First aid kit

For other uses, see First aid kit (disambiguation).

First-aid kit of the French Army.

A first-aid kit is a collection of supplies and equipment for use in giving first aid. First-aid kits contain a variety of equipment that may include bandages for controlling bleeding, personal protective equipment such as gloves, a breathing barrier for performing EAR (expired air resuscitation) and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), and sometimes instructions on how to perform first aid.

Contents

Commercially available first aid kits available via normal retail routes have traditionally been intended for treatment of minor injuries only. Typical contents include adhesive bandages, regular strength pain medication, gauze and low grade disinfectant.

Specialized first aid kits are available for various regions, vehicles or activities. For example, first aid kits sold through marine supply stores for use in watercraft may contain seasickness remedies.

Typical contents

Adhesive bandages are one of the most commonly used items in a first aid kit.

• Dressings (sterile, applied directly to wound)
  • Pads
    • Sterile eye pads
    • Sterile gauze pads
    • Sterile non-adherent pads
    • Burn dressing (sterile pad soaked in a cooling gel)
• Bandages
  • Gauze roller bandages - absorbent, breathable, and often elastic
  • Elastic bandages - used for sprains, and pressure bandages
  • Adhesive, elastic roller bandages - very effective pressure bandages or durable, waterproof bandaging
  • Triangular bandages - used as slings, tourniquets, to tie splints, and many other uses
• Adhesive bandages (band-aids, sticking plasters)
  • Straight adhesive bandages
  • Butterfly (knuckle) bandages

Disposable gloves are often found in modern first-aid kits.

Instruments

• Adhesive tape, hypoallergenic
• Trauma shears, for cutting clothing and general use
• Tweezers

  

  Plastic Twezers

• Lighter, for sterilizing tweezers or pliers etc
• Irrigation syringe, for cleaning wounds
• Rubber suction bulb, for clearing the airway of an unconscious patient

Equipment

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Gloves, disposable non-latex
  • CPR mask or other breathing barrier such as a face shield
• Eye cup or small plastic cup
• Torch (also known as a flashlight)
• Instant-acting chemical cold packs
• Sterile eye wash (commonly saline)
  • Sterile saline (used for cleaning wounds where clean tap water is not available)
• Swabs, sterile non-woven
• Space blanket (lightweight plastic foil blanket, also known as "emergency blanket")
• Alcohol rub (hand sanitizer) or antiseptic hand wipes
• Thermometer
• Penlight

Medication

• Antiseptics/antimicrobial
  • Povidone iodine wipes
  • Benzalkonium Chloride
  • Alcohol pads - used to prep unbroken skin for injections etc. or to disinfect equipment such as thermometers.
  • Antibiotic ointment - single, double, or triple antibiotic ointment in petroleum jelly base *Antiseptic/anesthetic ointment or spray
• Anti-itch ointment
  • Hydrocortisone cream
  • Antihistamine cream, such as benadryl
  • Calamine lotion
• Painkillers / fever reducers
  • Acetaminophen
  • Ibuprofen - anti-inflammatory, often more effective than acetaminophen.
  • Aspirin
• Antihistamine
  • diphenhydramine (brand name Benadryl)
• Aloe vera gel - used for a wide variety of skin problems, including burns, sunburns, itching, and dry skin
• Burn gel - a water-based gel that acts as a cooling agent and often includes a mild anesthetic such as lidocaine and, sometimes, an antiseptic such as tea tree oil
• Epinephrine auto-injector (brand name Epipen) - often included in kits for wilderness use and in places such as summer camps, to treat anaphylactic shock.
• Poison treatments
  • Activated charcoal
  • Syrup of ipecac
• QuikClot is a hemostatic agent sometimes included in first aid kits, especially military kits, to control severe bleeding.

Improvised uses: Many first-aid items can have improvised uses in a survival situation. For example, alcohol pads and petroleum jelly-based ointments can be used as a fire-starting aid in an emergency, and the latter can even be used as an improvised lubricant for certain mechanical devices, and adhesive tapes and bandages can be used for repairs. These alternate uses can be an important consideration when picking items for a kit that may be used in wilderness or survival situations.

Trauma Bag/First Responder Bag

Emergency responders use a more advanced medical kit called a trauma bag or a first responder bag containing greater quantities of material, of higher quality, than commercially available first aid kits.

Markings

First Aid symbol.

Commercially available first aid kits sold in North America and Europe are generally identified by one of the following symbols:

• Red Cross
• Green Cross
• Red Star

The use of the Red Cross on First Aid kits by anyone but the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) or associated agency may be illegal under the terms of international agreements designating the red cross as a protected symbol. The red cross is also a registered trade mark of the ICRC. Johnson & Johnson has permission to use the red cross as a trademark on its products and registered the symbol for use in 1887.

See also

• First aid
• Bug-out bag

External links

• Yahoo's First Aid Directory
• DMOZ.org First Aid Guide
• Work.com Guide to "Buying a First Aid Kit".
• The Do's & Don'ts of First Aid Compliance