Medical Equipment

This post will list a few items you should keep around your house and in your car in case of a medical emergency. Again, I will not go into how you should employ these items, but merely describe what they could be used for.

• The Automated External Defibrillator (AED) will be first on my list. This piece of equipment is not low-tech and is not cheap, so unless you just happen to have the extra cash lying around or live with someone in danger of having a heart-attack, learning CPR may be your most fiscally sound option.

• Israeli Battle Dressings-Can be used to stop large amounts of bleeding.

• Tampons-Great for gunshot wounds. Plug the hole and watch it grow!

• Non-Latex Rubber Gloves-Helps in keeping the victim’s wound clean and acts as a barrier between blood-borne ickies such as HIV and the wearer.

• CPR Mask-While receiving CPR, some victims may vomit. This is ok if you as the rescuer are giving compressions, but it’s not ok if you are in the process of giving a breath. Also, some victim’s may have communicable diseases that you would not want to take part in. This mask will help protect you against both.

• Gauze Roll-Good piece of gear for packing a bleeding wound

• Medical Tape-Holds gauze in place

• Tourniquet- Helps stop severe bleeding, such as a severed artery

• Splint-After a car accident, there is always a chance that a person may have broken their leg. If they have broken their femur and they are writhing in pain, the possibility exists that the broken bone may puncture or sever their femoral artery. Granted, this is a remote possibility but my job is to inform…

• Trauma Shears-Useful in cutting away victims clothing to get to a wound when moving them is impractical. Trauma shears can also be used to cut gauze pads to size.

• Emergency Tool-This piece of equipment is for your car and usually comes with a spring loaded window breaker and hook knife used to cut away a seat belt. It should be mounted (during a car crash, unsecure items will go flying) within arm’s reach of the driver. Breaking the window of your car is the fastest way of exiting a vehicle when it is sinking in the water. A few years ago a local family died when their SUV slid across an icy road and landed in a pond. The hook knife is great for seatbelts as they are very hard to cut with a straight edge. In an emergency you may not have time to unbuckle all of your passengers in order to get them to safety.

• Headlamp-Taking care of a wounded person requires two hands, and dragging a victim to the front of your car so you can see is not always the best option. A reliable headlamp takes care of both of these issues.

• Cell Phone-Used to call for help. Just make sure that it is charged and secure while in your vehicle!

• Blood-Clotting Agent-This item will also help stop severe bleeding. Celox and Quikclot are two examples.

Again, this is not a complete list, but it is a good start. Most of these items are cheap and will fit in a small bag, but make sure certain items, such as the Emergency Tool and cell phone, are readily accessible. As with all of the products I will recommend, it is up to you the user to become familiar with them and learn how to properly use them. Only then will they do you any good.

*Click on the words in red to be hyperlinked to that item*