Ukrainian scouts make first-aid kits to ship overseas

As Kalyna Mazal put gauze pads into a plastic bag, part of a volunteer assembly line making emergency medical kits to send to Ukraine, she was thinking, “This could save someone’s life — who knows?”To get more news about nano zeolite hemostatic dressing, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.

All around her in a middle school cafeteria Saturday, people in traditional hand-embroidered tunics — hers was entwined with bright red poppies — had their heads down, working quickly to stuff Band-Aids and vinyl gloves and antibiotic packs into clear bags.

Members of the Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization-USA, a branch of the international scouting organization, gathered in Bethesda, Md., to assemble lightweight, portable kits that Ukrainian people could carry in a pocket or a purse and have ready if glass shatters or shrapnel flies.

They’re giving not only the supplies people so desperately need, said Leda Huta, a troop leader from Silver Spring, Md., “but hopefully they also see our hearts are with them.”

Many of the scouts have family in Ukraine, and all share a cultural and humanitarian concern, said Andrew Demidowich, a doctor who lives in Columbia, Md., and leads the local chapter, Plast DC. “You worry about not just the country surviving, but the people in it,” he said.

They know it’s important to donate money, he said, but many also longed for a more tangible way to help. Using their hands to craft the medical kits was better than just clicking PayPal over and over, Demidowich said.

Kalyna, who is 15, said she was relieved to be able to do more than just sit in her room, posting news stories to Instagram to keep her friends updated about the war.

“It’s sad that we have to make these,” she said. “But this could make a difference, if we get all these boxes out to Ukraine.”

The kits were designed by Dan Olesnicky, a trauma surgeon who is a Ukrainian scout, and many Plast chapters have been filling boxes with them in recent weeks, shipping them overseas to Plast Ukraine along with other aid.
On Saturday, the Bethesda school cafeteria echoed with the sound of mothers calling to their children in Ukrainian, the buzz of vacuum-sealers closing the filled bags, and the screech of duct tape being pulled and torn. Some tape was used to seal filled boxes of first-aid kits, some was wrapped around small pieces of cardboard to add to the bags to help craft a makeshift splint or stretcher, or other emergency medical aid on the ground.

Why you should replenish your first aid kit this January

With each new year, we tend to promise ourselves we'll make numerous big changes. Whether it be a resolution to exercise more regularly, keep a cleaner house or get that big promotion at work, our ambitions always seem to come to the forefront during this time. Yet, one resolution many people overlook is maintaining a safe workplace and home. The fact is that we can never be fully prepared for the blunders and perils of day-to-day life, and even a simple paper cut or power outage requires proper preparation. That's why it's important to make sure all of your first aid supplies are well-stocked and up-to-date as the new year begins, especially if you've forgotten to do this in the past few months.To get more news about ifak kits, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.

Replenish first aid kits regularly
According to the Mayo Clinic, first aid kits should be checked at least once every three months. You never know when flashlight batteries may run out of power, medications may expire or you may simply run out of a much-needed item. However, this doesn't mean you have to purchase a new kit in its entirety. Instead, focus on regularly refilling the supplies that have a short shelf date or are used often, such as bandages or gauze.

The easiest way to do this is by going to a reputable online first aid supplier. For example, MFASCO has an online picture display that allows you to select items from your first aid kit that are in short supply. What's more, MFASCO allows users to create a custom reorder list, so you can easily replenish previously ordered items without hassle. That way, you can fill and refill your first aid kit whenever necessary.

Where are first aid kits needed?
A first aid kit is an essential item to have pretty much everywhere. A comprehensive first aid kit should always be readily available in school and workplace settings, and it's also a good idea to keep a kit at home and in your car. In the workplace, make sure that your employees feel encouraged to alert you when supplies are running low so you can order more in a timely fashion. Remember that first aid kits are not only important for day-to-day accidents, but also in case of a major emergency.

What should be in my first aid kit?
The Connecticut Department of Developmental Services notes that common necessities in a first aid kit include gauze, bandages, cold packs, cotton balls, a thermometer and disposable gloves. However, this only covers the bare basics, and you should individualize your first aid kit based on the setting. For example, if you work in rural outdoor settings, you may need specific items such as sting relief medication, sun protection, hand sanitizer and even water purification tablets.

This January, make a point of checking your first aid kit, replenishing items that are expired or running low and updating your supplies to meet your current needs. Remember, it's always better to be properly prepared in case of an emergency, no matter the situation.

What to have in your at home Covid-19 medical kit

The arrival of Omicron on our shores is yet to flare into a full-blown Australian-esque outbreak, but we should be prepared for the likelihood of contracting the super transmissible strain of Covid-19.To get more news about stop bleeding, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.

Dr Morgan Edwards, a specialist anaesthetist at Waitematā District Health Board who has been involved in the Covid-19 response, says an at-home Covid management kit is about getting back to basics.Provided we are at least double vaccinated and don’t have any underlying conditions, Edwards said the preparation that most of us can do for the possibility of catching Covid is to have things to help us manage symptoms, minimise risk to others, and aid rest and recovery at home.
With Omicron, Edwards said doctors are seeing less of the loss of smell that we had with Delta and more symptoms like a runny or stuffy nose, headaches, and muscle aches, which can be eased with over-the-counter medicines like paracetamol and ibuprofen.

