First Aid Kit

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Please can anyone advise of the recommendation for a First Aid Kit.

I'm unlikely to spend more than 2 days at sea and be any more than 100 miles from land and usually have 4 persons on board.

I don't want to buy a pre-packed kit as they tend to contain not enough of some things etc... plus they are a very expensive way of buying.

My plan is to go to Boots this week.

Thanks
 
Dressings of various sizes - including some BIG ones.
Crepe bandages.
Melamine / gauze pads.
Triangular bandages.
Sticking plasters.
Roll of plaster.
Scissor - the TufCut paramedic shears type and normal pair.
Safety pins.
Paracetomol.
Soluble asprin.
Sea sickness tablets.
Antihistamine cream/tables/spray.
Foil blanket.
Latex gloves.
First aid manual.
Notepad and pencil.

Forget Boots thou and order from someone like SP Services or the St John website - much much cheaper. Also SP supply a lot of the ambulance services so should be of good quality.

W.
 
SWMBO has just done ours - well 3 actually (serious kit, day-to-day kit and others (dental kit, sterile kit etc)).

We have quite a lot in it - most bought from the internet as noted above or Wilkinsons (the cheapo shops - they sell quite good first aid stuff).

A couple of things I would add to the above:

Diocalm or something simalar - an iffy tummy on a boat can be a nightmare - it will at least keep you off the lav until you reach shore!

Antiseptic cream / wipes - most cuts on the boat can get easily infected.

Good pair of tweasers - we spend a lot of time barefoot in warm weather and accumulate splinters!

Think those are the main things - we seem to have half of the medical counter in our boat - however I'm sure because we have it we won't need it - typical!!

Jonny
 
In my experience of accidents generally, it's the little things that happen most commonly. Tweezers plus pin for getting a splinter out, oil of cloves for a nagging toothache, TCP for a cut or bite. Handy mirror so you can get flies etc out of your eye.
 
Savlon Providone Iodine Spray

Something I discovered last weekend when I cut the tip of my finger off, and couldn't stop the wound from weeping.
I was after an antiseptic powder or spray and a friend who is a nurse strongly recommended this stuff:

Savlon Dry Antiseptic Providone Iodine (spray).

Desribed on the tine as "a fine antiseptic powder spray for non-touch first aid treatment, it forms a protective layer that helps to prevent infection and aids natural healing in minor cuts, grazes and burns, friction burns, blistered hands and feet."

This stuff sealed the wound almost straight away. I cannot recommend it too highly.

I bought a couple of tins and now keep one on the boat and a couple in the house.
Available in small 50ml cans from most Chemists including Tesco's.

Last year I slipped onboard and fell down the companionway, badly grazing my leg. Thought not too much of it for a week but I ended up going to a drop in medical center because the wound had become infected. I'm sure if I had used this stuff on the wound then I would not have ended up having to take anti-biotics for an infection.
 
DO NOT USE DIRECT HEAT FOR TREATMENT OF SEVEAR SHOCK - recomended treatment is to lay horizontal with legs elevated a little and keep warm but don't do anything that will draw blood away from the core systems (heart, brain, internal organs) direct heat can cause a crash in BP in sevear hypovolimic shock.
 
The Iodene spray is a good reccomendation, as well as minor cuts also exellent to stop infection from animal/insect bites. Brufen Gel is very useful for aches & pains and bruising. The problem we all have is that when looking at up to 100 miles off shore you can either see it as a 1hr helicopter ride, about 4/5hr in a lifeboat or 24hr + if you cant get a transfer and the weather is bad. That goes from slightly extended first aid provision to being responsible for emergency and pre-hospital care for an extended period. Fortunatly accidents are rare but the main advice has to be to carry what is practical and goes with you training. Ther is no piont in gettin a full paramedic kit is you only ever do a basic first aid ccourse.
 
When I kitted out our vans we bought from first aid warehouse. The kits are incredibly cheap we had to buy hse workplace kits but they were very good value for money. www.firstaidwarehouse.co.uk

The 50 person hse kit we have in the office is a 2 tier box which hinges out and would normally cost £60. I think we got 5 kits for under £100
 
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