Hello All,

What do most people do for medical supplies? We have a first aid kit, but maybe we should have some other items on hand.

Dave

It kind of depends on you level of training, how many people you plan on carring for, etc. Hard question to answer without having a clue as to that...

I keep burn gel packs in my kit, among many other things.

I feel that most home injuries are going to consist of minor scrapes and cuts, with an occasional burn (in the kitchen) and a rare, serious cut or laceration.

For the rare, serious cut or laceration, I keep a few OB pads and adhesive tape on hand.

About the only things that I have yet to get for my FAK is a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. It has about everything else that I expect to need, including a Field Surgical Kit.

Well, I am no surgeon, :-)but I know some first aid and probably could stitch a bad cut up if I had to. I was just wondering what most people what families kept on hand, whither it is just a fak or something more comprehensive.

Dave

I think the choices you make should consider both what you are capable of doing and the things you may be able to make use of in an emergency. I would begin by looking at a regular first aid kit and adding to that kit. Some additions I would make are some over the counter analgesics and I'd add something to combat diarrhea and cold symptoms. I would also consider adding something to soothe sunburn and prevent sunburn. In addition, I've added a few packets of second skin (good for blisters or burns). Look in your medicine cabinest and think about what you regulary use.

As far as sutures, I think the question is do you or someone else who is likely to be with you could put them to use. Would you have the right kind of suture to use in the circumstances with which you are likely to be presented? Would it be made of teh right material, in the right size, etc.? I can only imagine myself trying to sew a wound closed when I had absolutely no other choice; I could not clsoe the wound any other way; and without closing it the risk of death or serious health consequences was pretty imminient. I'd feel the same about anything that normally required a prescription.

I start with a commercially prepared first aid kit and then add/subtract as needed. What I've typically found in the FAKs advertising 150 items are about 100 bandaids that are suitable for razor cuts and nothing else. In a survival situation, shaving is pretty low on my priorities. Actually, unless I'm going to work or church, shaving is a low priority.

I weed through the bandaids ruthlessly, then upgrade the kit with more OTC medications, burn relief, trauma pads, gloves, etc.
The kits are a good start. Doug has some great recommendations for FAKs elsewhere on this site.

Thanks for your thoughts and comments!

Dave

(sigh). If you must feel the urge to sew someone closed, try to at least be in the general neighborhood of "correct" material. Fishing line is probably the best material for Macguivering. Silk probably is OK, but you do have a good chance of getting localized reactions (swelling, redness, etc). Avoid cotton thread. You should probably curve the needle before you use it (most sutures have curved needles, of various cross section shapes).

Most stitches come out after 7-10 days.

Make darn sure you clean the would really, really well, or you can create an abcess that can lead to sepsis, and potentially death.

http://www.operationalmedicine.org/Videos/HowtoSuture.htm

Personally, I'd probably staple or use steri-strips (the newer version of butterfly bandages). It won't be as pretty a wound, but it will be better able to drain, and thus have a decreased chance of infection.

First my background...Former NYC Medic. Current FL Medic (with very liberal medical guidlines)....

We (my family) have a FAK. It contains the usual things...bandaids, kling, 4x4's, a 5x9, tape, tweezers, normal saline (NS) for varying uses, wipes...you get the idea.....

What else do I have..... I keep a larger amount of 4x4's and 5x9's and even a few 'trauma dressings' in the bulk storage. It is there for a number of reasons (not limited to hurricanes). I also have the stock of benadryl (both liquid and pill form) as well as the rub on stick for the bug/ant bites. OTC Aleve, Motrin and Tylenol. Antihistamines/Decongestants that we take as needed. I also keep a larger supply of sterile NS (again various uses-eye/wound rinse, gargle etc). More kling and gauze. Tape. Generally we keep the things that are basic but that you do not realize you will use so much of. Consider how often you need to change the dressing of (let's say) a bad road rash..... You will need a lot.

Yes I do have some sutures. I have them for the time that I may find us with someone who REALLY knows how to use them. Generally I would NOT be the one to do the suturing...now if I knew that there was a Doc or PA available then I'd have the supply for them to help me....

As for the Field Surgery Set...IMHO...don't spend the money.

Many years ago I was an Air Force medic. I sutured more people of all ages than I can possibly remember. For a few severe injuries I recall, I often wondered why I was doing it instead of a doctor on duty but those were the days when medics had to be relied upon to do everything under the sun.

I have seen a few commericially available suture kits. Most of them have instructions that say "take this kit to qualified medical personnel" or something to that effect. The trouble is, the variety of suture to match with the injury runs into the hundreds of varieties. There is a vast difference between the suture I would use on the bottom of a foot versus the face on a young lady, or to resolve deep wounds with a chromic suture. And there is a vast variety of suture thickness, flexibility, braided, non-braided, nylon, silk, etc. along with a vast variety of needle sizes and styles. There is also a variety of suturing techniques depending on the nature of the wound: soft tissue injury, muscle damage, tendon damage, vascular and nerve damage, etc.

For minor scalp lacerations, I have also used hair ties with a surgical adhesive.

