First Aid kits?

[750Y]

been thinking about safety a bit lately...
what do You look for (essential items) for a travelling first aid kit.
I'm thinking of buying a couple or making some up to keep in each vehicle & maybe a small one in the bike as well as a decent home based one.
Is there a particular brand kit or certain items to include?

[Sniper]

Generally the little things like plasters and alchol swabs. Head to your nearest St Johns first Aid center. They will do you a car first aid kit for around $20 which is cheaper than buying the stuff separatley (sp)

[Lou Girardin]

Defibrillator, Pethidine, intravenous valium, will do for a start.

[Riff Raff]

Have a look here:
http://www.stjohn.org.nz/shop/kits/

http://www.a1firstaid.co.nz/wawcs011..._supplies.html

[inlinefour]

I'm a RN and apparently I can't help getting involved with helping out in a crash, but I feel its my duty to do it at least from a first aider's sense. A couple of things that have come helpfull in the past, apart from having a well stocked first aid kit. Gladwrap, it only sticks to itself and is great for putting around road rash etc until the individual can be safely taken to hospital. Plastic bags, clean ones. Had a poor bloke who had some of his intestines come out from a abdo puncture. Got them into the clean bag and got hime to hold em by the punture and it stopped them coming out more and getting dirty. He even said to us that it did not hurt! The surgeon also said it was great because of the cleanliness of them when it came time to put em back in.

[750Y]

Defibrillator, Pethidine, intravenous valium, will do for a start.

lol, what are you getting at lou? 8-)

[Hooks]

I have a couple of those St johns ones ... $35 they cost me about 3 years ago ... bloody brilliant they are too .... I broke one down to fit under the seat on the bike with the tools !! They come in a good handy zip up bag that can sit in the glove box or under the seat in the cage too !!

Good shot Riff !!!

[clint640]

Duct tape & a clean rag.

Cheers
Clint

[ManDownUnder]

Have a look here:
http://www.stjohn.org.nz/shop/kits/

http://www.a1firstaid.co.nz/wawcs011..._supplies.html

Trust you to come wading in with an expert opinion on this stuff... I mean... what could you poss....

...oh... hang on... forget I typed...

[Lou Girardin]

You won't feel a thing.

[Sniper]

Thats the scary part Lou

[Riff Raff]

Trust you to come wading in with an expert opinion on this stuff... I mean... what could you poss....

...oh... hang on... forget I typed...

Just for the record, this is what I carry at all times with me on my bike:

2 x combine dressings
4 x guaze squares
3 x 30ml saline
Durapore tape
2 x 7.5cm bandages
Thermal blanket
triangular bandage
Gloves
couple of airways
Clothing shears (can cut leather, plastic, seatbelts, metal etc)
Reflective vest

All this just fits under the pillion seat and is a bit of a pain to get out if I need it in a hurry. Am transferring it all to a bum bag which I forget is even on me when I'm riding. My car has a more comprehensive kit.

With the above you have a decent basic first aid kit that fits in a small bag or container.

[Wolf]

Those one-way mouth/nose shields for protecting yourself when giving mouth-to-mouth resus and a supply of latex gloves are a definite must these days - ina addition to all the usual first aid gear. AIDS is not the only thing lurking out there and who the fuck wants a nice case of Hep as "thanks" for saving a person's life?

You can actually get pouches for your key ring that hold those face shields - our 1st Aid trainer had one - always has at least one shield on her at all times, others carried in her first aid kit.

We always carry a kit in the car - just a basic plastic pouch kit from the supermarket but augmented with a couple of extra gloves (so you can change gloves and prevent cross-contamination if you're at a "decent" MVA with lots of vict- pati- clients)

Neither the LS nor the GSX has adequate storage for a kit so a bum-bag or the outside pocket of my pack would be the only option on those bikes.

I've been first on scene at a number of MVAs, haven't always had a kit on me (major lesson in improvisation in those cases) - no fatals so far but one fairly nasty one when a drunk took out a car load of State Insurance employees returning home from an end-of-year do (none of the State employees were drunk). A passenger in the drunk's car had her shin bone through her leg and her teeth through her top lip and I had no kit at all.

Worst bit was having to help the drunk (who'd gone through the windscreen - only superficial cuts to the forehead owing to "rag-doll syndrome") when what I wanted to do was cause "secondary injuries"...

I'm right behind the volunteer fire brigade guys whose SOP is to use the "jaws of life" on any car driven by a drunk (for his/her own safety, they carefully cut the top off the car to get him./her out, rather than risk pulling him/her out the open door...)

That was also the first accident I attended where there was a person running around in circles and panicking in such a manner as to possibly be a danger to herself and others. Fortunately she just needed to have something to do so I got her reassuring the chick with the protruding leg bone until the ambulance arrived.

[XP@]

Panty liners or nappies - They both soak up a LOT of blood.

[Riff Raff]

Those one-way mouth/nose shields for protecting yourself when giving mouth-to-mouth resus and a supply of latex gloves are a definite must these days

Yes I forgot to mention that, as I always have one in my wallet. But if you don't have a face shield then do not do mouth to mouth at all - just compressions. The reality is that the compressions are more important than the ventilations - and with compressions there is air being forced in and out.

I'll explain this one more tonight when I get to work so I can get my facts straight - but it is very important to minimise interruptions to chest compressions and deliver uninterrupted chest compressions whenever possible. If you are doing one person CPR - forget the ventilations, and if two person then make sure there is minimal interruption to the compressions when they do mouth to mouth. If the person doing compressions gets tired then make sure there is no interruption to the compressions when swapping over. And lastly - when emergency services arrive - keep doing this compressions while they get their equipment ready and until they take over. Often as we arrive on scene people doing the work move away from the patient and there is a big interruption to treatment while we get to the patient and put defib pads on etc.