[Samba]

When we buy a new car/bike it comes with a first aid kit.

No one ever want a situation to arise where the first aid kit has to be used but due to ill fate such situation may arise. I have seen people frantically looking for cotton, gauzes or some basic medicines in case of an accident but the basic first aid is always been provided by the car/bike manufacturer. So keeping the first aid kit in a car/bike uptodate with some basic add on's can be a savior in case of an emergency. The first thing i will say is- DO NOT PANIC, STAY CALM.

The first aid kit which came with my bike-





The one which came with my car-







The equipment's and medicines provided are very basic and not very useful in a real emergency.

A list of essential supplies and medicines that can be included in your first aid kit:

With the help of my dad who is a doctor, I am jotting down some basic essential steps which can be performed in case of an emergency and requirements of a good first aid kit.

In case of an accident what we can do ourselves before shifting to hospital -

1) For bleeding anywhere except from the eye, put a roller gauze / cotton pad and apply adequate pressure on the bleeding site to control the bleeding. Remember, pressure WILL stop bleeding and blood loss.

2) In case of sprains or injury to muscles where its not bleeding, cold compress can give temporary relief with some pain killer spray on the injured site.

3) If it is bleeding from an eye, do not press hard, gently press it with cotton and rush to hospital.

4) In case of severe bleeding from a limb, take a rubber tourniquet , if not available take a piece of cloth and tie it prior to the bleeding spot.


5) For laceration in palm (common in bike accidents) put a roller gauze in your palm and close the fist firmly.

6) If its bleeding from ear or teeth put the roller gauze and press the affected site. Bleeding from inside the ear can be a result of severe internal injury too. So rush to hospital ASAP.

7) In case of nasal bleeding- If it is from the frontal end of the nose, bend forward and pinch the nose firmly.
If it is from behind the nose and you can feel blood is going to your mouth and throat, bend forward and rush to hospital.

8) Try to clean the wound with Povidone Iodine/ spirit / hydrogen peroxide /soap water whichever is handy.

9) If a bone is broken get a wooden splint. Place the broken arm or leg on it and tie it with a cloth and shift to hospital. One can also use a large spanner from one’s toolkit, as a splint.

10) If one is vomiting, attempt to keep the airway clear. Bend down the head forward, to prevent vomitus aspiration, and move to hospital ASAP.

11) If a person is unconscious, do not try to move him. If you are trained in basic life support (BLS), maintain ABC (airway, breathing, circulation). Take the help of another person if required. Shift to hospital ASAP.

12) If the victim is not responding and there is no pulse beat, one may try CPR (Cardio Pulmonary resuscitation) for few mins on the way to hospital.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaSovqEimyA

[Samba]

In case of general physical discomfort -

1) In case of sudden sweating, unconsciousness, spinning of head a spoonful of sugar may come out to be handy.

2) If one feels like nauseated and is repeatedly vomiting due to motion sickness, an anti-emetic such as Ondansetron 4mg tablet may give some relief.

3) For headache keep an analgesic (painkiller) handy as prescribed by your physician.

4) An oral rehydration solution (ORS) can come out to be handy in case one feels fatigued out, especially when travelling during summer.

5) For sudden chest pain at the center (query heart origin) advice the patient to lie flat and do not exert. Shift the patient to hospital ASAP.

Many of us love to travel to mountains and we all are aware of Altitude sickness / AMS(Acute mountain sickness).

Few points to avoid AMS or get relief once AMS kicks in-

1) Drink plenty of water.

2) If you are travelling to a place which is infamous for AMS, taking drugs like Diamox prior to the trip will help to combat AMS, but please consult your physician before taking Diamox. People who are allergic to Sulfur drugs can have serious side effects.

3) If one is having head ache, nausea, breathlessness or cant sleep in night an Pulse Oxymeter can come out to be handy to monitor the oxygen level. In normal condition the reading should be 95+ but due to AMS it drops down. So measures can be taken accordingly. Dropping below 50 can be alarming. One must not exert much, once its below 80.



4) Carrying a portable Oxygen canister can be a savior. Taking few puffs increases the Oxygen level and gives the patient some relief.



5) When AMS kicks in the patient should not exert, taking absolute rest will help to recover faster.


These are few basic points i have jotted down. Will request fellow Bhpians & doctors to add on their valuable advice's which can be helpful to us.

Thanks & regards.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line to Street Experiences. Thanks for sharing!

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by Samba

4) Carrying a portable Oxygen canister can be a savior. Taking few puffs increases the Oxygen level and gives the patient some relief.

In the US, self administration of oxygen is now not recommended as it does more harm than good. The prescribed course of action is to lose altitude and seek medical help asap.

[dre@ms]

Always carry some basic tablets/ointments for fever, cold etc., apart from Betadine solution for cleaning a cut/bruise. To be frank, never ever opened the first aid kit came with the car. Once during a service removed it and checked what was all inside, all the medicines except for the bandage/cotton has expired.

Your list comes in handy, will definitely procure atleast few and stock it up.

