What's in your First Aid supplies?

[praetorian]

One of the things that the group I am with did was to establish a common first aid supply listing. I wanted to share it with y'all to get your input. One important fact to bear in mind before reading the list is that this is what we agreed to use as a "starting" point only. Obviously there would need to be a much larger amount of consumables, especially dressings. The purpose of this list is to give us something in writing to build up from. Appreciate any input you have.

Trauma Supplies
20 packages of sterile 4x4's
10 sterile oval eye patches
5 chemical ice packs
4 four inch ACE wraps
4 ladder or SAM splints
2-4 boxes of unsterile gloves
5 Bottles of Isopropyl Alcohol
6 triangular bandages
10 rolls of Transpore or other medical tape
10 bottles of irrigation fluid (saline or sterile water)
Several boxes of assorted Band-Aids (different sizes and configurations)
10 ABD type dressings (maxi-pads work nicely!)
One tube (approximately 100) unsterile 4x4 dressings
One tube (approximately 100) unsterile 2x2 dressings
20 packages of sterile 2x2's
20 rolls of gauze bandage
5 chemical heat packs
4 three inch ACE wraps
2 pairs of Trauma Shears
2 Penlights
5 Bottles of Hydrogen Peroxide

Medications
2 bottles of Ibuprofen
2 bottles of Aspirin
2 Bottles of Benadryl
4 Bottles of cough medicine
2 Bottles of Nyquil
Several Sting-Eze Swabs
5 tubes of Antibiotic ointment
2 tubes of hemorhoidal cream
4 Tubes of InstaGlucose
2 Bottles of Syrup of Ipecac
3 large boxes of Alcohol Prep pads
3 large boxes of betadine Prep Pads
1 year supply of any prescription medications
2 bottles of Acetaminophen
2 bottles of Antacid
2 Bottles of a decongestant (Sudafed)
5 bags of cough drops
4 Bottles of Calamine Lotion
4 Cans of SolarCaine Spray
5 tubes of hydrocortisone ointment
Assorted Children's strength medications
4 Bottles of Bactine or other astringent
2 Boxes of Ammonia Inhalants
2 large bottles of betadine
One bottle of eye wash for each person in your family
Antibiotics as able to supply
2 bottles uva ursi OR cranberry concentrate (bladder infections)

Other Supplies
Stethoscope
Oral and Rectal Thermometers with Probe covers
CPR mask with one-way valve
Sterile tubs (for draining wounds)
Lice shampoo/spray/combs
Liquid band-aid
Blood Pressure Cuff
Vaseline or KY lubricant
N95 masks (50)
N100 masks
Dental mirror
Dental wax
Tweezers

Optional
Nebulizer
AED
Surgical tools (clamps, scalpels, forceps, retractors)
Medicine droppers (variety)
IV Bag & accessories
Suture tools
Good medical reference manuals (several)
KI pills

[alpmco]

Good kit ...
What do you do with the snake bite kit? I thought only city slickers bought those.
Oral and Rectal Thermometers ... Do you know what the difference is between the two? Taste!
I may have missed these items ...
One of those CPR barrier masks so you don't get HIV or something from strangers you give mouth to mouth.
Dish soap
Body soap
Lighter fire starter
A bottle or two of booze (High alcohol) ... for the injured and the care giver afterward.

[praetorian]

that was a joke one of our guys put in and I totally forgot to yank it out. Thanks for noticing. CPR Mask is listed under Other Supplies toward the bottom

[onebigelf]

Extensive. My circle includes a former USN trauma surgeon and an ER nurse. They could probably open a critical care clinic and we are stocked to be able to trade medical care for other needs.

John

[Ghost_buged_in]

Decent starter kit.
I would definatly recomend some narcotic pain killers if you have some left from a surgery or anything(atleast 20 doses in the kit). You never know if someone in your group will have an extremly painful injury. Likely in a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI it will be extremely hard to trade for narcotics and the people you'll likely have to deal with to trade for them will more often than not be "hard" , or in other words trading for a narcotic could get ugly quickly. Its better to have some and not need them then have to need them and not have them. There is a reason that doctors use narcotics for pain- because they work. There are so many possibilities of major injuries in a shtf situation with limited access to medical care. You could have 2nd or 3rd degree burn, compound fracture, bad laceration, or an infection resulting in an eventual amputation. The posibilities of injuries are endless so I would definatly recomend some form of narcotic pain med. Most people have some left over in their medicine cabinet.

[praetorian]

much appreciate the input from everyone.

[Fidel. MD]

Well, I'd lose the ipecac syrup first of all. That stuff is pretty dangerous, if a person shouldn't have swallowed something then they probably shouldn't vomit it back up. The force of the vomiting is hard enough that it's not uncommon for people to tear either their esophagus or the blood vessels around it: Its something I hate managing in a fully stocked trauma center ED much less in an austere environment.

