i guess medical kits have become more advanced. or i got left behind.

I have no idea what a non-stick pad, or a non-adherend pad, is. I guess i am old-fashioned and i just put gauze on the wound.

but your topic is a good reminder to me
i need to get a better first aid kit. lately i have been working with more power tools in my home. it definitely increases the risk of an accident.

thanks, Pete

I combined the Curad and Rapid Care first aid kits into one by first getting the Home & Vehicle Bag from Chinook Medical.

http://www.chinookmed.com/cgi-bin/item/01385RD/C-AD/%2DHome%2D%26%2DVehicle%2DBag

I used the gloves from the Curad kit and put them in the pocket designated for personal protection.

The cheap pair of scissors from the Rapid Care kit, plastic tweezers and a Medline digital thermometer go in the tools pocket.

I used a package of GoodSense moleskin for the wound and blister pocket. I included the 4" x4" gauze sponge, small, medium and fingertip self-adhesive bandages, 2" gauze roll, three antiseptic towelettes, three povidone-iodine prep pads, and ten cotton-tip applicators from the Rapid Care kit. Finally, I included the three 2" x 4" fabric bandages, eight 2" x 2" gauze pads, ten alcohol prep pads and a 0.5" x 5-yard roll of waterproof tape from the Curad kit.

For the immobilization pocket, I used the ice pack from the Rapid Care kit, finger splint from the Curad kit and a 3" Medline elastic bandage.

For now, I have five Water-Jel burn cream packets, one Water-Jel triple antibiotic ointments packet and three sting relief pads from the Rapid Care kit in the medications pocket.

The first aid guide from the Rapid Care kit goes in the front pocket of the medical bag.

I ordered additional medical supplies, they are on their way, and I will post an update when I get them.

Edit: I added a single unit of oral rehydration salts to the medications pocket.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Chinook Medical, Medline, Water-Jel or Rapid Care.

Jeanette Isabelle

Most of our FAKs are designed around the situations we anticipate encountering. At least that is why so many seem to center around home situation boo-boos, with an emphasis on pain/headache relief and band-aid type dressings.

A great deal of my experience has been in the treatment of trauma, especially lower limb fractures and sprains (folks who have merely fractured an arm evidently self-ambulate) and that works better with a kit that has a lot of elastic bandages and items that can become splints.

Diagnosis and complete, hopefully competent patient survey is really critical in most of these trauma cases. You often see an obvious injury, with the bone protruding from the skin, but there are often, if not usually, other injuries which are less evident, like spinal damage and fracture.

FAKs should not only include the obvious sterile dressings, et al., in the clearly marked FAK, but also those items in the group which can utilized in a first aid capacity. Trekking poles can be the foundation of a perfectly adequate lower leg splint, for instance. The pliers on my multitool will remove cactus spines quite well. The red bandanna in my right left pocket can hold a dressing in place (and did so just a couple of months ago when the institutional kit with which I was working completely lacked any sort of wrapping items).

I like to carry about four band aids in my wallet. Most of the time the situation does not exceed the boo-boo level and you can pat the victim on the back, apply the band aid, and allow them to return to the job at hand (after you are satisfied that there is nothing more serious involved).

The kit works better when I use all of the items from the Rapid Care kit, except for the roll of tape, and not use anything from the Curad kit. I threw away the roll of tape from the Rapid Care kit and replaced it with a roll of Curad 1" x 10-yard cloth tape.

As mentioned in the previous post I included a Medline digital thermometer, Medline 3" elastic bandage, a package of GoodSense moleskin and one unit of oral rehydration salts.

In the personal protection pocket, I have a pair of gloves in a zip-lock bag. The thermometer, scissors and plastic tweezers are in the tools pocket. The moleskin, 4" x 4" and 2" x 2" gauze pads, fifty-five medium size self-adhesive strips, ten small self-adhesive strips and three fingertip bandages, ten cotton-tip applicators, three antiseptic towelettes, three povidone-iodine prep pads and five burn cream packets are in the wound and blister pocket. The tongue depressors are in the immobilization pocket along with the elastic bandage and ice pack. The oral rehydration salts, the packet of triple antibiotic ointment and three sting relief pads are in the medications pocket. The roll of tape is in a pocket of its own.

Jeanette Isabelle

With respect to power tool safety, here is an article on table saw safety which is somewhat disheartening:

http://www.npr.org/2017/08/10/542474093/...s-safer-drag-on

Today at Sam's Club I bought another TRI first aid kit. I currently have three of them. Mom asked how many bodies I plan to patch up. There is no way for us to know.

Jeanette Isabelle

I started with a Rapid Care first aid kit and put its contents in a Home & Vehicle bag.

http://www.chinookmed.com/01385rd/home-vehicle-bag.html

Today I added a biohazard waste bag, two emergency/survival blankets, a second respirator mask, 2" x 6" burn dressing, 0.25" x 4" wound closure strips, petroleum gauze, two triangular bandages, eye wash and hydration powder.

I plan to add a CPR mask. Then this project will be finished. The following is what I have thus far:

MEDICAL INFORMATION
(1) First Aid Guide

PERSONAL PROTECTION
(1) Biohazard Waste Bag
(2) Emergency/Survival Blanket
(2) Respirator Mask
(2) Nitrile Glove
(6) Personal Antimicrobial Wipe

BLEEDING
(1) Trauma Pad, 5" x 9"

WOUND / BLISTER / BURN
(1) Burn Dressing, 2" x 6"
(5) First Aid & Burn Cream, 0.9 g
(4) Moleskin
(55) 0.75" x 3" Self Adhesive Bandages
(3) Fingertip Self Adhesive Bandages
(1) Cloth Tape, 1" x 10 yds.
(1) Wound Closure Strips, 0.25" x 4"
(3) Antiseptic Towelettes
(3) Povidone-Iodine Prep Pad
(2) Benzoin Swabsticks
(1) Non-Adherent Dressing, 3" x 4"
(2) Petroleum Gauze, 3" x 9"
(10) Cotton-Tipped Applicator
(2) Sterile Gauze Pad, 4"x4"
(2) Sterile Gauze Pad, 2"x2"
(1) Gauze Roll, 2"

IMMOBILIZATION
(1) Cold Compress
(1) Elastic Bandage Wrap, 3" x 4.5 yds.
(2) Finger Splint
(2) Triangular Bandage

MEDICATION
(1) Eye Wash, 4 oz.
(6) Aspirin, 2/pk (Analgesic)
(6) Diamode, 1/pk (Anti-diarrheal)
(6) Diotame, 2/pk (Stomach)
(6) Diphen, 1/pk (Antihistamine)
(6) Ibuprofen, 2/pk (Anti-inflammatory)
(1) Triple Antibiotic Ointment, 0.9 g
(2) Hydration Powder
(3) Sting Relief Pad

INSTRUMENTS
(1) Irrigation Syringe, 60cc
(1) Digital Thermometer
(1) Scissors
(1) Tweezers
(1) Disposable Penlight

Jeanette Isabelle

Are you sure about the burn cream? My training nixed ointments and salves for 2nd and 3rd degree burns - water on 1st degree incidents. Apparently, the creamy stuff will have to be removed, causing unnecessary pain/discomfort for the patient. This advice seems to be still current - http://www.webmd.com/first-aid/thermal-heat-or-fire-burns-treatment#1

As stated, it is also a first aid ointment. Also said I took a first aid kit similar to the one in the link and made a larger one out of it.

http://www.rapidcarefirstaid.com/home/products/80060-sp-115/

As you see, it has five packets of that stuff. To make a larger kit out of one in the link, I needed to use as much as I could out of the original.

Jeanette Isabelle