Out of date First aid?

[OctopusPrime]

Haha... I have always wondered about the trianglular bandages... No idea what they would be used for

[Yorkshire Andy]

I also acquired a load of out of date first aid kits from work, the ones in the green plastic boxes designed for I think 25 people. Bits had been used but I re-arranged the contents to make several full boxes. I have kept some kits for house and car and put the rest on e-bay listing them as out of date but they still sold. One thing that did stand out is the number of triangular bandages that were left over. Indeed one box that I picked up had nothing but triangular bandages and by the time I had finished I had another half box spare. To be honest I've never seen one used in anger so to speak and a friend who teaches first aid and safety after telling me how useful they are had to concede he'd never actually seen one used on a patient . I'm not suggesting they should be dropped from first aid kits but does any kit need more than one? Still it did give me a few extra rags for the workshop.

The HSE has handed over control of First Aid at work to the QCA With the change came a review of training and Kit contents

The old training as i had it explained doing the new course simplified the broken limb training to a degree but then covers other areas in more details

Argument was that moving a severely fractured leg to secure splint it to the good leg with the above mentined Triangular bandages like this Can cause more harm in some complicated fractures



or when the bone has broken and the muscle has let the bone over ride itself

moving the causality without pain relief can cause major pain and a risk of rupturing any artery or vein near the broken bone....

New advice is to let the casuilty lie in a position they are in as you will naturally lay in a "comfortable" position if thats the case check for capiliry refill and keep them warm until help arrives if blood flow is restricted or the ambulance is a long time away then straighten and splint

2 bandages in a pack would be better than one for supporting a broken collar bone,.





this is the book i got with the course i went on... nice read and good front cover index making it quick to find the relevant section should you need to refresh your knowlage on the job so to speak and keep with your first aid kit

http://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Aid-Made- ... +made+easy

[grenfell]

I'm probably a bit out of date with any first aid training as I did mine in the eighties so the update is welcome.I suppose I tend to think that a regular bandage is more useful in that it can be used as a makeshift sling as well as actually bandaging a wound. I could also be thinking too simply and could stand to be corrected.
I suppose the real issue here is does every item in a first aid kit really need replacing other than legally speaking of course. As has been said bandages were boiled and reused, but then our society is more of a throwaway one nowadays.

[unsure]

like grenfell and others , i know my first aid training is out of date .i did my in the early 90`s . after seeing a lady get hit with a wagon and feeling so useless at not being able to help other than covering her with my coat and keeping her talking .
the chances are even though its well out of date as far as training goes , we still know more than most of the general public . ive even be called to do first aid at off road events , everything from a guy who fell into a fire and burned his hands to a little girl who grabbed a barbed wire fence . i`d rather take a chance and give some one a chance than do nothing .

[Yorkshire Andy]

theyve also altered the chest compression to breath ratio its now 30 breaths to 2 breaths...

the older 10 to 1 iirc never raises the persons blood pressure enough to ensure the blood actually circulates... Work paid £120 for the course plus VAT (three day one)



Lets face it in absence of an out of date dressing even a clean towel / t shirt will stop the red stuff draining out so fast.....

[unsure]

the last time i did a course it was 15 compressions to 1 breath

[Yorkshire Andy]

the last time i did a course it was 15 compressions to 1 breath

my mistake takes 12 compressions to raise the bp to circulate blood so you only get 3 "working" compression's

Still doing something is better than stood waiting for an ambulance doing nothing..... However they do now talk you through first aid on the phone.... Just wonder how good that is sometimes when a few on the course with me took a lot to grasp how to open the air way to give a breath. Hence the vinnie jones hands only cpr

got one of these in my car kit. one in the home kit....

http://www.healthandcare.co.uk/emergenc ... -wipe.html

ideal if the casualty has vomited or been in contact with chemicals or is covered in blood...

(we did get to practice with them on the course)

[Bodhihermit]

Of course some medicines will do more harm than good if out of date, but as far as I am aware from research done, they mainly tend to just become less effective over time.

Tetracycline (broad spectrum Antibiotic) being one such case, as chemical changes in the meds over time make them dangerous, it is known to cause serious Kidney Damage, and was first reported in the early 1960s

[damaralenoire]

If you guys are wanting to learn more about first aid without the expense.. I volunteer for St John Ambulance which put me through my FAW training and up to date certificates, advanced emergency aid, also put me through trainging in Gases and Oxygen, Defibs, First Aid manual handling, Rescue training. and the ALL FREE, just donate some of your time to your local division, you even get a smart sexy uniform and if you want to train to drive the ambulances you can do that to

[Lanky Yankee]

St johns is a good way to pick up patient contact in a pretty safe environment. We have them working in our area doing mostly non-emergency patient care, but occasionally I have them back me up when I need to take a patient to hospital and I don't have any front line crews in my area ( I work on a paramedic car). The training is pretty good and they do a lot of festival/large event stuff so volunteering and working a couple of those events will get you loads of practical experience very quickly.