First-aid Kit: A Life Can Be Saved

A First-aid Kit is a collection of instruments, medicine and other supplies which are essential in providing First-aid. It contains a variety of precisely chosen equipments that may include bandages for covering a wound & stop bleeding, personal protecting equipments such as rubber-gloves, a breathing barrier for performing Expired Air Resuscitation (EAR) & Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and sometimes information on how to provide life saving measures & perform first aid in emergency when provision of health support is not accessible or time consuming.

What It May Contain:

First-aid kits which are commercially available contain:

• Adhesive bandages
• Gauze
• Pain-killers (regular strength)
• Antihistamine
• Low-grade disinfectant
• Scissors
• Thermometer etc.

These sort of first-aid kits are enough to treat minor injuries.

But there are some specialized first aid kits which are available for various places, transport & vehicles, activities or occupations etc. For example, first aid kits sold to mountaineers should contain health support to fight against ventilation problems regarding high altitude and first aid kit provided to watercrafts by the marine supply stores may contain sea-sickness remedies.

An Ideal First-aid Kit:

Dressing:

• Sterile non-adhesive pads.
• Sterile gauze pads.
• Burn pads.
• Cotton.

Bandage:

• Gauze-roller bandage.
• Triangular bandage.
• Straight adhesive bandage.

Instruments:

• Adhesive tape.
• Tweezes.
• Lighter (it is also used to sterile tweezers and needles)
• Irrigation syringe
• Ryle’s Tube
• Rubber suction bulb

Equipments:

• Disposable, non-latex rubber gloves.
• Penlight & torch or flashlight
• Eye-wash (commonly saline)
• Sterile non-woven swabs.
• Antiseptic hand wash.
• Thermometer.

Medications:

• Pain-killers: Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen.
• Antihistamine
• Oral Saline
• Antacid tablet or Proton Pump Inhibitors.
• Anti-diarrheal Tablet (Imotil, Lopamid etc)
• Antiseptic-antimicrobial:
  • Povidone iodine wipes
  • Alcohol pads
  • Antibiotic ointments.
• Anti-itch ointments:
  • Hydrocortisone
  • Antihistamine
  • Calamine lotion etc.
• Gel : Burn gel, Aloe Vera gel etc

Antidote:

• Activated Charcoal
• Universal antidote
• Syrup of Ipecac

In our day to day life we are being exposed to so many activities where the chance of being injured is high. But rushing for health support just after facing an accident is not a wise way to choose. One should be prepared for any kind health hazard. In case of emergency a well equipped first-aid kit can save lives. So better to have one rather than running after being injured.