Don’t know what to pack in a first-aid kit?
A medical bag might not be a new thing to most experienced campers, but we asked BLS paramedic Ryan Harrison about what he regards as the essentials.
BURNSHIELD
A hydrogel that soothes the burning sensation and starts the healing process early. Don’t use petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline on burns, as the oily substance will block pores and won’t allow the skin to breathe. Burnshield also comes in a dressing form.
TRAUMA BANDAGES, TRAUMA PADS AND STERILE GAUZE
Don’t worry about packing cotton wool, because you can’t clean a wound with it as the cotton wool breaks off on the rough skin that’s been torn open. So you may have cleaned the wound, but the tiny bits of cotton wool left behind can cause an infection. Sterile gauze and a trauma pad will hold a lot of blood, so it can clot. This is what you want to stop heavy bleeding.
GLOVES
A thicker, more substantial surgical grade glove is what you want to aim for if you can afford to, says Ryan. “The regular latex gloves tear easily, and you want to protect the victim and yourself from contaminants and pathogens.”
TOURNIQUET
You could make one yourself by using something like a belt and a small stick, but when you’re pressed for time, Ryan says a tourniquet is an essential item. In the case of massive blood loss, it will limit the flow and possibly save a life.
A PAIR OF SCISSORS
Not the type Johnny uses for his arts and crafts, but the so-called rescue scissors, which are tough enough to cut through almost anything, including denim, leather and plastic. They don’t lose their edge easily.
TWEEZERS
These are especially useful for extracting an embedded object that’s on the surface of the skin, like a thorn or shard of glass. It’s safer for the responder to use these than try to remove the hazardous object by hand.
STERILE FLUID
Something like Savlon antiseptic liquid to clean wounds without risking the skin being damaged and also a saline (salt-water) solution for minor afflictions.
SPLINT
In the case of a serious fracture of an arm or leg, a real splint will help stabilise the limb before the patient receives medical attention. African Snakebite Institute CEO Johan Marais weighed in on this list by suggesting that you make sure you add these two essential items to the bag.
PRESSURE BANDAGES
A special type of bandage that helps prevent the spread of venom by cutting off the lymphatic system. The pressure bandage indicates to the person applying the bandage how tightly to wrap it – you pull the bandage until the triangles on the bandage look like rectangles, then you stop
POCKET MASK
Unlike the flimsier mouthpieces with a piece of plastic around it, this mask fits over the victim’s nose and mouth, and creates a seal. You blow into it every six seconds.