I t needs the right tools to properly tend to other people's medical requirements. Imagine a hunter having to use a pea shooter instead of a rifle or a carpenter having to use a steak knife as a saw. The doctor is in the same boat.
It's crucial to remember that many medical supplies have a value that is heavily influenced by the information and skills the user has acquired through practice and study. Someone who doesn't know how to take their blood pressure won't find much use for a blood pressure cuff. Focus on getting things you can use right away, and as your skills improve, graduate to more sophisticated gear.
Remember that many items can be used in unconventional ways. For example, a bandanna can be used as a sling, an ironing board can be used as a stretcher, and a sewing needle and fine fishing line can be used to close a wound. If you look carefully, you might find items in your own home that can be used for medical purposes. You'll be astonished at the medical concerns you are already prepared to handle if you look with a creative eye.
Clean vs. sterile
The degree of cleanliness of the tools used to administer medical treatment in a survival situation plays a significant role in the effectiveness of that care.
In medicine, "sterility" refers to the absence of all germs. Sterile tools, towels, dressings, and hand washing with specific solutions are all part of the sterile method. When used on a patient, the immediate vicinity of these objects is referred to as a "sterile field." The sterile field is carefully maintained to avoid contacting anything that would allow bacteria to infiltrate it.
Instruments, towels, and other materials that might come into contact with the patient are placed in an autoclave, a form of a pressure cooker, to ensure the destruction of any microorganisms. This device cleans the equipment in all medical facilities, including hospitals and clinics. Your tools will be closer to the sterility required for minor surgical procedures if you include a pressure cooker in your inventory.
For instance, in a harsh environment, it may be quite challenging to create a sterile field. We might only be able to keep things "clean" in this situation. The methods for doing this focus on minimizing the number of bacteria that might be transmitted from one person to another by medical devices. A clean field begins with thorough hand washing in hot water and soap.
Some disinfectants are used to keep a space clean. Chemicals called disinfectants are administered to inanimate objects to eradicate microorganisms. Surfaces where you would treat patients or prepare meals, would fall under this category. Disinfection is less efficient than sterilization since not all germs are necessarily killed by it. Bleach is a common example of a disinfectant.
Disinfection eliminates bacteria, viruses, and other pests and is occasionally mistaken for decontamination. However, decontamination can also refer to removing harmful poisons and may involve the removal of chemicals or radiation. Decontamination, as opposed to disinfection, is the removal of nonliving contaminants like radiation from a surface.
Understanding the distinctions between a disinfectant, an antibiotic, and an antiseptic is helpful. Antiseptics kill germs on the surface of live tissue, while disinfectants only kill bacteria and viruses on the surface of nonliving tissue. BetadineTM, chlorhexidine (Hibiclens), iodine, and benzalkonium chloride are a few examples of antiseptics (BZK).
In the human body, germs can be eliminated using antibiotics. Amoxicillin, doxycycline, metronidazole, and many other medications fall within this category. These will be covered in more detail later on in the book.
Most first-aid kits sold in stores are suitable for family outings or days at the beach, but in this book, we talk about serious medical needs. Below, we list the three categories of medical kits. A personal carry or individual first-aid kit, sometimes known as an IFAK, is the first. Every individual can carry this portable kit at the party. It makes it possible to treat a few common medical issues that arise in remote locations or while traveling.
The family kit, the second kit on the list below, is portable and can fit its contents in a typical large backpack. It will work as a family's and their kids' medical "bug-out" (travel) bag. It is, in our opinion, the bare minimum of gear that a household's head would require to deal with typical emergencies in a long-term survival situation.
The third kit is the community clinic kit or everything a skilled medic will have stocked up for long-term treatment of his or her own survival family or group.
Don't be scared by the clinic version's massive amount of supplies; it would be sufficient to act as a surprisingly well-equipped field hospital. Few of us have the money or knowledge necessary to afford and utilize each and everything. You will have done much if you put together a good family kit.
Countless other items may be added to the list, but the key is to stockpile supplies and equipment that you will feel confident using in the event of an illness or injury. Stretchers and tourniquets are supplies that can be made with simple home items.
It should be cautioned that several sophisticated pieces of equipment could be quite hazardous if not used by a skilled surgeon. A functioning power grid would also increase the effectiveness of certain supplies in achieving their goals. These things are a wish list of what I would need if I were looking after an entire neighborhood.
You shouldn't think that building up the more complex supplier lists is your sole responsibility. Under the medic's direction, your entire crew should contribute to gathering medical supplies. The same holds for each of the previously mentioned medical skills. To learn everything would need a lifetime of study, which is more than even the majority of doctors with formal training can manage. Focus on the things you're most likely to use frequently.
IFAK or Personal Carry Kit
Community Clinic Supply List
Obtain all of the above in larger quantities, plus the following:
IV equipment:
• Syringes (2, 5, 10, and 20 ml)
• Needles (gauges 20–24)
• Dextrose and normal saline (50 percent) IV solution bags
• IV kits (gauges 16–24)
• Normal saline solution bags
• IV tubing sets
• Paper tape (½ inch and 1 inch)
• IV stands
• Prescription Medications
• Medrol dose packs
• Antibiotic and anesthetic eye and ear drops
• Oral contraceptive pills
• Metronidazole
• Penrose drains (to allow blood and pus to drain from wounds)
• Saline solution for irrigation (can be made at home as well)