Stock home first-aid kit with basic medical supplies

It could make an emergency from a skinned knee to a broken arm much less traumatic. Tuck it outof sight, yet keep it close somewhere.
It is a first-aid kit, and every home should have one, says Dr. Tiffany Osborn, an emergencyphysician at the University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma Center inBaltimore and a spokeswoman for the American College of EmergencyPhysicians.
“A first-aid kit can do two things,” Dr. Osborn says. “Itcan treat potential injury and can contain in one place importantinformation that you need in case someone has to go to the emergencyroom.”
A home first-aid kit does not have to be complicated orexpensive, she says. A few basic items can be a useful in severalsituations.
Gauze pads in a variety of sizes can help treat a varietyof cuts and scrapes, says Dr. Julian Orenstein, a trauma physician atInova Fairfax Hospital for Children.
“Gauze can work for just aboutanything,” he says. “Pads can help stop bleeding and can keep a woundcovered. There is always less stinging when air is not over awound.”
Other helpful items for cuts, scrapes and burns are bandagesin different sizes, antibiotic ointment, adhesive tape, scissors forcutting the tape and hydrogen peroxide, Dr. Orenstein says. Hydrogenperoxide, which can be applied with a cotton swab, is particularlyhelpful to clean out a “dirty” wound such as a scrape, he says.
Anelastic wrap, such as an Ace bandage, can be helpful for wrapping wrist,knee or ankle injuries. A large, triangular bandage also can wrap largemuscle injuries or act as a sling to immobilize an injured arm orshoulder, Dr. Osborn says.
She also advises adding a few disposable,instant ice packs to the kit. These ice packs do not need to be keptcold, but activate when you squeeze them.
They can be quite useful inreducing swelling in a sprained wrist or ankle, she says.
Also helpfulare safety pins to hold a sling in place, rubber gloves and tweezers,Dr. Osborn says.
“Tweezers can be useful if you have to remove asplinter or a tick,” she says. “Rubber gloves can offer protection forthe caregiver if the injured person is bleeding.”
A first-aid kitshould contain medications, both all-purpose for the whole family aswell as specific medications for individual family members (such asallergy or asthma medication), she says.
“I would keep a bottle ofacetaminophen or ibuprofen,” Dr. Osborn says. “I would not keep aspirinon hand because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome in children andteen-agers.”
If a family member is dependent on an asthma inhaler, anextra one should be kept in the kit, she says. An epinephrine pen, whichcan inject adrenaline and save a person from a potentially severeallergic reaction, also should be included if a family member isallergic to bee stings or particular foods.
Syrup of ipecac, amedication that induces vomiting in a person who has swallowed somethingpoisonous, should be kept on hand but should only be used aftercalling poison control, Dr. Orenstein says.
“Syrup of ipecac is a goodone but a difficult one,” he says. “In the [emergency room], if we needto, we can put a tube down the nose to the stomach to get at what wasswallowed. Sometimes we are better at knowing what someone took. Manyhousehold cleaners are nontoxic. Only lye is really, really a dangeroussubstance.”
Says Dr. Osborn: “I would say never just automaticallytake ipecac. Always call poison control first, then do what they say. Inmany instances, taking ipecac can cause more harm than good. I wouldhave the number for poison control located on the first-aid kit, sosomeone like a baby sitter would have it in more than onespot.”

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