Emergency outdoors First aid

[BC30cal]

100% agree with you Dwayne on all your points.

I've done level2, have a current advanced level3, 120 hours of wilderness ( long expired) and most recently my First responder through my VFD.

A re-cert every 3 years really isn't enough to stay current. When I just did my first Responder I was amazing how quickly I had become rusty.

Some Nice things to have in a kit are:
-Benadryl
-opsite bandage ( clear waterproof/breathable bandage for minor wounds)
- high quality roller bandage
- triangular bandages
- Tape
-stari strips
- trinksure of benzoin(
- 1 oz Saline twist tops
-non adherent dressing.
-BZK wipes

its nice to have items with many uses.

WWBC;
Good afternoon to you sir, thanks for the reply and list.

It is, in my experience and estimation - a most excellent and useful list - folks reading could do a whole lot worse than that list.

If as mentioned by srupp, one intends to go far from mother's arms and into the true wild, then one's list should be a bit more comprehensive. If your doctor would prescribe a general anti-biotic - and they might not - but one might/could save your bacon until the plane gets back if some sort of strep infection showed up unannounced.

When dealing with minor and medium less minor lacerations, I've had less than stellar luck with butterfly bandages and much better luck with the "steri-strip" adhesive. If one is using a steri-strip, glue or 1" Gorilla Tape, one needs to treat it like a suture, so keep it clean and dry for the next 7-10 days.

The Friar's Balsam you mentioned works wonders in keeping the steri-strips in place too.

The real bugger is cleaning one's own lacerated digits off, then keeping them dry, whilst applying said steri-strip to one's self....... ask me how I know this to be true.....

Anyway that's the reason for the labeled baggies as even very young daughters can be pressed into service as medical aids when the need arises - again this is from personal experience!

Oh, almost forgot a few pairs of good nitrile gloves in the kit too are a must if we're working on anyone outside immediate family that we know the complete medical history of. This can't be over stressed as blood borne pathogens are really something one can pick up easily and never put down.....

I like the 8ml Grease Monkey mechanics gloves myself - a box is maybe $17 at Lordco and I'd say your potential good health for the rest of your life is worth under $20, no?

Heart issues run rampant in my family so there's baggies of baby Aspirin everywhere in my pack and rigs. Can't hurt and might help me, or so a geriatric nurse in CORE told me one year.

Anyway, that's all i can think of to add right now, but thanks again for the good input from all. It's the sort of content that brings me back into forums once in awhile.

All the best to you as we head into spring.

Dwayne

[srupp]

Hmmm good post Dwayne..the Friars Balsam does work well in rural emergency situation..keeps things "clean " and truly allows steri strip or butterfly closures to stick. One of the results of losing blood. .hypo..low volemia"..low volume hypovolemia..is its a start to shock..in adequate blood flow..perfusion of the brain..resulting in sweating..moist pale skin..making anything stick to this moist skin problematic and challenging.
Years ago a worker completely severed his arm halfway between elbow and hand...his crew kept the arm..stopped the bleeding..mostly..pretty extreme injury..he survived..and through fortuitous timing..everyone doing their part well...the gentleman had successful reconstruction surgery......AND PLAYER THE GUITAR AGAIN,
Steven

[Magnumb]

If you are a ways away from the truck look into SAM splints and velcro straps... well worth the cost and ease of use. Tweezers and Telfa dressings i would add as well.

[Weatherby Fan]

When my older brother Leif and I headed out for our 12 day flyin for Stones I asked him if he had a first aid kit in his pack........yeh its called a 180gr TSX if you get hurt that bad I can't fix you so Ill just end your pain........

Ive got a new partner for this year !

[Magnumb]

okay, add a shovel and bag if lime to the kit...

[Pemby_mess]

Hmmm good post Dwayne..the Friars Balsam does work well in rural emergency situation..keeps things "clean " and truly allows steri strip or butterfly closures to stick. One of the results of losing blood. .hypo..low volemia"..low volume hypovolemia..is its a start to shock..in adequate blood flow..perfusion of the brain..resulting in sweating..moist pale skin..making anything stick to this moist skin problematic and challenging.
Years ago a worker completely severed his arm halfway between elbow and hand...his crew kept the arm..stopped the bleeding..mostly..pretty extreme injury..he survived..and through fortuitous timing..everyone doing their part well...the gentleman had successful reconstruction surgery......AND PLAYER THE GUITAR AGAIN,
Steven

If you are a ways away from the truck look into SAM splints and velcro straps... well worth the cost and ease of use. Tweezers and Telfa dressings i would add as well.

One important thing that can get missed with shock, is that hypovolemia can occur without a massive external bleed. Dehydration being obvious, but also internal bleeding.

In the fall/winter especially, it seems to happen really fast without an extraordinary amount of blood loss. I had a client break their tibia, and I swear they were crashing within an hour. I always try to keep a thermos with warm fluids on me. It doesn't really seem like a FA thing, but if someone breaks a large bone, or has a deadly bleed you want to try to get warm fluids in them adapt after you have them stabilized. Also really important to do whatever you can to get the patient off the ground/snow.

i had a bit of an exchange recently on here about treking poles. They make really good splints, especially for a femur. With some practice, you can even use them to get traction on the bone. I always keep some large HD semi-elastic ski straps on me. They're a really good multi-purpose tool for FA, repair and general improvisation. Good for meat packing too!

[scoutlt1]

Fishermen are out of shape because they sit in a boat and guzzle beer all day long, hence the higher heart attack rate than hunters.

I can't believe you posted my Tinder profile pic.

Jerk

[srupp]

Hmm lots of reasons for true" shock" not just blood loss..yes that is correct..but didn't want to deviate from bleeding scenario. .

However if serious or not so much do NOT administer anything by mouth..NPO"... .nothing per oral..it may delay surgical intervention...or at the very least make far more challenging for the gas jockey to agree to the surgery...
Reason you go in for surgery..they require you to not eat or drink after midnight..
50% of those that aspirate ..die.last statistic I recall those numbers are the same even in hospital setting.
Getting some stuff together for a short view on prehospital emergency care and control of bleeding in the field.
Not here to challenge anyone..nor do I want particular grief on what I share..it is based on 38 years of prehospital training, knowledge...experience..control of bleeding was a particular area that I tried to Excell at.lit was important when your office was 50,000 sq.kms.and included every man women child, resident or visitors.
One of my co-workers..flew in by chopper to a nasty MVI"..HE SLIPPED on a Maglite flash lite under a blanket and lacerated his hand badly trying to arrest his fall.he asked me to bandage it up..i did so..he flew off in the chopper.
Once his patient had been attended to he sought relief for his injury..once unwrapped the hand really started to bleed while attempting to stop the bleeding he quipped..get Steven he stopped it once..he can do it again..lol
Cheers
Steven

[BC30cal]

srupp;
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience with us Steven, it's good info in my experience.

In a former life, as well as being the head OFA at a manufacturing plant I got to handle the correspondence with WorkSafeBC, surgeons, physios, etc. - so I hope it's okay that I smiled when I read the wording of your response.

Terms like, "nothing per oral" and "sought relief for his injury" are ones I recognize. It's not your first rodeo with no pay window I see..

Thanks again for sharing what might/could save someone's life out there someday Steven.

All the best to you as we head into the spring.

Dwayne

[TARCHER]

I like the kiss principal. Keep it simple stupid. Like Steve says bleeding control is a big one meaning some dressings and kling or gauze for starters. How big a kit do you have room for. An LTV 1200 and lifepak 15 would be nice. Nice to have some morphine or fentanyl iv for your buddy who just stuck his axe thru his foot