Re-hydration e.g. hydralyte: “If you are becoming dehydrated from diarrhoea and vomiting, rehydrate with something like a sachet of hydralyte.”

Sore throat treatments: Salt gargles, honey, or perhaps a local anaesthetic lozenge or spray.

Common cold and flu symptoms like a sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches will be helped by over-the-counter treatments, Edwards said. For gastric symptoms, like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea – “chat to your GP about some anti nausea things to have in the house, ready,People with chronic conditions should think about making an appointment to have what they need on hand, should they catch Covid, Edwards said. People in normal to good health should check in next time they see their doctor.

It’s really important that you have your own medications ready, specifically for people who are asthmatic,” said Edwards.

“Adults or parents of children with asthma should have a chat with their GP and make sure they have a good stock of the inhalers that they normally use.”

Edwards also recommends asthmatics review treatment plans with their doctors because they are seeing Covid cause more severe asthma flare-ups.

“There might be a role for inhaled corticosteriods, which are quite useful for asthma within the setting of Covid,” she said.

If you do contract Covid and don’t have the supplies you need at home, most GPs can send a script to your pharmacy. Have a friend pick it up and leave it on your doorstep.“The other group of things to have are the precautions that we know are useful against the virus: hand sanitiser, cleaning products, and face masks.

“So if you’re sharing a space with other people, you can do your very best to minimise the spread within your home. Because not everybody has the luxury of a separate bathroom.

“As well as some soups and fluids that will help get some calories into your body which needs to focus on healing.”

Deciding what to carry in a medical kit is highly dependent on anticipating the injuries and illnesses you may encounter in a given situation. It’s also dependent on the space available for your gear. After all, the space available when partaking in outdoor activities off the beaten path can be quite limited. You must eliminate unnecessary items so that you can carry other essentials. If you carry a gunshot trauma kit on your person or in a range bag, it’s even more essential that the contents remain compact and free of clutter from unnecessary items.To get more news about IFAK kit, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.

In choosing components to use in my medical kits, I drew on my experience of over 16 years as a paramedic, seven years as an ER nurse, and five years in my current role as a nurse practitioner in the ER and in trauma surgery. I saw definite patterns of injury related to outdoor sports, including shooting sports, and thought about what someone with only basic first-aid knowledge could carry in order to temporarily treat these injuries until they could be evaluated and treated definitively by medical providers.

As a shooter and outdoor enthusiast, there are two essential medical kits I’d choose to have with me at all times: a gunshot trauma kit containing the bare-bones essentials to treat catastrophic penetrating injuries, and an expanded Individual First Aid Kit.
It’s estimated that 40 percent of trauma-related deaths worldwide are due to bleeding and its consequences. Specifically in penetrating injuries including gunshot wounds, injuries most likely to cause death are a result of internal and/or external hemorrhage, catastrophic brain injury, and penetrating chest trauma resulting in compromised breathing due to pneumothorax or tension pneumothorax. Of these injuries, there are several components in gunshot trauma kits that can increase the odds of survival until definitive care is reached. These components include:
A CAT-7 tourniquet is one of several recommended by the Committee for Tactical Combat Casualty Care. One of the more recently approved options to consider is the SAM-XT by SAM Medical. There are many great training videos on both manufacturers’ websites. What do the civilian trauma societies say about tourniquets? The big guns of trauma in the U.S., the American College of Surgeons, Pediatric Trauma Society, and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), provide guidelines recommending training for everyone in bleeding control and the application of a tourniquet if direct pressure and pressure dressings fail to control bleeding. They don’t recommend specific manufacturers of tourniquets, but all agree that purpose-built, manufactured tourniquets are preferred over improvised versions.

You can find a Stop the Bleed training class and download a free brochure on how to recognize and treat life-threatening bleeding using tourniquets and wound packing at Bleedingcontrol.org. You can also search for a free Stop the Bleed class in your area on the site, and learn how to become an instructor. The most important thing to consider in choosing your tourniquet is whether you know how and when to use it.

Wound packing gauze is used to fill gaps caused by penetrating wounds to the groin, armpits, or extremities. It isn’t recommended for use in the abdomen or chest. The theory behind wound packing is simple: If you can fit a finger into the wound, you should pack it before applying a pressure dressing. The reason for this is because if there’s a large channel in the wound, there are likely broken blood vessels leaking into the space. Applying external pressure on top of the wound will still allow bleeding into the space. If you pack gauze tightly into the space, you’ll stop the bleeding deep in the wound.

Plain wound packing gauze is very inexpensive. There are many generic brands out there. This is one item where you can save a little in order to splurge on a brand-name tourniquet or better set of trauma shears. Alternatively, you can upgrade to gauze treated with a hemostatic agent that promotes faster clotting, such as QuikClot or Celox. I prefer the QuikClot rolled gauze in my kit, because it can be used as wound packing or as roller gauze for an additional pressure dressing on an extremity.