Medical Equipment question

[praetorian]

How much medical equipment do you have on hand? Not supplies such as tape, gauze, dressing, etc but items like a litter or a wheelchair, crutches, knee braces, ankle supports etc?

Following an event medical care could be at a premium and the more you have, training, supplies AND equipment wise the better off your options. So what do you have?

[madmyk]

Not much other than the odd brace/splint, etc. from previous injuries. Just part of the never ending list of stuff I should have.

[mr slow]

I have plenty of medical equiptment from my bio medical department.A lot of stuff was out dated so we removed it from service. We were allow to take what we want if the department no longer needed it. I would take drug cabinets,lab tables,water filters, electric beds,wheelchairs,operating supply and O.R kits, IV supplies, emergency trauma carts with all the supplies.My favorite place was the research labs where they were alway up grading equiptment.There was animal cages, lab testing equiptment like scales, pyrex lab bottles and test tubes, office desk ,chairs, stools computers, lighting, ice machines, freezers, tv, monitors. My favorite was when the hospital gave me two large stainless steel rollaways for all my tools. They just bought them and said they were to big.My garage is state of the art and looks like a lab with counters and cabinets all around the room. I have gutted many labs and offices and recieved some nice freezers and ice machines. GO TO A HOSPITAL DUMPSTER AND YOU WILL BE SUPRISE THE NICE STUFF WE THROW AWAY. I knew where the stuff came from. Some areas you would not want to touch the stuff unless you have a sterilizer.

[FISTER]

I like to keep stuff multi purpose for example ace bandages and dowels over a specific brace. Id recomend rubbing alcohol beacause it can be anti-septic or burned for fuel. Basicly the more of a multitasker it is the better.
I keep alot of rehydration salts on hand in case of sickness. I am lucky enough to have hempcons, pressure dressing, chest and abdomen dressings , and all that good stuff on hand (issued). And cheapo childrens sleds make great stand ins for litters.

[T.B.]

dang, mr slow! impressive! over my career, i've had access to an ER and an ambulance. i think, for the most part, if SHTF, it's gonna be bush medicine at best. i mean, improvisations such as baking soda as a coagulant, newspaper rolls for arm splints, and pretty much giving up on asepsis. sure, a couple suture kits and some lido for the inevitable lac, but nothing too overboard. not to sound defeatist, but most of us are probably screwed in the event of a GSW even with the benefits of a trauma center, let aloneworking under less-than-sterile conditions AND dodgin' zombies!

[mr slow]

Try getting emergency medical equiptment from some friends grandmother who was on her last legs.Many adults who have sick parents throw away all the suppies after they loose their parents.My father died slowly and we had tons of medical supplies from him.All these bandages cost money and can be used to saver other peoples lives.My buddies mother died a year ago and after she died we went to clean out her apartment in a retirement center. We gave all her stuff to other tennants. Since they are to old to move things,I gathered a few of the guys and we delivered and set up the stuff people ask for. In one room they had tons of medical supplies that were over supplied from hospital stays or medical services.Most of this stuff would of went right to the garbage. Some of the medical equiptment was worth serious money. I might not need a few oxygen tanks and regulators but someone else might. I don't have much room anymore for medical supplies. If there is good stuff being dumped by some apartment manager, why not grab it. My buddy has some nice medical equiptment from his mother.None of the elderly in her apartment needed it or wanted it. He has two breathing machines.I CAN SEE HOW THIS EQUIPTMENT COULD COME IN HANDY.

[mr slow]

Try getting emergency medical equiptment from some friends grandmother who was on her last legs.Many adults who have sick parents throw away all the suppies after they loose their parents.My father died slowly and we had tons of medical supplies from him.All these bandages cost money and can be used to saver other peoples lives.My buddies mother died a year ago and after she died we went to clean out her apartment in a retirement center. We gave all her stuff to other tennants. Since they are to old to move things,I gathered a few of the guys and we delivered and set up the stuff people ask for. In one room they had tons of medical supplies that were over supplied from hospital stays or medical services.Most of this stuff would of went right to the garbage. Some of the medical equiptment was worth serious money. I might not need a few oxygen tanks and regulators but someone else might. I don't have much room anymore for medical supplies. If there is good stuff being dumped by some apartment manager, why not grab it. My buddy has some nice medical equiptment from his mother.None of the elderly in her apartment needed it or wanted it. He has two breathing machines.I CAN SEE HOW THIS EQUIPTMENT COULD COME IN HANDY. Everyone collects guns and ammo but medical supplies is just important.

[praetorian]

there could well be a time when we can't get medical supplies. IMO med supplies are right there with food in the "can't have too much of" category.

[ALICIA21]

How much medical equipment do you have on hand? Not supplies such as tape, gauze, dressing, etc but items like a litter or a wheelchair, crutches, knee braces, ankle supports etc?

Following an event medical care could be at a premium and the more you have, training, supplies AND equipment wise the better off your options. So what do you have?

Following an event medical care could be at a premium and the more you have, training, supplies AND equipment wise the better off your options.
I agree

[vthompson]

I have all of the mentioned equipment because of an illness that I had. I suffered from the flesh-eating-disease and had to have all of the equipment at one time or another. I kept it all for a rainy day in case someone in the family ever needed it.

[Direwolf]

My wife has had seven surgerys since we got married three years ago and a MRSA staff infection. Ive been putting all the equipment she is done using away. Braces, crutches, wheel chair, sterilization equipment, dressings. She gives me weird looks but dosnt say anything.

[mr slow]

You can bet this stuff will be needed by someone you care about.Other wise it would be great trade goods.

[mr slow]

I'm been buying medical books to learn.I have a lot of friends who are doctors and nurses from my employement at a large hospital in Chicago. I have been in the operating rooms and watched surgeries. I also been in the morgue and watched bodies cut open.I have stood there right next to them and watched. I'm alway willing to learn something.