A survival situation, inwhich suturing appears to be absolutely necessary, may leave you with whatever you have. But beware of complications: irritation, severe infection, drainage, reactions, fever. Proper wound prep is very important, which includes aseptic and sterile procedures that need to be followed as much as possible. There are risks: medical and potentially legal risks.

Administer first aid; then given the vast coverage of cell phones, if you can call a hospital ER and ask for medical advice, do that before attempting to suture a wound, IMHO.

I have several huge first aid kits, but no suture in them. If I were going out in the middle of nowhere, then I might add a commercially prepared suture kit. I do keep a couple of small curved needles, 6" needle holders, micro tissue forceps,one point sharp scissors, two point iris scissors and some very thin nylon unbraided thread that I could use, if I found myself in an unusual emergency situation. But even then, inspite of my experience, I would only use it with considerable caution.

I hope this war and peace post has helped answer your question.

Otherwise...beeeeee careful.

"Probably" is not "certainty". In my family we have no shortage of current and former EMS personnel, and we don't bother to have sutures in our big box of medical stuff. Most people are needle happy and it can turn a "may die" into a "will die" if you've never done this before (and reading about it doesn't count). In a "will die", sure, but those often involve more than "just" sewing.

Remember, a suture is a surgical procedure.

Interesting video on the suturing techniques. Basically, it was all reliable information, but for the untrained and inexperienced, it will be more difficult than it looks, especially on a family member or friend. Note that the examples provided were relatively MINOR uncomplicated wounds.

I am having a difficult time visualizing a situation where I would have to suture someone. Actually, I can't think of any.

If you want to sew on someone, do it on yourself, then you're sure to know where to place the blame. Take everyone else to a doctor.

If you don't clean the wound properly, you will be enclosing filth in the wound. If you touch the needle or suture material with dirty hands, or drag it across non-sterile material, you'll be contaminating the wound with the needle and/or suture material.

If skin was removed during the injury (like a bullet crease, for example), in an area where the skin is normally fairly tight, you could be causing more problems by trying to close skin that shouldn't be closed completely.

Just clean the wound as well as you can, put a bandage over it, and wrap it snugly but not too tight. If your patient/victim complains of numbness, or fingers or toes are swelling, etc, it's too tight.

I also understand that if you are wrapping a hand or foot firmly to help stop bleeding, you should wrap the WHOLE hand or foot. Don't wrap the wound tightly and leave the fingers and toes exposed, and turn the bandage into a tourniquet.

Sue

All very, very good points. My first post was aimed more at the superficial lacs that need only simple interrupted sutures. Getting beyond the fascial plane, and field suturing is going to be an extremely poor idea.

I've got a kit personally, and about 2 dozen sutures (from 2-0 to 6-0, vicryl, prolene, gut and silk). I don't even take it with me on backpacking trips, and I'm "trained" to do it. I guess that shows how great an idea it is!

Remember everyone, wounds WILL heal even without sutures. It takes time and may leave an ugly scar, but it's safer than closing a contaminated wound.

Hello All, thanks for your thoughts and ideas. Ya I don't think that I will be sewing on anyone after some thinking. I would use those butterfly band aid sutures in a survival situation without access to a doctor. I believe you can even use supper glue sparingly to somewhat close a cut leaving a drain spot. I certainly don't want an abscess.

I am just thinking that I should have a few more items to cover everyday issues as will as a longer term survival situation.

Dave

Supper glue? As in really nasty canned white sauce? Bad idea, it is a great growth medium.

Super glue, I'd limit to small things, and I think our better trained medical persons will back me on this. One thing I will say is if you are planning on using super glue, the medical counterpart, or even just NuSkin, try it first. The stuff stings like mad.

Petbond works just fine..i carry and use it mostly on small
cuts on fingers where you are flexing that part and a band-aid
woun't stay..great if you are getting hands and fingers wet
all the time..

Well, I'm impressed with the contents of your FAK. Wow! Are you in EMS?

I left EMS 27 years ago but then moved into medical admin and management for 15 years. Quit that 10 years ago and people you work with will still search you out for medical advice and will be dragged by the arm to someone with a medical emergency in the workplace. Once a medic, always a medic. You just thought you left it behind. I still keep a substantial kit and have had occasion to use it, unfortunately.

I didn't do 20 active duty,but I did 8. It was enough, but all together I did 24 years in hospitals. clinics and independent duty in a variety of roles.

Best of luck in whatever you do...., Doc. (sound familiar)

Dave,

Before you run off and get too much medical supplies, for what purpose will your FA kit will serve? Is it for your hiking/backpacking needs, you and the family, etc. I'd suggest if you haven't already done so, get at least a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or even a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) (depending on the need) certification. WFA is about 18-24 hours and WFR is about 80 hours of training. Well worth it if you're outdoors a fair amount of time.

There are several organizations (even some community colleges) that you can get your cert from, here are a few:

National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)

Wilderness Medical Associates

Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO)

Thanks everyone for your kind responses. I probably just need to get a decent fak. I piked mine up from wal-mart when they were on sale last summer.

Dave

Post the contents, maybe in a new thread. We'll pick it apart.