am with my kids and then it's only because of a few allergies my son has so it includes a few amps of epi.

In the back country I make sure I have a roll of medical cloth tape or duct tape and that is about it aside from my own prescribed meds. Tape is good for cuts both large and small, can be used with a improvised splint, cut into butterfly band aids... the list goes on. If I am on a long climbing trip and there is a incident with severe trauma then time is really the best tool in your kit, hence my use of a SPOT device and HAM or cell phone if they will work.

Traumatic full arrest is essentially a dead body unfortunetly and CPR is pretty much done in vain.

It's amazing just what can be done with a simple roll of duct tape or cloth medical tape.

 

[Hilldweller]

Buy a kit from Remote Medical and you'll have the most comprehensive kit you can get with the best support available.
They'll customize it for you too, offer real-world advice, and maybe go camping with you.
Nice guys; and Andrew is older than he looks....

Aspirin is yummy but I carry nitroglycerin in my pocket for possible MIs. :sombrero:

 

[keezer37]

What 86 thing? Children's aspirin is 81 mg each, x3 gets you 324 mg...

Are you talking the suggestion to take one a day to "prevent heart attacks"?

Yes. My error, I meant 81 mg. I never heard of taking 324 mg. and thought it was 81 mg for chest pain or as a preventive measure. Actually, I thought the whole preventive measure thing went away.

 

[UK4X4]

Like others say if you packed everything - the trunk would be full




Mines a self filled pelicase too,

that pretty soft bag ruins the contents after a year in my truck.

yep its big and bulky, but the supplies last

My added list

Bandages -Rolls of Tape
Eye wash
Anti biotics broad range and 1 for the dog
Anti alergy drugs and child friendly ones too
The usual Lomatil and indegestion tablets- pepto takes up too much room
Good long tweezers for decent splinters and spines
Good medical scissors
Triangular bandages
Survival bag 2 off
CPR pocket mask
Military trauma bandages 2 off
Burn wrap

600mg ibuprofen / tylanol and indolyn for my gout

Mine has a wrist and knee splint due to re-occurring injuries.

That stays in the truck trailer and my usual hiking bag has a small one with basicly just tape and bandages.

I don't think there's any one perfect kit

I'd say it's more important to have an up to date first aid course as well as a reasonable stocked kit.

Hopefully I never get to use mine- but its nice to know its there just in case !