A true lifesaver

Published 4:00 am Thursday, February 16, 2006

: A true lifesaver

If your first-aid kit at home consists of the leftovers of a Band-Aid box and a mercury thermometer, it’s time for a little home improvement.

A recent survey found that only one in seven Oregonians consider themselves ”fully prepared” for an emergency. More than half reported having no emergency supplies on hand, and one third had no first-aid or CPR training.

With a little preparation and forethought, first-aid kits and the ability to use them can save a life. But more often, they can keep a small problem from becoming a larger one and help provide comfort to family and guests.

Amber Hossick, co-director of health and safety community services for the Oregon Mountain River chapter of the American Red Cross, says many people are surprised how often first-aid kits come in handy.

”In our first-aid classes, we always have a show-and-tell moment,” Hossick says. ”We have a lot of people who say, ‘I never thought I’d use it,’ and nine times out of 10, it’s either at the work place or it’s been car accidents.”

Buying a kit

The easiest way to ensure a comprehensive first-aid kit is to buy a prepackaged kit. The Red Cross sells its largest first-aid kit for only $20. Those not only give you the necessary supplies, but also come with plenty of instructions.

”You open it up, it has our Check-Call-Care, the first steps you do,” Hossick says. ”It gives you the step-by-step beginning guide. As soon as you open up the first-aid kit, it’s there in bold letters.”

The kit is also divided into compartments by severity of the injury – severe bleeding, moderate bleeding, or cuts and scrapes. Other compartments have supplies for treating shock or burns.

”Our first-aid kits also turn around for use as pillows,” she says. ”Once you’ve taken care of the wound, you can fold it back up and there’s a ton of Styrofoam stuffing in it, so you can put it under the victim’s head.”

But Hossick says you don’t need to buy a Red Cross first-aid kit or even a prepackaged kit. You can put one together yourself, as long as you know how to use it.

”If you take a class, you’ll get the list of supplies that need to be in a first-aid kit. At that point, I’d say, ‘Yeah, go out and do it yourself,’” she says. ”But you’re going to be hard-pressed to maybe meet that same price. I think you’ll wind up spending the same if not more.”

Hossick also cautions about buying some of the smaller first-aid kits on the market that look like a good deal but skimp on the basics.

The Red Cross has been teaching first-aid courses since the days of Clara Barton, who implemented instruction in 1903 to address the high number of injuries among factory workers.

Hossick says she’s seen plenty of cases where somebody has been injured at the workplace and no first-aid kit was available. That usually prompts the employer to come in and buy several first-aid kits for the office.

Once you’ve acquired a kit, there’s little to worry about other than replacing the supplies that you use. Alcohol pads can dry up over time and ice or heat packs have a limited shelf life, but most of the standard contents can last for years. Experts recommend periodically checking the kit to make sure it’s well-stocked and none of the supplies have expired.

Kits should be stored in a central location out of reach of small children.

”Appropriate members of the household should know where the kit is stored and how to use each item,” says Dr. Greg Walker, an emergency physician with the American College of Emergency Physicians. ”The how-to part is critical – buy a manual and read it thoroughly. The items in the kit will be of little use unless you know how to use them.”

Getting trained

Keeping up-to-date on training is important, not only because individuals forget what they haven’t used, but because advice on first aid is constantly changing. Late last year, the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association collaborated to release new guidelines for first aid.

Part of the change was to make recommendations simpler and easier to remember, says Scott Conner, vice president of American Red Cross Products and Health and Safety Services.

”If learning and remembering these skills is easier, we feel that the average person will have more confidence to respond to an emergency and more lives will be saved,” he says.

One of the changes involves control of bleeding. Getting the blood flow under control is one of the few actions in first aid in which a person can critically influence the patient’s outcome.

In the past, guidelines stressed a combination of direct pressure, elevation and using pressure points to stop bleeding. The new guidelines recommend applying direct pressure firmly over the bleeding area until bleeding stops or professional help arrives.

Another change is in the recommendations for poisoning. First-aid providers should not have victims drink anything, including milk or water, or give activated charcoal or syrup of ipecac unless instructed to do so by the Poison Control Center.

The new guidelines also include revisions on the use of inhalers for patients with asthma and epinephrine auto-injectors, or EpiPens, for people with severe allergies.

Guidelines for CPR and defibrillator use have also been revised. The Red Cross expects to implement the changes into its full range of products, including first-aid training, by springtime.

Helping the pros

Additionally, parents are urged to teach their children how and when to call 911. That includes teaching them what constitutes an emergency so they’re not tying up resources for a skinned knee. Officials estimate that up to 75 percent of 911 calls are not true emergencies. Even though most 911 calls are now traced, children should be able to provide their street address and phone number when calling.

Hossick says people often forget about including a notepad and pencil in their first-aid kit.

”Something that we stress in the class is if your victim is conscious and you’ve done everything you can for him, start taking down as much info as you can,” she says. ”Getting that information out of the way lets the paramedics cut through that five minutes it takes to interview and lets them get right to starting their IVs, and doing whatever it is they need to do.”

And if the victim goes unconscious before they arrive, you may be able to provide critical information that wouldn’t be otherwise available.

Experts also advise putting important rescue medications in a first-aid kit, such as an inhaler for asthmatics or an EpiPen for serious allergic reactions. The American College of Emergency Physicians says all the medicines should be stored in their proper containers and properly marked with dosage and instructions on how and when to take them.

The group also recommends keeping a list of emergency numbers in the kit, including those of the family physician, pediatrician and any specialists that may be treating an ongoing condition.

It’s also a good idea to take a kit with you when you are away from home, particularly if you’re hiking, biking, camping or boating in a remote location. In some areas of Central Oregon, it can be hours before help arrives.