hello, I am medic mark,ask me a question.

[sethorly]

What is the best way to clean a wound if you're not in a hospital? What kit would we need to do this? Would that change in a SHTF scenario?

[medicmark]

basic wound care is simple give the wound a really, really good clean.

kit required water and gauze swabs also +/- syringe or bottle with squirt function so theres force to irrigate. you could also use steri wipe but not inside wounds.

In hospital this is simply done with water, even if its a surgical debridement of very dirty wounds, the aim is to flush out all contaminants and even make it bleed a little so you know you have got right down through the crap.

theres no reason this cant be achieved in the field so to speak, I have done it numerous times when I was with red cross and all we had was what we carried.

If you simply keep the wound clean and dry then should be ok but needs regular checking, any signs of infection off to hospital may need i.v. antibiotics, in SHTF situation find medical help, as for fish antibiotics see post previously- only take as very very very last resort, and if you know which one to take and safe for humans.

Any more questions/thoughts/queries or ideas ?
Mark.

[AlwaysPrepping]

Mark, Thank you so much for the reply on the topic of fish antibiotics that is the most detailed answer ive had on the topic and you have said things that I never knew of.
As I would never take them in a normal situation I am glad I have some on standby just in case things got really bad.
I think though once they have expired I may just leave them be and rely on herbal medicines that thankfully have a good understanding of.

Thanks again.

[medicmark]

being totally honest I found out about this issue of fish antibiotics from Patriotnurse on her you tube channel I dont know everything by any means but im good at finding the information and passing it on for everyones benefit.
Mark.

[SooBee]

Mark, many thanks for this thread and the sound and practical info. I feel this is more my level than the Doctor's info on another thread.
I can learn from you and correct a lot of my present shortcomings. I have the usual plastic box in the kitchen with basic dressings and good old Savlon, Lemsips and paracetamols. This would be no use at all in interesting times. I believe most households are as bad as mine and those little bags with first aid stuff for the car are more a liability than a help... so I am off to haunt Boots for a few weeks to upgrade.

I like the look of that drop-down bag you showed us as my memory of dealing with Girl Guides at camps was usually I had to run to whoever was screaming and sort her out quick...usually in very non-sterile conditions. I kept up my first aid courses over the years but could do with learning some of the new stuff. I do this with a certain amount of cynicism because when I swam off the old-style Lifesaving methods against the new ones at Aberdeen University in the early 1990's, they decided that the old ways worked just as well and possibly better in the sea so long as modern resuscitation was added ( I actually used this for the first time at the age of 14 in 1961 in Cyprus when us kids pulled a drowning swimmer up off the seabed and used the 'Kiss of Life' to keep him going while we swam him to the shore and the real help was still running down the beach to take over. The patient lived.) Interesting though the story might sound, the constant need for updating is very real to me. I may be retired but I might be the only one who can help in my old age just as I was then. Knowledge matters.

Once again, Thank you.

[medicmark]

Thanks for the thumbs up SooBee.

As I keep saying excellent training is where preppers should spend money rather than having kit they dont know how to use.

remember also everyday shtf situations occur all the time now- people knifed/shot beat up etc and having kit/knowledge to help is amazing, rewarding and to be commended BUT if person A has been stabbed in the chest and you get maveric and try and put in a chest drain, you are going to get done, end off, no question.
Do NOT GO OUTSIDE YOUR SKILL SET !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In a situation where all normal infrastructure has gone and you are it just think, If you do this intervention will the person recover without further definitive care thats no longer available? only you and your conscience can answer that.

that said all situations different and the level of expectation also diferent.

If I can give you all just 1 piece of advice- go and get trained up, theres many courses and costs, Heres a few Ideas:

st john ambulance initial first aid course- 3 days- £348.00

st john cpr and defib 3 hours- £130

red cross aed and cpr - 3 hrs - £116.40

those are basic courses which are no frills stuff but essential.

then we go on to more advanced courses:

FREC courses First Response Emergency care, new courses which are brilliant.
they take responders to way beyond first aid, they require significant pre course learning but are designed for non healthcare professionals.

there are different levels, at the moment theres 3,4 and 5.

this is the contents of the level 3 course
http://solentmedicalskills.co.uk/frec-3 ... content-2/

this is the contents of the level 4 course
http://solentmedicalskills.co.uk/1402-2/

the level 4 course is where you get to put cannulas or do surgical procedures on casualties- you have to do the level 3 first or have prior learning and experience.
the courses cost level 3 £500, level 4 £600 these courses also involve keeping a portfolio of work and also patient care hours and are awarded by the royal college of surgeons, Scotland.

THESE COURSES DO NOT GIVE YOU LICENSE TO UNDERTAKE THE SKILLS, No issue in the apocalyptic SHTF situation.

So hope that gives you a little idea.
any other questions topics thoughts you would like me to cover just ask.

Mark.

[Yorkshire Andy]

if person A has been stabbed in the chest and you get maveric and try and put in a chest drain, you are going to get done, end off, no question.
Do NOT GO OUTSIDE YOUR SKILL SET !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They have dumped the tape 3 side dressings recently too from my requal

[SooBee]

Mark, I did a nursing course about 30yrs ago and had to stop it about halfway through because of my husband needing full home nursing care
(Huntington's Disease) so I have been trained up to a point and I don't go beyond my own skills. I think that after so many years away from it I need to go back to basics and do the initial St John's Ambulance course again. I first did this in 1966 (Military Police) and the catch-ups were Red Cross. Apart from this, most of my skill set is in home nursing. I think heading for the modern basics and the newer procedures would be better protection from any possible future litigation. So the pennies are now going into a jar for the course.

[Brambles]

Free First Aid at Work courses are available through the Jobcentre for anyone on Universal Credit, Jobseekers or Income Support. I only found out about this last week, well worth a look if you only work part time like me.

[medicmark]

Soobee, very wise.
what people dont realise is that health professionals dont just do a quick course in say cannulation, we have to do a bare minimum number (in my trust at least 10) as well as booklet on anatomy, risks,type of equipment, techniques and 2 days face to face teaching, then exam then final sign off after observed successful canulation, then we have to do yearly updates.
thats why I get a little twitchy with people wanting to do advanced procedures without training.

to be fair the prepper would need to be working in the role to gain the experience of doing invasive procedures. I know that I may sound a little risk aversed but the medic at whatever level must first do no harm.

unfortunately I cant train you to do these procedures online

If nothing else I hope my threads give information you can use, make you think and do the right thing.

Mark.