Mike7
WKR
I ran across this article, which is an excellent straight forward backcountry first aid summary in my opinion. If you learn everything in this article, I believe you will know more proper first aid than 99% of other people in the backcountry.
http://contemporarypediatrics.moder...ing-illness-or-injury-great-outdoors?page=0,0
I will make a few comments on the medical kit that the author details at the end of the article:
I personally don't carry all of the first aid kit items mentioned for solo and partner backcountry hunting. But if I was tasked with carrying a kit for a group in the backcountry as has been the case previously, then I might take most of those items, and potentially some additional items depending upon the length of the trip, location, etc. Knowing the medical history of those along on your trip can be a big help with making critical decisons on taking or leaving items also...like albuterol for Asthma or Epi-pens for severe insect allergies, etc. It is not feasible to pack a hospital on your back, but there is nothing more frustrating as a medical provider, than watching somebody on their way to death right in front of your eyes (like anaphylaxis from a nut allergy), when you know how to help them, but don't have the necessary tool/medicine to make a difference.
When on foot, I choose not to carry a SAM splint or prewrap but do carry some light weight less bulky cloth athletic type tape and some tincture of benzoin which will get the job done for an ankle sprain or for making a crude splint. If I or a hunting partner actually fractures an ankle, that is what the satellite texter is for...because I (and 99.9% of other people) am not walking out on a broken ankle, whether I have a SAM splint or not.
I don't carry an emergency reflective blanket when I have my overnight camping gear, because that is what my pad and quilt are for.
I don't carry a separate sterile solution irrigating bottle or syringe, but do have a tiny bottle of contact/artificial tears solution and a large syringe for flushing the Sawyer mini-filter (those mini's plug up easily). A 1 L platypus bag that has potable water which can be poured into a wound, along with 4x4 gauze dressings that can be used to perform a scrub of the wound while irrigating with gravity applied water will in my experience (except for irrigating eyes) be just as effective or nearly as effective as high pressure irrigation from a large syringe (a syringe which just adds more bulk to your pack if you don't already have it for your water filter system).
I don't carry alcohol pads to wipe down instruments, as washing instruments with water, wiping with a paper towel which I carry in my cook kit, and then letting air dry in the sun is pretty darn sterile. I you were using your instruments on multiple group members that may have Hepatitis C, etc., then maybe addding an alcohol pad in the process would be advisable though.
I do bring aspirin (great instruction on use are in the article), naproxen instead of ibuprofen (this has little lower cardiac risk), and antihistamines, as mentioned on the author's list. A small mini-leatherman can be packed, which has excellent small scissors and tweezers, and which can serve a multitude of functions from cutting tape and hangnails, to pulling splinters and applying steri-strips.
Hopefully, this helps someone.
http://contemporarypediatrics.moder...ing-illness-or-injury-great-outdoors?page=0,0
I will make a few comments on the medical kit that the author details at the end of the article:
I personally don't carry all of the first aid kit items mentioned for solo and partner backcountry hunting. But if I was tasked with carrying a kit for a group in the backcountry as has been the case previously, then I might take most of those items, and potentially some additional items depending upon the length of the trip, location, etc. Knowing the medical history of those along on your trip can be a big help with making critical decisons on taking or leaving items also...like albuterol for Asthma or Epi-pens for severe insect allergies, etc. It is not feasible to pack a hospital on your back, but there is nothing more frustrating as a medical provider, than watching somebody on their way to death right in front of your eyes (like anaphylaxis from a nut allergy), when you know how to help them, but don't have the necessary tool/medicine to make a difference.
When on foot, I choose not to carry a SAM splint or prewrap but do carry some light weight less bulky cloth athletic type tape and some tincture of benzoin which will get the job done for an ankle sprain or for making a crude splint. If I or a hunting partner actually fractures an ankle, that is what the satellite texter is for...because I (and 99.9% of other people) am not walking out on a broken ankle, whether I have a SAM splint or not.
I don't carry an emergency reflective blanket when I have my overnight camping gear, because that is what my pad and quilt are for.
I don't carry a separate sterile solution irrigating bottle or syringe, but do have a tiny bottle of contact/artificial tears solution and a large syringe for flushing the Sawyer mini-filter (those mini's plug up easily). A 1 L platypus bag that has potable water which can be poured into a wound, along with 4x4 gauze dressings that can be used to perform a scrub of the wound while irrigating with gravity applied water will in my experience (except for irrigating eyes) be just as effective or nearly as effective as high pressure irrigation from a large syringe (a syringe which just adds more bulk to your pack if you don't already have it for your water filter system).
I don't carry alcohol pads to wipe down instruments, as washing instruments with water, wiping with a paper towel which I carry in my cook kit, and then letting air dry in the sun is pretty darn sterile. I you were using your instruments on multiple group members that may have Hepatitis C, etc., then maybe addding an alcohol pad in the process would be advisable though.
I do bring aspirin (great instruction on use are in the article), naproxen instead of ibuprofen (this has little lower cardiac risk), and antihistamines, as mentioned on the author's list. A small mini-leatherman can be packed, which has excellent small scissors and tweezers, and which can serve a multitude of functions from cutting tape and hangnails, to pulling splinters and applying steri-strips.
Hopefully, this helps someone.