First Aid

[scubajim 1]

I alway carry my "jump" and O2 kits. I also have the DAN slates on an O-ring in the pocket by my stethoscope and sphygmomanometer. The kits stay in my car and go on every dive. With the exception of minor punctures and marine stings and a DCI they have been used at traffic accidents and a heart attack. AED is my next addition to the jump kit.
And yes I carry this kit on dive boats. Never had one question my bringing the gear along.
The equipment and training are things we along hope we never need to use but if you dive (or drive) long enough I promise you will need to use both, so get trained (DAN and the PADI EFR courses are excellent starting points) and get geared up.
Is it bulky? Yes, but worth it.

 

[g1138]

I alway carry my "jump" and O2 kits.
.
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AED is my next addition to the jump kit.
.
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Is it bulky? Yes, but worth it.

I hope you're not talking about your car battery...... :shocked2:

 

[Pauly854]

Are you serious?! The only people that should be performing those are people trained to do so. A few EMTs (most aren't trained for cric as I understand it) and doctors. That kit is already huge for standard necessities and is only practical if you're a first responder actually responding regularly (at which point it isn't the right or enough stuff). Otherwise it's way too big for realistic personal needs.

But I'm a "minimalist" kind of guy and have been always trained to carry only what I would need for me in a "wilderness" environment. Of course, I also carry a few extras of everything. My kit is "too big" and fits into a 4" by 6" by 4" deep zippered pouch that unfolds with pockets and such. Anything that's not in my kit I can make out of materials I have on hand in the woods (or even at a dive site, usually).

PS: Tourniquets are generally a "last ditch effort" and shouldn't be used unless all other compression options have proven futile or you can't continue using them and get the patient/victim to safety at the same time.

+1 on concern about this kit, and the tourniquets. If one is properly trained, they can be life savers. But they can be dangerous without it. I have been a Paramedic for almost 25 years, and have done a cric once in all of that time. There are very few occasions when it is going to be neccessary. Personally, I think a good pocket mask, and the skill to use it, will suffice for most airway problems until further help can arrive. I am curious about what kind of emergency the carrier of this kit would consider using it, and what is your level of training? I think you mentioned that it shouldn't be used without training, so I assume you have it. If so, it could potentially be very valuble. But without proper training and frequent practice, I wouldn't care much for scalpels in such close proximity to vocal cords, carotid arteries and jugular veins.

Again, great for those who are trained, not so much for just anyone.

 

[divermike1011]

I don't carry anything advanced as for the most part I worry about either getting someone breathing, which I carry a pocket mask for,and stopping bleeding which a few Israeli bandages and a some duct tape work just fine for. I always carry far more bandages then I used to think I needed because it turns out when people start to bleed a lot they tend to bleed a lot.

Another thing to consider is that scope of practice changes a lot outside the base gates for those of us with military medical training. What we can do in the field, down range, and what training we have to do it with are usually very different that what you should feel comfortable doing while providing aid in a US state. A good example is starting an IV. Due to increased medical training for non-medics more and more service people are trained to start an IV. Even though rehydration is one of many concerns in a possible DCS/DCI case I wouldn't slap an IV in someone on the dive boat. I also wouldn't suture someone, nor would I even think about performing a circ or intubating. On dive boats out here I'd say we're at most 20 minutes from getting someone to properly trained medical care so I stick to the basics.

If I were leading a wilderness expedition or an offshore trip I'd consider carrying the most advanced and comprehensive kit I could, but I'd also make sure I'd refreshed my skills and dotted the i's and crossed the t's as far as the legalities of administering care.

Michael

 

[k.divine]

I don't carry anything advanced as for the most part I worry about either getting someone breathing, which I carry a pocket mask for,and stopping bleeding which a few Israeli bandages and a some duct tape work just fine for. I always carry far more bandages then I used to think I needed because it turns out when people start to bleed a lot they tend to bleed a lot.

Another thing to consider is that scope of practice changes a lot outside the base gates for those of us with military medical training. What we can do in the field, down range, and what training we have to do it with are usually very different that what you should feel comfortable doing while providing aid in a US state. A good example is starting an IV. Due to increased medical training for non-medics more and more service people are trained to start an IV. Even though rehydration is one of many concerns in a possible DCS/DCI case I wouldn't slap an IV in someone on the dive boat. I also wouldn't suture someone, nor would I even think about performing a circ or intubating. On dive boats out here I'd say we're at most 20 minutes from getting someone to properly trained medical care so I stick to the basics.

If I were leading a wilderness expedition or an offshore trip I'd consider carrying the most advanced and comprehensive kit I could, but I'd also make sure I'd refreshed my skills and dotted the i's and crossed the t's as far as the legalities of administering care.

Michael

They've actually removed IV'ing patients from most general first aid that the basic soldier is taught because there were to many cases of people using Hextend in the wrong situations. Which is why I stick with the basic three injuries that we are taught to focus on since they always made up almost 90% of field injuries; arterial bleeding, airway obstruction, and sucking chest wounds. I just favor using tourniquets because I know they work as one had saved my life.

 

[divermike1011]

See, lol, don't stay current and look what happens. Didn't know they'd taken that out of CLS. I think in a tactical situation tourniquets are great, but most civilian first aid classes recommend against them in almost all instances.
BTW glad you made it back and that a tourniquet helped!
Michael

 

[Pauly854]

The good news is that ALL bleeding stops...eventually. But I actually used a tourniquet once, many years ago. I had a guy with a horrible scalp laceration that I couldn't get to stop bleeding, so I put one around his neck. The bleeding stopped, but I believe I was to late, cause he didn't make it. Glad your's worked out better!

 

[PfcAJ]

Tourniquets work well for wilderness stuff, combat situations, mass casualty, and the like. Since we're scuba diving, and not really doing any of the above, I'd stay away from them in civilian applications that are not one of the 3 above.

I've been around some pretty sporty bleeds in my day (from gunshots to grenades, avulsions to amputations), and all of them could be controlled with means other than tourniquets.

 

[String]

Worst trauma type diving injury ive seen is a severed finger.

I always carry a first aid kit in my rucksack which goes with me everywhere. This is in addition to the main ones on boats and so on.

I always know what's in my kit and the condition its in. That's more than can be said for a 3rd party kit on a dive boat or elsewhere.

 

[DennisS]

I always have it. My boat. No, I do Not carry it with me out and about. But all dive boats should have 02.
If you are a cave diver or shore diver, you may have another take on that though. Just make sure you know how to administer 02. It's a touchy gas........

Touchy as in flammable or some other way