Emergency Rescue Essentials: The Outdoor Gear You Need

Wilderness medicine folks are often considered to be??a??gearheads.a?? That is, we love to try out new outdoor equipment, whether it is??for our activities, search and rescue, or personal safety. Improvisation is??important, but ita??s better to have what you need, particularly if you can pack??light and accomplish your mission without unnecessary bulk and weight. There??are numerous suppliers of equipment online. From time to time, as I am made??aware of these, I will let you know.

Rescue Essentials is a frequent exhibitor at wilderness medicine continuing medical education??meetings, and so I have become familiar with their carried product lines.

Importantly, Rescue Essentials carries the complete product line for SAM

Medical Products, which include the SAM Splint series and BlistOBan blister

(prevention) bandages. The company sells equipment for persons who respond to??outdoor medicine situations, tactical medics, search and rescue personnel, and??wilderness emergency medical technicians.

As a reminder of what a layperson might need to consider carrying??in order to be prepared to assist a person outdoors in need of medical??attention, here is a list that appears in the 5th edition of??Medicine for the Outdoors. From this list, one would select the desired items:

General Supplies

• medical guidebook


• first-aid report form


• pencil or pen with small notepad


• steel sewing needle


• paper clip


• safety pins


• needle-nose pliers with wire cutter


• sharp folding knife


• disposable scalpels (#11 and/or #12 blades)


• paramedic or EMT shears (scissors)


• Swiss Army?? knife or Leatherman??-type tool


• seam ripper


• sharp-pointed surgical scissors


• bandage scissors


• splinter forceps (tweezers)


• standard oral thermometer: digital, mercury, or
  
  alcohol


• low-reading hypothermia thermometer


• wooden tongue depressors (a??tongue bladesa??)


• rolled duct tape (3 in x 1 yd, or 91 cm)


• 1/8- to 1/4-inch-diameter braided nylon cord
  
  (minimum 10 ft, or 3 m)


• water bottle (such as Nalgene?? 1/2 to 1 liter)


• blue a??baby bulba?? or a??turkey bastera?? suction
  
  device


• waterproof flashlight (such as Pelican?? MityLitea?￠)


• headlamp (and spare batteries) a?? preferably with
  
  floodlight and flash settings, able to withstand moisture and temperature
  
  extremes


• CYALUME?? fluorescent light sticks


• CPR mouth barrier or pocket mask (such as a
  
  Microshield?? X-L Mouth Barriera?￠ or NuMask?? Pocket CPR Kit)


• sterile (hypoallergenic or latex) surgical
  
  gloves; if you are allergic to latex, bring other (such as nonlatex synthetic)
  
  nonpermeable gloves


• signal mirror


• magnifier


• waterproof matches


• fine-mesh head net or travel tent to repel
  
  insects


• Oral Rehydration Salts or Cera Lyte 70 oral
  
  electrolyte powder


• rubber cement


• urine pregnancy test

Wound Carea??Preparations and dressings

• elastic bandages (Band-Aid?? or Coverlet??),
  
  assorted sizes (strip, knuckle, and broad); cloth with adhesive is preferable


• Band-Aid?? Liquid Bandage


• butterfly bandages


• adhesive strips for wound closure (Steri-Stripa?￠
  
  or Cover-Strip?? II), assorted sizes (such as 1/4 in x 4 in, 1/8 in x 3 in, 1/2
  
  in x 4 in), reinforced (plain or impregnated with an antimicrobial) or elastic


• 3 in x 3 in or 4 in x 4 in sterile gauze pads
  
  (packets of 2 to 5) (such as Nu-Gauze?? highly absorbent)


• 5 in x 9 in or 8 in x 10 in sterile gauze
  
  (a??traumaa??) pads (packets of 2 to 5)


• nonstick sterile bandages (Telfa), assorted
  
  sizes


• 1 in, 2 in, 3 in, and 4 in rolled conforming
  
  gauze (C-wrap or Elastomull??)


• 1 in x 10 yd (9.1 m) rolled cloth adhesive tape


• 1 in x 10 yd (9.1 m) rolled paper or silk
  
  (hypoallergenic) adhesive tape


• 1 in x 10 yd (9.1 m) rolled waterproof adhesive
  
  tape


• 1/2 in x 10 yd (9.1 m) rolled waterproof
  
  adhesive tape


• Blist-O-Ban?? blister bandages (assorted sizes)


• Molefoam (41/8 in x 33/8 in)


• Moleskin Plus (41/8 in x 33/8 in)


• Spenco?? 2nd Skin?? (1.5 in x 2 in, 3 in x 4 in, 3
  
  in x 6.5 in) and Spenco?? Adhesive Knit Bandage (3 in x 5 in)


• Aquaphor moist nonadherent
  
  (petrolatum-impregnated) dressing (3 in x 3 in)


• Hydrogel occlusive absorbent dressing (4 in x 4
  
  in x 1/4 in)


• Tegaderm?? transparent wound dressing (also comes
  
  in combination with a Steri-Stripa?￠ in a Wound Closure System)


• liquid soap


• sterile disposable surgical scrub brush


• cotton-tipped swabs or applicators, sterile, 2
  
  per package


• safety razor


• syringe (10 ml to 60 ml) and 18-gauge
  
  intravenous catheter (plastic portion), for wound irrigation (do not use plastic disposable syringes
  
  to administer oral medications, as the small caps can dislodge and
  
  inadvertently eject into the patienta??s throat.)


