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What should be in a kit--or not.
By Michael Hodgson
Dr. Howard Donner and Dr. Eric Weiss, both active members of the Wilderness Medical Society and highly respected medical doctors with vast emergency room and backcountry emergency experience were asked to comment on a number of contents found in first aid kits to help clarify what should and should not find its way into a good kit. This is what they had to say on:
 | Gloves Yes, vinyl gloves are cheaper, but they leak more readily making them less valuable as a protective device for the user. For that reason, the recommended gloves are Latex, unless of course you have a Latex allergy.
| Splints SAM splints are the way to go for orthopedic injuries of all kinds since it can be cut and molded to fit any extremity, can be fashioned into a usable cervical collar, is reusable, isn't affected by temperature extremes, and is x-ray permeable. Toss the wire splints.
| Re-hydration Salt tablets were the standard for oral re-hydration needs, but what a lousy standard. Salt tablets are virtually impossible to digest and frequently induce vomiting--not what you want when it is re-hydration you are trying to achieve. World Health Organization oral re-hydration salt packets for treating diarrhea and dehydration are the standard in most good kits.
| Wound Management Since the old days of traditional 4x4 gauze pads, wound dressings have gotten more sophisticated and feature non-adherent designs and hydrogel dressings such as Spenco 2nd skin. Cleansing a wound is now best performed via high-pressure irrigation utilizing an irrigation syringe. Gone too are the butterfly bandages, replaced by more effective wound closure strips. To eliminate sticking problems, be sure that your kit has tincture of benzoin in it which, when spread on the skin on either side of a wound, serves to help tape and bandages adhere better--useful when the skin is sweaty and dirty.
| Blisters Feet should receive attention the minute friction or irritation is noticed. Always leave blisters intact unless infection is suspected. Spenco 2nd Skin and an adhesive pad is very effective in the prevention and treatment of blisters.
| Snake Bite Kits Ice, electric shock treatment, constriction and those tiny kits with razor-sharp blades and miniature rubber suction cups are not safe, according to wilderness medical experts, and can do much more harm that good when treating for a snake bite. The Sawyer Extractor is the only snake bite kit that is actually acknowledged as useful in certain situations. The recommended first aid? Get the victim to a hospital where antivenin may be given safely.
| Medications Tylenol will reduce fever and does relieve pain, but it does nothing for decreasing inflammation that can occur from a sprain or strain. Ibuprofen (Nuprin, Motrin, Advil) is the preferred choice for inflammation reduction. Benadryl is often included in today's kits as a treatment for mild allergic reactions, but medical doctors assert that if you are a frequent traveler in the backcountry you would be wise to add epinephrine in the form of an Epi Pen to treat more serious allergic reactions that might otherwise be fatal. | |
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