It's long out of EMS protocols in most jurisdictions, and we don't use it in hospital. Likewise the ammonia inhalants, if a medic used one and I found out about it he'd be in deep trouble - like loss of career trouble (I'm an Emergency Physician and EMS director in my county)

Likewise 5 bottles (each) of alcohol and peroxide. If you want a skin disinfectant use betadine (povidone iodine) but don't put it in the wound.

Suturing is generally a bad idea for an untrained individual - not because it's hard, but because it's easy...to leave something inside that you shouldn't have, like dead tissue or foreign material. Wounds will heal from the bottom to the top also (it's called healing by second intent) and it has the advantage of not causing sepsis or infection from a foreign body.

The dental tools are kind of pointless without the rest needed to do an effective job.

Rather than (just) a CPR mask, I'd suggest a couple of bag-valve-mask units. The disposable ones are pretty inexpensive and just as useful as the expensive ones. A person really can't perform effective mouth-mask or mouth-mouth respirations for very long before they get hypercapnic from the increased CO2 in their own blood.

And an AED is expensive (probably close to as expensive as everything else you've listed combined) and without cardiac drugs will just wake up a dead person long enough to die again.

But the most important thing to have is training and experience. Get all the first aid / medical training you can, while you can. Preferably something other than a course that has "Dial 9-1-1" at the end of every paragraph.

Good luck!

[mr slow]

If we need strong drugs for serious pain we will vist a street pharmacist in our area. I see no shortage of that during TSHTF.

[mitunnelrat]

Am I looking past an anti- diarrheal drug in there? I've learned to keep that one well stocked

[mr slow]

i HAVE A FEW MEDICAL BAG. THE FOLLOWING STUFF IS IN MY MAIN BAG. I HAVE TWO OTHER SMALL POUCHES I CARRY. ONE IS ON MY GUN BELT AND THE OTHER IS IN MY 3 DAY PACK.AFTER YEARS OF COLLECTING EQUIPTMENT FROM MY JOB I HAVE THE FOLLOWING:GLUCOMETER,BLOOD GLUCOSE STRIPS, INSTANT GLUCOSE A, LANCETS,INSULIN NPH AND REGULAR,SYRINGES AND PEN TYPES,DIABETIC TEST SUPPLY AND KITS,MEDICAL NEEDLE BOX,TRACHEOSTOMY SUPPLY,OXYGEN MASK AND REGULATOR WITH TANK,BLOOD PRESSURE UNIT, ADULT AND PEDIATRIC,STETHOSCOPE,SUCTION MACHINE,POWER PACK AND EXTRA BATTERIES,HOT AND COLD PACKS,,BURN DRESSINGS WATER JEL WRAPS AND CREAMS,GENTINGE STERILIZER,HEMOSTATS, FORCEPT,SCISSORS, ADHESIVE TAPE 1/2 3/4 1 , GAUZE BANDAGES 2 ,3,4 INCH,2 INCH ELASTIC BANDAGES,AMMONIA INHALANTS,SAWYER EXTRACTOR SNAKE BITE AND STING KIT,IV STARTER KIT AND SUPPLIES, CERVICAL COLLAR,WRIST ,KNEE ANKLE BRACES AND ARM SLINGS,BAG VALVE MASK RESUSCITATOR ADULT AND INFANT, HEARTSINE DEFIBRILLATOR, EXTRA BATTERIES AND CARTRIDGES,BETADINE SOLUTION,32 OZ IRRIGATION SOLUTION BURN SOOTHING SPRAY, BODY BAGS AND STRETCHER, ANTIMICROBIAL WIPES,ANTISEPTIC HAND CLEANER,HEATED BLANKET BY READIHEAT 2,RES-Q-VAC HANDPOWERED EMERGENCY SUCTION,ADVANCE CLOTTING SPONGE, QUICKCLOT HEMOSTATIC SPONGE, BLOOD CLOTTING AEROSAL SPRAY, DOPPLER MONITOR AND CASE WITH EXTRA BATTERIES, CATHETERS,KELLY FORCEPS STRAIGHT,AND CURVED, TOURNI-KWIK TK-4,EMERGENCY SURGICIAL KIT,16 OZ EYE WASH, EYE PATCHES,STAINLESS STEEL PAN AND TRAYS,DRUGS , PAIN MEDICATIONS INCLUDING TRIPLE SCRIPT TYPES,HEART AND BLOOD PRESSURE MEDS, DEPRESSION MEDICATIONS,BOOD THINNERS,SLEEPING PILLS,ANY TYPE MEDICATIONS THAT I CAN GET MY HANDS ON ! I HAVE A DOCTOR, NURSE AND A ELECTRICAN IN MY GROUP.

[jimmy_stikx]

That list is pretty extensive, and bulky. Trust me, I've carried far less is a back pack with little room left over. Carry what you absolutely need, and for the stuff you can treat.

And as said before, get as much medical training as possible.

GLoves are almost more of a hinderance in an emergency situation if not already on, so keep that in mind to.

[praetorian]

take a look at www.saf-t-guard.com A buddy of mine owns this outfit. I have personally seen the bags and gear in it. A really nice kit, lightweight and well put together.