Important - First Aid Kit

[izwozral]

Following on from Pauljenny's accident when he fell down the sewage chamber:
Because Paul received such grievous injuries he required Nurse Jenny to patch him up, only to find they had no plasters in the First Aid Kit, this necessitated Paul to go whimpering like a wounded puppy to the local pharmacist.

Now for the serious bit: I decided to check our six year old First Aid Kit to see if we were short of anything. The good news is that we were fully stocked with all necessities, the bad news is, all the creams were way beyond the use by date as were the paracetamols, plasters and even the bandages.
In the case of the creams, Germolene, Stingose, Vaseline, Canesten, After Sun and er ahem Preparation H, any active ingredients would be degraded. The plasters and bandages may no longer be sterile and the Paracetamols are not going to get rid of that thumping hangover headache.

May be worth a check through your kit? We are buying a new one today and taking the old one to the pharmacist so they can dispose of the contents in the correct way.

 

[Pauljenny]

I was going to post the same, sensible advice, but after limping a mile,to and fro, to the pharmacy and spending £9.87 , the pain overcame me.
I followed the trail of my blood back to the van. I probably wouldn't have got back, without it.
It's good advice.... Even from the model for the Hobgoblin beer label.

 

[izwozral]

I was going to post the same, sensible advice, but after limping a mile,to and fro, to the pharmacy and spending £9.87 , the pain overcame me.
I followed the trail of my blood back to the van. I probably wouldn't have got back, without it.
It's good advice.... Even from the model for the Hobgoblin beer label.

You always were a smooth talking devil, flattery will get you nowhere.

 

[QFour]

Better not come near our MH then. The NURSE on board will make sure the wound is clean after you have washed it thoroughly. If its still bleeding elevate the limb till it stops bleeding. Don't put any creams or potions on it. This is especially true of burns where you should run them under cold water for at least 20 minutes. Usually get told to Man up ..

Our kit has

Sutures. Good for closing a deep cut with a knife.
Pain Killers
Antihistamine Tablets
Couple of Bandages
Plasters
Safety Pins

Just keep the old box and refill it with what you need. Far cheaper than buying a new one.

..

 

[delicagirl]

how can bandages have a sell by date ? Drug manufacturers built in obselencense?

if i have a choice to staunch a blood flow with pressure and then adding an out-of-date bandage as a tourniquet - or bleeding to death......... no option

i dont believe plasters form a part of First Aid Kits now - in case you are "over sensitive" to them and sue the manufacturer. My own experience of plasters is not to buy the huge cheap boxes from cheap high street chains... they are rubbish and dont stay on.

i would rather have a dab of slightly out of date anti insect cream dabbed onto a bite in the hope that most of the active ingredient is still there than itch and scratch all night not long.

 

[izwozral]

Better not come near our MH then. The NURSE on board will make sure the wound is clean after you have washed it thoroughly. If its still bleeding elevate the limb till it stops bleeding. Don't put any creams or potions on it. This is especially true of burns where you should run them under cold water for at least 20 minutes. Usually get told to Man up ..

Our kit has

Sutures. Good for closing a deep cut with a knife.
Pain Killers
Antihistamine Tablets
Couple of Bandages
Plasters
Safety Pins

Just keep the old box and refill it with what you need. Far cheaper than buying a new one.

..

Nearly all the contents are out of date and I suspect it will be cheaper to buy a new kit than buying individual items, besides, they are cheap enough to buy, the convenience will be worth it even if a little dearer.

 

[izwozral]

how can bandages have a sell by date ? Drug manufacturers built in obselencense?

if i have a choice to staunch a blood flow with pressure and then adding an out-of-date bandage as a tourniquet - or bleeding to death......... no option

i dont believe plasters form a part of First Aid Kits now - in case you are "over sensitive" to them and sue the manufacturer. My own experience of plasters is not to buy the huge cheap boxes from cheap high street chains... they are rubbish and dont stay on.

i would rather have a dab of slightly out of date anti insect cream dabbed onto a bite in the hope that most of the active ingredient is still there than itch and scratch all night not long.

If you don't mind me asking Delish, why not have 'in date' products and be assured of some relief? Slightly out of date probably doesn't affect it's active ingredients but how long will you leave it till it genuinely needs replacing?