[libranof1987]

The other important thing when you carry medicines and first-aid supplies is, making sure they are within the shelf life.

I make it a point to check the first-aid kit that comes with the car to chuck all the expired items and then put in fresh supplies. And then repeat this procedure every couple of months.

This is not related to medical procedures but slightly related: a friend gave me a very useful suggestion for today's times. He carries pepper spray in the car (not with the rest of the medical kit but separate) for the rare occasion it may be needed.

There's a thread with a similar discussion:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...s-updated.html

One non-medical item that I keep in the medical kit is a Swiss knife; comes in handy in a variety of situations.

[Altocumulus]

Great thread and very informative. These are more often overlooked mainly because most of us think nothing will happen to us. But the reality is something you can never tell. If not for your use, it can always help some one who is unfortunate to have met with an accident.

Thanks Samba for sharing this.

[rikhav]

Super thread and good information.
Always handy to have well equipped medical / first aid kit in car

I don't know how many of you are aware but if you check the list of fines by RTO, there is one for not having a first aid kit in car

So that means by law they have made it mandatory that all vehicles should carry one.

But as usual no clarity on what all needs to be there in the kit. I can just have few things and claim it's a feisty aid kit according to mw

[pedrolourenco]

I always wanted to ask and this seems to be the best place to ask. How many of us actually check the expiry date of the items in the First Aid Kit? I'm pretty sure that if you car is more than a couple of years old, some of the items will be expired. I'm going to start doing it as soon as I get home.

[Jaguar]

I check the expiry of the items when I empty the car for service. That works to about 1 or 2 times a year.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

In the US, self administration of oxygen is now not recommended as it does more harm than good. The prescribed course of action is to lose altitude and seek medical help asap.

Agreed, taking the patient to a lower altitude is the best option.
But some times in places like Ladakh shifting a patient to a lower altitude or finding a doctor/ hospital can get tricky in the midnight. In those extreme situation's these cans can give some relief.

[Samfromindia]

Super informative thread. This is the kit which came with my Ecosport along with spare lights & fuses:

[su1978]

When i purchased my Honda Mobilio 2 years back, the first aid Kit provided by them was useless. The ointment had dried up and the gauges provided by them had already expired. When i reported the issue to dealer, they simply said that they are helpless. It is something from the company itself. Speaks volumes about the poor consideration that the company/dealer has for its customers.

Contrary to the popular perception, when i purchased my Chevrolet spark in the 2010, they ensured that for next 3 years, the first aid kit was always up-to-date and anything nearing its expiry was replaced by the dealers at the service center itself.

[blackasta]

I had to break open and use the first aid kit that came with my car on two occasions - both of the times it was required to help someone else, both in the Rajarhat New Town area.

First was while commuting to office, saw a lady and her child take minor injuries when their scooty skidded on sand / gravels and both of them fell. Thankfully it was at low speed, so no more harm was done. Used the antiseptic lotion / cream / gauge / bandages.

Second time was while returning at night, an elderly gentleman lost control of his car somehow and hit the side barrier, barely a minute before I was passing by. That was a pretty serious accident, with the car suffering a lot of damage but thankfully the gentleman & his wife suffering non-serious injuries to their arm, face & torso. Helped them with first aid & water. Then called a tow truck to tow their car to Mukesh Hyundai Gouripur service center, fended off the police by lining their pockets (they were adamant of registering a case, wanted to drag those elderly people to PS in that state at night & wanted to cease the car), and finally dropped them home.

It's been long since then, and I guess most if not all of the first aid kit items are well past their expiry date.

Thanks Samba for this thread, I shall plan to restock the kit with fresh supplies this weekend.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Samba

I have seen people frantically looking for cotton, gauzes or some basic medicines in case of an accident but the basic first aid is always been provided by the car/bike manufacturer. So keeping the first aid kit in a car/bike uptodate with some basic add on's can be a savior in case of an emergency.

Thank you, Samba. Great (life-saving) topic!

I've often wondered how many of those so-called first aid kits included with every new car are ever opened, used, checked for expiry, or replaced. It might be a good idea to add a poll to this thread with the question: Have you opened and checked, or even used, the first aid kit that came with your car?

In many situations, first aid can be rendered using materials that are available in the car with you. Tourniquets can be improvised from elastic tie ropes, splints can be fashioned from branches of trees, bandages & pressure dressings can be made from items of clothing such as a cotton dhoti or vest (undershirt, banian). Above all, it is most important to know the A-B-C (nowadays, C-A-B) of Basic Life Support - I understand many corporate houses teach BLS to their employees as a part of Life Skills training.

That said, a medicines + medical & surgical supplies kit is always an essential part of any long journey, whether by car or by any other means of travel. I personally haven't bothered to use the first aid kit in any of my cars yet, but there is usually a first aid kit in my luggage, whether I am on a roadtrip, or travelling to a place where medical assistance is not easily available. A list of what I carry is available in the MS Word document below - I have intentionally left out brand- and generic names in a number of places, because in many cases a doctor's discretion would be required on what to use.

First aid kit.docx