Because there are so many ways to injure yourself, it seems like it would be nearly impossible to prepare for every possibility. Luckily, there are plenty of versatile emergency medical supplies that can be used to help treat a wide variety of injuries.
Here are some especially important items that you’ll want to have in your medical kit to be as prepared as possible for any potential wound that you or a loved one might incur in an emergency situation.
Sanitation
It’s extremely important to sanitize any wound to avoid an infection that may become more serious than the initial wound itself. Here are some items that you will want for sanitation!
- Rubber gloves: Whoever is treating the injured person should always wear rubber gloves to avoid spreading the germs and dirt they may have on their hands to the other person’s wound.
- Alcohol pads: Alcohol pads are a cheap and effective way to disinfect an area of skin before applying an antiseptic to the wound.
- Antibiotic ointment: Applying a good antibiotic ointment to the wound after it has been sanitized will help it heal quicker and fight off any germs or bacteria that might lead to infection.
Bandages
Bandages are crucial when treating a wound that is exposed and needs to be protected from dirt while it heals. Make sure you have the following to bandage a wound properly.
- Band-Aids: Band-Aids are a practical way to bandage smaller cuts or scrapes that are less serious.
- Gauze: For larger gashes that require more care and are too large for Band-Aids, clean gauze can be used to cover the affected area before wrapping it with medical tape or elastic bandages.
- Elastic bandages: If you or someone in your group sprains or strains a muscle, an elastic bandage can create localized pressure that will help treat the injury by reducing the blood flow to the area.
- Medical tape: Medical tape is great for holding gauze and other bandages in place due to its self-adhesive quality.
Miscellaneous
The following are some items that don’t fit in to the previous categories but that are essential items to include in your emergency medical bag.
- Burn cream: Burn cream can be applied to a burn after cooling it down with cold water to help soothe the pain and hold in moisture. Cover the burn with a sterile bandage after applying the burn cream to keep it from drying out so it can heal faster.
- Scalpel: A scalpel is a useful tool to have around in case someone needs to perform an emergency procedure like a tracheotomy or remove of an object that’s lodged into someone’s skin.
- Painkillers: Depending on the amount of pain that an injury causes, over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen can be useful in controlling or eliminating that pain.
Though hopefully you never have to use them, storing these basic items in your emergency medical bag will aid you in successfully treating a range of injuries that might possibly be incurred during an emergency situation.
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