• Zerowet Splashield or Supershield (2)


• tincture of benzoin, bottle or swabsticks


• benzalkonium chloride 1:750 solution (Zephiran)


• povidone iodine 10% solution (Betadine), 1 oz
  
  bottle or swabsticks


• suture material (nonabsorbable monfilament nylon
  
  on curved needle, suture sizes 3/0 and 4/0; consider sizes 2/0 (thicker) and
  
  5/0 (finer)


• stainless-steel needle driver


• disposable skin stapler (15 staples)


• disposable staple remover


• tissue glue

Splinting and Sling Material

• cravat cloth (triangular bandage)


• 2 in, 3 in, and 4 in elastic wrap (Ace)


• 4 1/4 in x 36 in SAM?? Splints (2)


• aluminum finger splints


• Kendrick?? femur traction device

Eye Medications and Dressings

• prepackaged individual sterile oval eye pads


• prepackaged eye bandages (Coverlet?? Eye
  
  Occlusor)


• metal or plastic eye shield


• sterile eyewash, 1 oz (30 ml)


• contact lens remover (or mini-marshmallows)


• ofloxacin, moxifloxacin or gatifloxacin eye
  
  drops


• oxymetazoline hydrochloride 0.025% eye drops

Dental Supplies

• oil of cloves (eugenol), 3.5 ml


• Cavita?￠, 7 g tube


• Intermediate Restorative Material (IRM??)


• Express Putty


• zinc oxide powder


• dental floss


• mouth mirror


• paraffin (dental wax) stick


• wooden spatulas


• cotton (rolls and pellets)

Topical Skin Preparations

• hydrocortisone cream, ointment, or lotion (0.5
  
  to 1%)


• potent corticosteroid ointment


• bacitracin ointment


• mupirocin ointment


• mupirocin calcium 2% cream


• bacitracin-neomycin polymyxin B sulphate
  
  ointment


• miconazole nitrate 2% antifungal cream


• silver sulfadiazine 1% (Silvadene) cream


• insect repellent


• sunscreen lotion or cream


• lip balm or sunscreen


• sunblock


• Adolpha??s meat tenderizer (unseasoned)


• Kenalog in Orabase (oral adhesive steroid for
  
  canker [mouth] sores), 5 g container


• aloe vera gel


• hemorrhoidal ointment with pramoxine 1%

Nonprescription Medications

• buffered aspirin, 325 mg tablets


• ibuprofen, 200 mg tablets


• acetaminophen, 325 mg tablets


• antacid


• decongestant (such as pseudoephedrine) tablets


• decongestant (such as oxymetazoline) nasal spray


• loperamide
  
  (Imodium A-D), 2 mg caplets


• Glutosea?￠ (glucose) gel tube


• stool softener (such as docusate calcium, 240 mg
  
  gel caps)


• caffeine, 200 mg tablets (to stay awake for
  
  survival purposes, such as during a rescue)

Prescription Medications

Select from this list, and from information throughout this

book, what you feel you might need; the drugs listed are for example.

• Pain medication(s): e.g., hydrocodone 5 mg with
  
  acetaminophen 500 mg


• Asthma medication(s); e.g., metered-dose
  
  bronchodilator (albuterol)


• Allergy medication(s): e.g., epinephrine
  
  (injectable) and prednisone, 10 mg tablets


• Antibiotics: e.g,


• penicillin V potassium, 250 mg tablets


• azithromycin, 250 mg tablets


• dicloxacillin, 250 mg tablets


• ampicillin, 250 mg tablets


• amoxicillin-clavulanate, 500 mg tablets


• erythromycin, 250 mg tablets


• cephalexin, 250 mg tablets


• ciprofloxacin, 500 mg tablets


• tetracycline, 500 mg tablets; or doxycycline,
  
  100 mg tablets


• trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, double-strength
  
  tablets


• prochlorperazine (Compazine) suppositories, 25
  
  mg


• promethazine (Phenergan) suppositories, 25 mg

Allergy Kit

• allergy kit with injectable epinephrine (EpiPen??
  
  auto-injector [0.3 mg] and EpiPen?? Jr. auto-injector [0.15 mg]; or Twinject?? 0.3
  
  or 0.15 mg auto-injector)


• diphenhydramine, 25 mg capsules

For Forest and Mountain Environments

• water disinfection equipment or chemicals (such
  
  as Potable Aqua tablets or Polar Pure iodine crystals)


• calamine lotion


• SPACE?? Emergency Blanket (2 oz, 56 in x 84 in)
  
  (alternatives include Pro-Tech Extreme bag or vest,?? SPACE?? brand emergency bag, SPACE?? brand
  
  all-weather blanket)


• hypothermia thermometer


• hyperthermia thermometer


• whistle


• acetazolamide (Diamox), 250 mg tablets


• dexamethasone (Decadron), 4 mg tablets


• nifedipine (Adalat CC), extended-release 30
  
  preparation


• powdered electrolyte beverage mix (Oral
  
  Rehydration Salts)


• instant chemical cold pack(s)


• hand warmer (mechanical or chemical)


• Kendrick?? Traction Device (leg splint)

For Aquatic Environments

• waterproof dry bag or hard case (such as Pelican
  
  Case, Storm Case, or OtterBox), to carry first-aid supplies


• motion sickness medicine


• acetic acid (vinegar) 5%


• isopropyl
  
  alcohol 40%


• hydrogen
  
  peroxide


• VoSol
  
  otic solution


• Ofloxacin 0.3% ear drops


• Safe Sea?? Sunblock with JellyFish-in-Water-Belt-Buckle-246.html' target='_blank'>fish Sting
  
  Protective Lotion

A sole supplier, such as Rescue Essentials, will be unlikely??to have everything you need for every situation, but it is a good place to??begin to get a handle on what is available and what the cost is to consumers.

Remember: allow yourself enough lead time prior to any outdoor adventure in??order to gather your belongings and to be properly prepared.

                       
                       

This post, Emergency Rescue Essentials: The Outdoor Gear You Need, was originally published on
                        Healthine.com by Paul Auerbach, M.D..