First Aid Emergency Kit

"Tape and gauze
Band-Aid or MYO? Essentially the same thing except for the convience of a sterile single use package. Where's that tape been. What's in that roll of gaze that you've been hauling around for years?"

That could be a problem, although if you keep it in a ziploc I guess it should be good.
Personally I have sheets of gauze that are in their own flat sterile packages. The tape I have in precut strips in a separate ziploc.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/november/health/waterproof-bandages/overview/index.htm

75% efficiency. Bandaids may start out sterile. They don't end up that way. A piece of tape over a small cut will keep it closed and cleaner in wet dirty conditions. I usually don't even bother unless I'm bleeding over everything.

"I usually don't even bother unless I'm bleeding over everything."

Yup. Most of the band aids I use are to keep me from bleeding on my clothes or gear more than anything else. I also take NSAIDs when I'm hiking so little cuts tend to go Monty Python on me.

> sheets of gauze that are in their own flat sterile packages.
Reality check: you don't need 'sterile' for skin wounds. Your commensal bacteria will look after any stray bugs. Just rinse the wound clean with plain water (not antiseptic), patch and go.

Yes, been there and done that a number of times. Our grandparents did not have all these antibiotics and antiseptics.

Cheers

A little off topic…organic gardening.
http://teamingwithmicrobes.com/home/?cb=03313265209539601
.
http://www.microbeorganics.com/

The good bacteria consume the bad bacteria, hence we have survived all these years.
Don't be afraid of a few germs.
I'll go one step further on my rant as well. Gauze is only neccessary to keep the tape from sticking to the wound. It can also act as padding. It too is a liability in wet, dirty conditions. It's often better to use just straight tape to close the wound and to keep foriegn matter out. Wrap in the opposite direction of the cut so you can unwrap without pulling the cut open.
The inside surface of a roll of tape stays clean and should be pretty much sterile anyway.
Not an expert by far. I've just worked and played a lot in damp dirty conditions.

"The good bacteria consume the bad bacteria, hence we have survived all these years.
Don't be afraid of a few germs."

Um, no. The introduction of antibiotics in the mid-20th century was the greatest contributor to increased life expectancy in the history of mankind.

It's true that a healthy population of commensal gut flora helps prevent infection by pathogenic bacteria by competitive exclusion. That does not imply that non-sterile wound dressings are good for you.

"> sheets of gauze that are in their own flat sterile packages.
Reality check: you don't need 'sterile' for skin wounds. Your commensal bacteria will look after any stray bugs. Just rinse the wound clean with plain water (not antiseptic), patch and go.

Yes, been there and done that a number of times. Our grandparents did not have all these antibiotics and antiseptics.
"

Well, mine come in super light flat sterile packages. I keep them in there in favour of a bigger roll that I need to cut pieces off of, or letting them loose with the rest of the items. I use it mostly as an above poster – to keep the tape from sticking to my wound.
Your mileage may very of course.

Disease is introduced in crowded conditions. There is actually very little in our pristine areas. I remember a study once documenting that you were more likely to get sick drinking city water than you were drinking untreated creek water. People died in hospitals from infection that came from surgery. They need antibiotics. Most are overused.
"Competitive exclusion" is the correct term. Not "consume" as I had said.

“I remember a study once documenting that you were more likely to get sick drinking city water than you were drinking untreated creek water.”

I don’t think there are any professional epidemiologists that would agree.

You are likely thinking of the Rockwell paper (not a peer-reviewed study) which I’ve responded to HERE.

Or you might be thinking of the Welch study, which I’ve responded to here: HERE.

"Our grandparents did not have all these antibiotics and antiseptics."

And their life expectancy was much shorter than ours. People died and lost limbs because of infections all the time – thankfully much less since we learned about wounds and how to keep them clean.

my first aid/repair kit was put together to try and cover day to day “emergencies”, true trauma events are going to be handled w/ items I’m already carrying

what I carry- small roll of gauze, steri-strips, triple antibiotic (single use, but actually can can a few uses out of one packet), Leukotape wrapped around a vial Benzoin, tweezers from a SAK, ~ 3′ of duct tape, two medium safety pins, needle & dyneema fishing line and a small med bag- 3 Benadryl, 3 Imodium, 6 Acetaminophen, 6 Ibuprofen and recently 2 aspirin (for heart attack)

1.3 ounces for the lot

this little kit I keep in a small cuben dry bag and gets thrown into whatever pack I’m using, makes it handier than trying to keep track every these little bits

I’ll add a AMK heatsheet for a day outing in milder weather, a AMK Thermolite bivy and a small ccf pad in less mild weather and in the winter a eVENT bivy, ccf pad and down half bag; backpacking shelter/sleep is taken care so just the little cuben bag goes

So, if you are truly averse to anti-biotic salves then honey is a viable option. Messy, but would do a good job and is useful on burns as well as wounds.

It's primary action is the osmotic effect, which is to say it deprives microorganisms from H2O so they can't thrive.

I think it's too messy to use in the field so I prefer the anti-biotic.

Here's a lay article with references to peer-reviewed research (http://www.dermnetnz.org/treatments/honey.html).

Since it's usually on my menu there's I see no need to add it to my FAK :-P

Has no one any first aid training?

Irrigation with clean water followed by a Telfa or Tegaderm dressing of appropriate size is my latest method of addressing granite burn, wounds or other skin compromise larger than a cut.

Butterfly bandages for avulsions. Evacuation for any wound that can't be closed in the field. Hit the PLB button for any heavily contaminated wound, open joint space, animal bite, impaled or imbedded object, a crush injury, or evidence of serious infection.

>> Has no one any first aid training?

Oh, about 25 years ago; before Telfa or Tegaderm.

Hydrocolloid dressings are awesome. No need for ointments, just clean water. But I had to learn about those much, much later.

First aid SOP has changed in the last three – four renewal periods, let alone 25 years ago.

No more snakebite kits, for example.

Telfa or Tegaderm. New to me. Thank you.I'll order some. A small dedicated cuben dry bag was a good suggestion as well.
PLB? Beam me up Scotty, I forgot my water.