First Aid Kit

[Craig Smith]

I am starting to make up my own first aid kit, but im not too sure what to put in it. So far i have dressings, bandages, tape, foil blanket, water tubes for wound cleaning, tweezers, shears, gloves, butterfly stitches, CPR mask and DCI response check sheets. I all my diving (except abroad) is done with my club who have the oxygen so this is just a personal kit. Is there anything im missing?

cheers

p.s. if this is in the wrong place please move it!

 

[uncfnp]

Consider antibiotic ointment, tegaderm (waterproof dsg), superglue (works like Dermabond on very minor cuts or fissures), Ace wrap, hydrocortisone cream, Benadryl, Tylenol and ibuprofen (I also carry the same kit out of the country so I include some items that may not truly be considered "first aid").

 

[18diver18]

Consider antibiotic ointment, tegaderm (waterproof dsg), superglue (works like Dermabond on very minor cuts or fissures), Ace wrap, hydrocortisone cream, Benadryl, Tylenol and ibuprofen (I also carry the same kit out of the country so I include some items that may not truly be considered "first aid").

I was under the impression that superglue released toxins into the blood when used on wounds. I also forgot to mention that i have paracetamol and aspirin (I know not to use this for DCI). Will look into the other things though! Cheers

 

[Peter_C]

For possible dive related needs oxygen! Okay we dive in some really remote spots off a boat, and help may be really far away.

 

[mac.calder]

White vinegar - good for washing the site of a lot of jellyfish sites (stops undischarged stinging cells from firing) - mix with isopropyl alcohol in a 1:3 ratio to make "ear beer" - four drops in the ear is good for treating/preventing swimmers ear.

 

[BlueDevil]

Vinegar is good for many jelltfidh stings, especially the box jellyfish. It shouldnt be used for blue bottles though.

Tapatalk 2

 

[uncfnp]

I was under the impression that superglue released toxins into the blood when used on wounds. I also forgot to mention that i have paracetamol and aspirin (I know not to use this for DCI). Will look into the other things though! Cheers

Superglue, as I mentioned, should only be used on very minor cuts, like paper cuts and fissures, where the edges stay together. You do not want to apply to a deep wound or a wound where the edges gape. Not because it releases toxins into the blood but because it can be an irritant to the tissues, just as alcohol and peroxide. Do not use superglue in a wound (the same precaution applies to Dermabond)

Superglue was used by by by medics in the Vietnam war. It's also been used by athletes and hikers.

But no, please do not use on any large wound or any wound that's dirty or any wound that may need sutures. It's very difficult to remove to suture at a later date!

Note for clarification. Superglue, like its Dermadond cousin, is used on the outside of the skin. It is applied to the skin with the wound edges held together. It is not poured on a wound then the edges closed. Not because it will enter the blood but because it can irritate the tissues exposed by the cut. Hope this helps.

 

[Storker]

How much are you willing to carry, and what do you want to prepare for?

My standard first aid kit which I bring on most trips is rather small, but it's tailored for the most common situations and one or two more serious situations which can easily be helped. IME, the most common things to prepare for are blisters, minor pains and headaches, scrapes and cuts. So, I carry some ibuprofen and/or paracetamol/acetaminophene tablets, a small sortiment of band-aids, 2-3 compeed blister plasters, a small roll of gauze, a small roll of surgical tape, a few antiseptic wet wipes for wound cleaning, a pack of Steristrips (for deeper cuts) and a field dressing bandage pack (in case someone has a major wound). All of this fits into a small ~10x10x3cm waterproof pouch. In addition, I usually carry with me a warm garment and a wind/waterproof blanket of some kind (basically for my own comfort, but very useful in an emergency), a knife, a cell phone, my common sense and my basic first aid training.

I believe that that kit prepares me for 99.5% of the more probable (emergency) medical situations, perhaps except for DCS since I don't have an oxygen bottle. My ambition is to solve any issues just well enough to get back home or to the ER without unnecessary discomfort or increased damage, anything else is a task for the home medical kit or the pros.

---------- Post added February 4th, 2013 at 03:25 PM ----------

So far i have dressings, bandages, tape, foil blanket, water tubes for wound cleaning, tweezers, shears, gloves, butterfly stitches, CPR mask and DCI response check sheets.

As mentioned, I'd rather bring a few antiseptic wet wipes for wound cleaning, and I'll forgo tweezers, gloves and CPR mask. IMO, the risk of maybe having to perform CPR on a random stranger is less than the risk people usually accept when they go out on a Friday night to find someone to bring home for the night Same thing with gloves. And the tweezers can often be substituted with the point of the knife I'm always carrying plus a little creativity :cool2:

Consider antibiotic ointment, tegaderm (waterproof dsg), superglue (works like Dermabond on very minor cuts or fissures), Ace wrap, hydrocortisone cream, Benadryl, Tylenol and ibuprofen (I also carry the same kit out of the country so I include some items that may not truly be considered "first aid").

Are you thinking of a first aid kit, or a medical kit? Those two serve slightly different purposes.

For me, first aid is what's needed to stabilize the situation until proper medical attention is available. IMO, hydrocortisone cream would be an ingredient in a traveler's medical kit rather than in a first aid kit, but of course YMMV. And since I've used Steristrips with good results, I prefer those over superglue which has a limited storage life and I have no experience with.

 

[uncfnp]

Are you thinking of a first aid kit, or a medical kit? Those two serve slightly different purposes.

For me, first aid is what's needed to stabilize the situation until proper medical attention is available. IMO, hydrocortisone cream would be an ingredient in a traveler's medical kit rather than in a first aid kit, but of course YMMV. And since I've used Steristrips with good results, I prefer those over superglue which has a limited storage life and I have no experience with.

Read what you quoted from me "(I also carry the same kit out of the country so I include some items that may not truly be considered "first aid").

I agree that I don't carry CPR mask but I think the other items are reasonable. Of course, its a matter of preference. Also, is this something he plans to take on boats for diving or keep in room? Doesn't the boat carry a first aid kit? The purpose will guide the contents.

 

[dlofting]

My diving first aid kit is also my wilderness first aid kit so I also have a SAM splint and tensor bandages, for fractures. Duct tape and athletes tape are both useful for finishing off bandaging and holding it in place. Triangular bandages are great for slings, open fractures, impaled objects and for bandaging. An eye pad and large trauma pad (for abdominal wounds) are helpful. You're probably already aware of this but antiseptic wipes, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, etc should only be used to clean around a wound. The wound itself should always be cleaned/irrigated with water. Gloves are also a necessity to protect the patient as well as yourself - no sense infecting a wound you've just spent a lot of time cleaning.