FAK update

My truck's FAK had a test over the weekend and came up a tad short. There is a wound size that's bigger than a cut finger and small than a major trauma. An older lady was pushed into a cinder blocked wall by a rambunctious canine and found herself bleeding from a 1"x1" piece of skin being mostly ripped off. While many of us would have had a minor scape, her fragile skin resulted in a chunk of skin peeled back.

While I was cleaning the wound and thinking through how to use a 4x4 and tape on the open wound in a way that would not cause more issues when it was removed, another volunteer (who had been a nurse in a previous life) pulled a 2x3 non-stick pad and some generic sticks-to-itself wrap (similar to J&J Secure-Flex/Nexcare™ No Hurt Wrap/Coban Tape Self Adherent Wrap) which was ideal for fragile skin. The injured lady was on blood thinning meds so it was important to use a dressing that could be removed easily without causing more damage. Real-life lesson in treating a wound that I don't recall from my FA course.

So today I dropped by the local pharmacy and found two sizes of the non-stick pads and the sticks-to-itself-and-not-to-skin wrap to add to my truck's kit. I liked the way the former nurse's kit was organized too. Nothing special, just a generic plastic bin with ziplock type bags. Open the bin and you can see just about everything.

yes, think about using - not just stocking- your kit. Is it plainly and clearly a first aid kit? When opened, whats on top? Is everything easy to find? (and does your set up keep thing clean?)

The wrap you describe can be found wicked cheap (compared to the pharmacy prices) as vet wrap on Amazon or other online sources. I got a 36 roll box for about $12. Also replaces ace bandages for sprains, and can be used to repair gear in the field without the stickiness/mess of duct tape residue. Multiple colors for organization or dealing with kids.

I stopped using regular gauze years ago and only stick non-stick pads on wounds. More absorbent and much easier to remove. I only use regular gauze for wound cleaning and such.

I haven't decided if the stick to it self kind of wrap is something I want to carry in smaller first aid kits. Although very usefull and easy to put on, my problem is generally providing first aid in the outdoors. In that case I prefer pre-made bandages or giant plasters, as those are easier to apply in the wind and easier to use if you are one handed.

I agree. It's one thing to learn about treating wounds in an abstract, academic setting; it's another to actually treat a real wound where the fragile skin is pulled back and your classroom learning meets a part of reality not discussed. I'll be replacing a lot of gauze type dressing material with non-stick pads -- ditto the self-adherent wraps. Switching over, not 100%, 4x4's still have a role, but for direct contact as a dressing, the non-stick pads are simply a better option,

Without meaning to minimize the value of non-stick dressings, in the olden days ,we lightly smeared a 4x4 with a thin coat of antibiotic cream or sterile Vaseline to cover a skinned or raw wound. And for burn dressing on the cheap, we used boiled salted water to dampen a gauze pad and wrapped the covered wound with a Saran type wrap.

...and put it all in a water tight container.