what's in your first aid kit?

[dulcibella]

I'd add an Epipen to all these good suggestions - I'd hate to lose a shipmate through anaphylactic shock in response to a jellyfish or wasp sting.

 

[st599]

.


I was taught not to use a tourniquet as it can cause more damage but to use a fist at the top of the arm or in the groin and elevate the limb.

I had to use this on someone who severed an artery in their arm and kept them alive for a quarter of an hour until the medics arrived.

.

They can cause gangrene, but if you need to sail the boat they can work, like the big nappy pin to keep an airway open.

Burnjel is good stuff to have, cools, forms a waterproof barrier, and if you get the American variant, contains painkillers.

 

[geoid96]

I don't think we have anything that hasn't previously been listed. However we carry two separate kits. One with the hopefully never to be, or rarely used items, and another for the plasters, antiseptic and other things used on a regular basis. This keeps the large bandages etc in better condition and makes stock taking easier.

 

[Kilter]

Most of the above plus Syndol pain killer, works well for me, super glue and Duct tape

 

[BrendanS]

Pottering around the UK, I carry the basics. If I was going further afield I'd have an assortment of things not mentioned above (I don't think) such as adrenaline (epipen is one, but also a version that can be injected into heart direct), superglue (that has been mentioned by Kilter just now) and an assortment of needles and syringes if going into areas where you might need to be given injections in an emergency, as they are often reused, and even basic bits of kit to do things like a tracheotomy (this can be done by lay people if they know the principle and can save lives). Though most people wouldn't be able to use such items, they can be used in emergencies with advice by phone, or by people on board or nearby that have medical or para medic training. It would be good to put together a full kit, but I'm thinking off the top of my head at the moment

 

[alan_d]

While tourniquets, including self-applied ones, have been shown to be effective in a military context they are of less value in the kind of injuries sustained in civil settings. The big drawback is that they cut off the blood-supply to everything downstream of where they are applied, running the risk of destroying healthy tissue. In most cases of traumatic bleeding, firm and sustained pressure at the bleeding point is the treatment of choice, and the best way of applying it is with the human thumb (over some sort of pad).

 

[john_morris_uk]

.


I was taught not to use a tourniquet as it can cause more damage but to use a fist at the top of the arm or in the groin and elevate the limb.

I had to use this on someone who severed an artery in their arm and kept them alive for a quarter of an hour until the medics arrived.

.

That was the received wisdom - and certainly pressure can be applied in the manner described. However tournquets are back in vogue and we are all isuued with them when deployed.

 

[Haven't-a-Clue]

OK, touniquets, this advice based on using them for 26 years in the medical setting ie opreating theatre. TIME of application 2 hours, yes they can be applied for 2 hours, this is what we do in theatre for ops like knee replacement, compound fracture repair etc. After two hours, release and assess perfusion, if bleeding has stopped, light pressure dressing and observe, if bleeding is still heavy, firm pressure dressing and re-apply tourniquet after 5 mins. This is what we do and we haven't lost a limb yet........o' course, we DO have medics around to correct the situation anyway, but.....so, if you are going to use one, record the time of application and label the casualty. Can't recommend first aid course too highly and if I could sit through one without feeling ill and passing out, I'd do one........I can do the job, I just can't do the talk, wierd, no?

edit:use the widest tourniquet you can find, not a piece of string, that will cause necrosis underneath it.

 

[jdc]

Horse medicine!

A difficulty I have had is buying adequately large bandages and wound dressings over the counter. But horsey people know and have easy access to decent sized stuff, so we carry on board vet wrap, see http://www.equestrianclearance.com/_various_suppliers/vet_wrap_cohesive_bandages/index.html

and Animalintex wound dressing, see http://www.equestrianclearance.com/westgate_efi/robinsons_animalintex_poultice/index.html.

The vet wrap is self-clinging and really useful, both as a wound bandage and also to wrap and partly immobilise / stabilise sprains and tendon damage (and I imagine could be used in place of a cast in emergency, although fortunately I've not had occasion to try this).

 

[Conachair]

antibiotics (which can be bought over the counter in Spain) ..

Pretty sure legally that's a thing of that past now unfortuanately

 

[Shearwater]

Thanks to all for interesting and useful contributions; I've learnt a lot even for my coastal journeys.

Congrats especially to Shaunksb who managed to keep someone alive for a quarter hour 'until the medics arrived'. Do we assume then that the medics killed him off?

For info : In Spain we CAN buy antibiotics OFC (or at least at my local farmacia) & Ibuprofen ditto at 600 mg !

Why do people carry super glue - surely not for as a liquid stich ? (meant seriously)

 

[huldah]

I went to a lecture at Bath University on Paracetemol damage to the liver. It is self perpetuating once started and will destroy the whole liver. So take care never to over do it. There is an antidote that works if given in time. I have read that turmeric is also an antidote, so might be useful in an emergency. Do check the facts first!

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Why do people carry super glue - surely not for as a liquid stich ? (meant seriously)

Yes. My sons forehead was glued together with an instant glue after he fell through the fore cabin infill cushion. The doctor advised that it was nothing more than Superglue and that the glue will wear off over a few days. He also advised not to get the glue wet. I believe that it may be a special type of Superglue specifically for fixing flesh.

However, this lot of desperadoes state that its just ordinary Superglue and was invented for open heart surgery!

However, Wiki implies that there are special types for flesh.