 

[Nabsim]

Plasters are still included in first aid kits if you check HSE guidelines, we had this at work last year.

I had some plasters in my drawer (as you do along with the ball of string and stuff). Got a paper cut and the bit of kitchen roll and sellotape kept falling off so I dug out the box of plaster only to find they wouldn't stick even though they and the packaging looked pristine. When I looked the date was 2006 so dates on plasters can have an effect, unless I was just unlucky or expecting too much thinking a box of plasters was for life or until used

 

[Deleted member 12539]

We have a first aid kit + in our van, but never yet had to use it, apart from antihistamine.
As for plasters, we have them, but I prefer electricians tape. Clean the wound, then wrap it with tricians tape, stays on longer than plasters, and if you use the red colour, you get more sympathy cos it can clearly be seen.

 

[QFour]

We have a first aid kit + in our van, but never yet had to use it, apart from antihistamine.
As for plasters, we have them, but I prefer electricians tape. Clean the wound, then wrap it with tricians tape, stays on longer than plasters, and if you use the red colour, you get more sympathy cos it can clearly be seen.

Good idea at least you can find it when you loose it cooking .. :scared:

 

[trevskoda]

Good idea at least you can find it when you loose it cooking .. :scared:

Reminds me of school and the dinner ladies hair clips.:scared::lol-053::lol-053::lol-053:

 

[harrow]

We are buying a new one today and taking the old one to the pharmacist so they can dispose of the contents in the correct way.

No sell the left over stuff on a street corner, better than what the drug dealers sell the kids.

 

[st3v3]

but I prefer electricians tape. Clean the wound, then wrap it with tricians tape, stays on longer than plasters,

Ah, a tradesman's field dressing.

I do this a lot, but usually with a small folded bit of tissue paper as well. Not really sure why...

 

[ricc]

I've still got the bandages in the first aid kit was given at work 40 odd years ago. There done a few hundred thousand miles in the van.

Normally only use a plaster to stop blood dripping or to keep dirt out.

 

[sasquatch]

The kits we used on Scout camps are regularly restocked-mainly through over use! They don't like ointments or creams and plasters have been replaced with 'Blenderm' tape.
Ointments have been replaced with spray solutions,but we can't administer sun cream or other close contact items,best addition to the kits are the phone number of the nearest A&E!
Personally our kit in the van contains items we have experienced to be the best especially Imodium and Collis Brown's known to us as 'stop and go'!

 

[rockape]

how can bandages have a sell by date ? Drug manufacturers built in obselencense?

if i have a choice to staunch a blood flow with pressure and then adding an out-of-date bandage as a tourniquet - or bleeding to death......... no option

i dont believe plasters form a part of First Aid Kits now - in case you are "over sensitive" to them and sue the manufacturer. My own experience of plasters is not to buy the huge cheap boxes from cheap high street chains... they are rubbish and dont stay on.

i would rather have a dab of slightly out of date anti insect cream dabbed onto a bite in the hope that most of the active ingredient is still there than itch and scratch all night not long.

I still have fields dressing issued to me in 93 which are dated stamped 1944, if needs must use them. As every ex serviceman knows, ALWAYS use the other persons dressings cos if he becomes a stiff you haven't wasted your own. Make sense????
Unless you have a sucking chest wound.

 

[rockape]

Ah, a tradesman's field dressing.

I do this a lot, but usually with a small folded bit of tissue paper as well. Not really sure why...

Done that many times when on the tools, superglue is also good for closing wounds

 

[hextal]

Funnily enough I went through my various first aid kits the other day and replaced all the expired stuff.

A few extra things I've found to be very useful are eye/wound irrigation and burn shields. Also added a little tourniquet for the motorbike first aid kit - I figure that's probably when someone would potentially most likely need it.

 

[rockape]

If a push came to a shove I still have a Stanley knife and a silicone nozzle to use an emergency tracheotomy, been briefed and instructed as to the correct procedure.

Some decisions are made in real time and no time to hesitate and dither.

 

[suneye]

just made up a new first aid kit for our van and used this list to check I had what I needed What should I keep in my first aid kit?




- NHS.UK c: