First Aid kits suck

[dzzz]

A recent first aid discussion got me thinking about how much even large, expensive pre-made kits suck. I suppose it's a combination of needing to be very general, and keeping costs low.

Maybe first responder kits are better, but these are also different than what I need.
I'm thinking in particular about kits for larger vehicles on longer trips away from convenient support. The reality of 99% of bush first aid is comfort, preventing a small problem from becoming big, and handling problems without needing to travel for help.

What I find missing is:
-Lots of bandages and wraps - The whole bandaging and wrapping supplies are woefully deficient. There's a big difference in the comfort of a well wrapped wound and bandaging that is improvised and just enough.
-Narcotic painkiller and general purpose antibiotic. Obviously not part of a purchased kit, but I've always been able to carry both in prescription bottles. My dentist tells me that an antibiotic course will handle tooth pain from infection for about two weeks. Much better option than finding a dentist on a Sunday night in Nigeria.
- Wound cleaning supplies for running water. The kits don't assume running water, and have less effective waterless cleaning materials.
- Skin care, including bug and sunburn, can usually be improved substantially. Zinc Oxide is a really good protective substance that sometimes doesn't have a good substitute.
- A big bottles of pepto bismol. I assume most people know to start dosing this stuff for gastrointestinal distress while traveling. I don't want to count on enough being available in the general "medicine cabinet".
- Individually wrapped Q-tips
- a regular strength aspirin for that guy with chest pains
- good burn comfort supplies, including gel pads

The bad: 1)Triple antibiotic ointment instead of Bacitracin. 2)"Night Tme Cold Medicine". The former is an allergen to some people. The later causes psychological distress in some people.

This list is by no means comprehensive, but what I've found wrong with purchased kits

I'm not sure how most people do it, but I now keep a stocked Pelican first aid kit. I don't mix first aid supplies with what I think of as "medicine cabinet stuff" - Alleve, antacid pills, Sponge Bob bandages. I do better with keeping a true first aid kit stocked.

So that's my rant and my list.

[Firetacoma]

Chewable asprin is the best for chest pains when you suspect heart attack.

I carry an expired IV bag of saline for the cases when you need clean water.

[dzzz]

Chewable asprin is the best for chest pains when you suspect heart attack.

Is it more absorbable, or just better tasting? I know buffered is not good. The dose I was told was 325mg. I thought just a chewed 325 was the way to go.
If they complain about the taste maybe they're O.K.

Two easy things people miss when helping with a suspected heart attack is not chewing an asprin and calling the ambulance. Unless the victim is alone, the ambulance just delays treatment. But I suppose when traveling the location of the ER may be uncertain.

[Firetacoma]

Our protocol is 4 child's chewable asprin (324 mg total). Chewable is more readily absorbed by the body, making it more effective quickly.

If I'm having a heart attack and I'm any distance from an ER, I'm going to want a paramedic there who can give me drugs and monitor my heart until I can see a doc. I have never heard of a medical study suggesting that you have a higher chance of survival if you drive yourself.

[dzzz]

I didn't mean to say that a person should drive themselves. I was referring to helping someone with a possible heart attack.

The right approach for a heart attack would be a guesstimate of what is the fastest way to begin treatment. If one can get to, say a level II trama center quickly, the expected time to treatment would be faster driving the patient. That would be true in most metropolitan areas.

In my town the one firehouse with EMT is a block from the level II emergency room. When my daughter had a severe asthma attack calling 911 and waiting might have killed her. That's true even if I were sure the EMT crew was in the fire house. Of course I had no way of knowing where the ambulance was located at that moment.

[winkosmosis]

The local news had a segment where a guy at the Red Cross was talking about how their kits are better than the drugstore ones.
What do you think of these?

http://www.redcrossstore.org/shopper...x?LocationId=2

[WoldD90]

My philosophy has always been to pick the best first aid kit for me and my family, then add the ancillaries specific to the trip, event or destination.

To try and plan for everything, you would need a fully loaded semi with you at all times.

[skysix]

Our protocol is 4 child's chewable asprin (324 mg total). Chewable is more readily absorbed by the body, making it more effective quickly.

In the UK you can get "Disprin" which is 300mg ASA in a dissolveable form. Drop into 50+ml water and easy to get down - very rapid absorption. Kind of an ODT preparation (like zofran)

[keezer37]

324 mg total

What happened to the 86 mg thing? Must I constantly pay attention?

[Token]

Found a link to this in my email today.. Better than not having anything..

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c...983&ecid=EX24A