Medical Supply Deals

[AarounPierce]

Here is a compilation of a few medical supplies that should make up any home kit/trauma kit. These are based upon what I consider 'deals' due to either price or utility.

 

EMT Shears/Penlight Combo Pack with Pouch $11.95 + $3 S&H. These are very good shears, as I have owned many pairs over the years. The 5.5" shears are especially comfortable compared to most versions you may find in your neighborhood Walgreens. A penlight is something else that is very useful as an 'every-situation' item. I carry one on me at all times because of its utility even outside of the practice of medicine.

 

Kerlix Gauze Rolls, 4.5" x 4.1 yds Lot of 10 $9.99 + $7.95 shipping. Anytime you can find this size of gauze for ~$1 per roll is considered a good price. There are actually lots of 100 that can be found on Ebay for even cheaper (~$75). These rolls are good for almost everything, I personally keep no fewer than 75 rolls in my home and spread between my kits.

 

Non-Latex Nitrile Gloves $9.00 for a box of 100. Not all gloves are created equal, I personally do not use these because of the size of my hands, but I've known many people who like these for their comfort compared to other gloves.

 

Splints, Splints, and more splints. Various sizes for various prices, generally this site has better pricing when compared to most other sources for SAM splints. Keep a few of these items in different sizes around your home. 9" splints are generally meant for children and small adults, and 18" splints are best for adults. Don't waste your money on finger splints though...it's nothing a few tongue depressors and some 1/2" tape couldn't replicate.

 

Large Home Bag ~$32 for this bag is not a bad deal. This would be ideal for a family environment with a large internal compartment and a very good organizational system.

 

4"x4" Gauze Pads ~$12 free shipping. 12 cents per unit is not a bad price for gauze pads (especially when shipping is free). In boxes of 100, keep tons of these things around. A box of 100 does not take up much space (I have 5 boxes sitting in a desk drawer here at home). My personal rule of thumb is multiply the number of gauze rolls you have by 5, and that is how many gauze pads you should have. The reason for so many is easily seen in any trauma incident where a free-bleeding laceration can take between 25 and 50 gauze pads from the first moments to crisis-averted.

 

3M Durapore Tape $10 for a box of 12 rolls is a great price for 1" Durapore. Hands down, the best tape for the price. Twelve rolls whole suffice for any household medical stockpile.

 

 

I'll add more as I come across more deals, I put this list together as I was going through my own inventories and started doing some price checking. Many of the ebay auctions will change and be unavailable, but I put a pricing index with each item for future reference as to what I consider a deal worth a purchase.

[ArmyOfFive4God]

THNX! Great buys! I'll have to compare these to our surplus in town before I jump!

[TurtleMama]

SPIFFY, Aaroun...thank you for this information. Are/were you an EMT or something, or have you taught yourself about this? Either way, I think it's wonderful, and am grateful you shared your knowledge with us. Are there any specific preps you'd recommend for flu pandemics?

[Ambergris]

Which reminds me. How long do the various medical tapes stay "good" in indoor temps? How about in Florida Summer trunk temps?

[AarounPierce]

SPIFFY, Aaroun...thank you for this information. Are/were you an EMT or something, or have you taught yourself about this? Either way, I think it's wonderful, and am grateful you shared your knowledge with us. Are there any specific preps you'd recommend for flu pandemics?

 

Most of my trauma related education is from self-study for another year or so. I am an EMT-B and have done work with fire departments and university field expeditions (field medic duties). But I have just finished my first year of medical school on my way to becoming a trauma specialized doctor. This is the reason I keep alot of my medical posts fairly vague or I'll create articles based on information that can easily be found in books for the everyday person.

 

Flu pandemic?

 

- N95 or better masks

- Chlorinated bleach, lots of it. Mixing it with water can serve many purposes, including handwashing (in a household environment where hand sanitizer can be scarce) and cleaning/sterilization.

- Re-usable Cold packs for fever relief.

- Oral Rehydration Salts for severe flu where vomiting makes nutrition difficult, water-dissolvable multivitamins as well for the same reason.

- Multiple spare linens and blankets that are cheap in case they need to be tossed.

- Plastic sheeting for protecting bedding. The flu virus has not been known to survive for a long period of time when expelled from the hosts (coughing, ect) so something as drastic as sealing your house isn't really necessary.

- Tylenol or an equivalent for aches and pains.

- Non-latex gloves when handling sick family members.

 

The best advice I could give for people in fear of a flu pandemic is personal hygenie and avoid un-necessary travel in large groups wherever possible. If you feel sick, do not go to work. Keeping yourself in top physical health is a good idea, but it won't prevent you from getting the flu as some flu strains can cause auto-immune overload...meaning the healthier your immune system, the more likey you are to becoming seriously ill.

 

Keep a vigilant eye on the 'type' of flu that is being spread around for the season and adapt your precautions accordingly, but frequent handwashing when dealing with infected persons or public areas, and learning not to touch your face are the two best habits you can practice during flu season.

[AarounPierce]

Which reminds me. How long do the various medical tapes stay "good" in indoor temps? How about in Florida Summer trunk temps?

 

Indoors it really depends on the type of tape you have. My personal rule when it comes to tape is that your medical tape should not be sticky on outside of the roll. High heat and humidity can cause the adhesives to seep through the material and re-adhere on both sides. If your tape is like this, toss it. It may still be 'good enough' to use for bandage dressings, but with adhesive on both sides it just makes it harder to work with.

 

I have 10 rolls of durapore tape (split between 1/2", 1", and 2" sizes) in my trauma bag and have not had much issue with the tape even in the heat of the summer. Best practice is to store things that may be affected by high temperatures in the center-most part of the container. Most of my gauze rolls, bandages, and splinting materials are on the outermost areas of the internal compartments. More towards the middle, you will find occlusive dressings, burn dressings, chest-seals, and my tape (just to name a few). The more space you have between the outside and center of the bag, the better off the items will be.

 

If you're keeping a medical kit in your personal vehicle at all times, take care to cycle your contents about every 4 to 6 months. I have a very small trauma kit that stays in my personal truck at all times (should I not be able to carry my full bag), and I swap contents every 6 months with my supplies inside the home. Not truly necessary, but just a precaution.

[TurtleMama]

Cool info...

 

I totally feel so stupid. I never knew before this Swine Flu broke out that influenza even CAUSED vomiting...I would have definitely been taken unpleasantly by surprise had something happened before I knew that. Guess now I know that the ORS is definitely an essential...especially with two little ones!

 

Again, thanks for sharing. When I finally get ink for my printer (after payday ) this thread will be one of the ones I print.

[AarounPierce]

My advice isn't for swine flu in particular, most flu cases that are severe enough will cause the patient to have stomach pains...mostly it is nausea, but many people experience frequent vomiting during the peak of their fevers.

 

The top causes of death in most common illnesses are extremely high fever and nutrient/water depletion due to diaherra and/or vomiting. Always good to be covered on those three bases.

 

**Never feel stupid about things you're not aware of, that's why we are an intuitive species and capable of asking questions.**