A Quote from the Wiki Page

CA glue was in veterinary use for mending bone, hide, and tortoise shell by at least the early 1970s.[citation needed] The inventor of cyanoacrylates, Harry Coover, said in 1966 that a CA spray was used in the Vietnam War to retard bleeding in wounded soldiers until they could be brought to a hospital. Butyl cyanoacrylate has been used medically since the 1970s outside the US, but due to its potential to irritate the skin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not approve its use as a medical adhesive until 1998 with Dermabond.[3] Research has demonstrated the use of cyanoacrylate in wound closure as being safer and more functional than traditional suturing.[4] The adhesive has demonstrated superior performance in the time required to close a wound, incidence of infection (suture canals through the skin's epidermal, dermal, and subcutaneous fat layers introduce extra routes of contamination),[4] and final cosmetic appearance.[5][6]

 

[prv]

I'd add an Epipen to all these good suggestions

Can you get those on-spec, without being allergic yourself?

the big nappy pin to keep an airway open.

Through the tongue and lip, presumably?

I believe that it may be a special type of Superglue specifically for fixing flesh.

I'm told that folks at the Antarctic research station use superglue to heal skin cracks. I'd probably be prepared to give it a go at sealing a moderate wound.

Pete

 

[shaunksb]

'until the medics arrived'. Do we assume then that the medics killed him off?

No - sorry my short post may have seemed blase, it was not meant to be.

The guy lived but lost some use of his hand due to tendons severed.

My advice to anyone unfortunate enough to be in a similar situation would be not to give up - when I first surveyed the situation I thought he was a no hope job.

As there were only the two of us I didn't have the opportunity to search around for a tourniquet - perhaps a good idea to have one at hand.

You obviously always carry your fist (or thumb) though.


.

 

[Rowana]

As well as a first aid kit, do you know what medicines, if any, your crew are on? Probably "Yes" if your crew are your family, but should I be invited to crew by some of you kind people, you wouldn't know what I'm on unless you ask.

As part of my safety brief for anyone who sails with me, I ask about any medication or medical conditions I should know about. I also tell them about me, and what they need to tell the medics should I be the unfortunate sod that is carried off in a meat waggon!


Just for the record, I have a heart condition, and have to take various pills, and also more importantly, avoid quite a few. I'm only allowed paracetamol for pain relief, for example, and if you took my pulse, you'd think I was throwing a wobbler, but that's just normal for me.

 

[john_morris_uk]

OK, touniquets, this advice based on using them for 26 years in the medical setting ie opreating theatre. TIME of application 2 hours, yes they can be applied for 2 hours, this is what we do in theatre for ops like knee replacement, compound fracture repair etc. After two hours, release and assess perfusion, if bleeding has stopped, light pressure dressing and observe, if bleeding is still heavy, firm pressure dressing and re-apply tourniquet after 5 mins. This is what we do and we haven't lost a limb yet........o' course, we DO have medics around to correct the situation anyway, but.....so, if you are going to use one, record the time of application and label the casualty. Can't recommend first aid course too highly and if I could sit through one without feeling ill and passing out, I'd do one........I can do the job, I just can't do the talk, wierd, no?

edit:use the widest tourniquet you can find, not a piece of string, that will cause necrosis underneath it.

I confess that the situation we are likely to use tourniquets in is one where the aim is to evacuate the casualty back to medical facilities in less than an hour (and preferably a few minutes!)

I think that the general point that I was trying to make was that for years, tourniquets were actively discouraged in the first aid training I went through, and with recent events, they are now actively ENCOURAGED - to the point that we all carry one when on active service in some areas. The ones we are issued with look like these: http://www.combattourniquet.com/military-tourniquet.php They are so simple to use (and so cheap and effective) that I will try and get one or two for the boat. The feedback from patients who have had one applied is that they need to be done of VERY tightly - to the point that the pain from the tourniquet hurts more than the injury that has caused the bleeding hurts.

The comments on Epipens by others confused me. I carry two Epipens of morphine in my medical pack where I am serving at the moment - but you can get Epipens of all sorts of drugs - Adrenaline would be another common one - and the military use a few others.

I also thought that 'Superglue' had been used for years for wound sticking together. It works very well - for all the reasons already given, didn't realise that people still discussed whether it was ok or not. Its loads better than stitching in some circumstances - although my understanding is you need both techniques in your kit-bag to cover all circumstances.

For serious long distance cruising, I can't recommend the Ship's Captains Medical Course highly enough. It doesn't make you a doctor - but helps you to talk to the doctor and give better than first aid treatment to a patient when you are out of reach of medical support. A great confidence boost to you and those who you sail with. We even covered minor amputations and local anesthetics. Just make sure you've got a Sat-Phone or SSB and a supply of medical kit with you...

 

[dulcibella]

You shouldn't have any difficulty getting an Epipen if you explain to your GP why you want it - though of course it won't be on the NHS. My GP has been most helpful over prescribing this plus antibiotics and analgesics when I have a long trip coming up.

 

[john_morris_uk]

You shouldn't have any difficulty getting an Epipen if you explain to your GP why you want it - though of course it won't be on the NHS. My GP has been most helpful over prescribing this plus antibiotics and analgesics when I have a long trip coming up.

And often the trick is to ask for a private prescription - I am told that the cost of the drugs is often less than the cost of an NHS prescription. My wife tells me that Epipens are expensive though and some parents of children in her school only buy one emergency one for their child because of the cost!

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Suprised no one has mentioned Silver Sulfadiazine, used on 2nd and 3rd degree burns as an anit bactericide and the rapid cool gel packs for minor burns. I also have anti- inflamatories preferring Diclofenac Sodium 50mg.