Even though you should know how to deal with minor injuries and illnesses if necessary, first aid kits can be intimidating. The standard first aid kit has about 20 different items, all of which provide different functions. While some items such as thermometers or labelled items like painkillers are more straightforward, others can be confusing, such as the many different kinds of bandages. This blog post will guide you through some of the more confusing items in your first aid kit and tell you how and when they should be used.
The Bandages:
There are two types of bandages in a first aid kit, the triangular bandage, and the crepe rolled bandage. The triangular bandage is a long, white triangular piece of cloth. This is used as a sling to secure a fracture. It’s normally used on arm injuries, with the pointed ends tied together behind the neck, while the fabric supports the injured arm.
Crepe rolled bandages, on the other hand, are made of a thicker, more stretchy cloth, and are used to secure sprains or pulled muscles. They are most often used on the arm for wrist injuries or on the leg for ankle or knee injuries.
Medical Gauze:
Medical gauze is a white rolled cloth that a layman may refer to as a bandage. Though it looks like a bandage, gauze is more often used to apply ointment to wounds and to keep it there. Closely woven gauze may be used to cover up wounds, while more loosely woven gauze (with more empty spaces in the cloth) is used to absorb things such as dressings that are applied to wounds.
Cleansing Wipes:
It’s likely that your first aid kit has alcohol free cleansing wipes in it. These are used to clean away blood or dirt from small cuts, minor wounds and grazes. After these are cleaned, they can be covered up and treated. It’s important that alcohol-free cleansing wipes are used because wipes that contain alcohol can be very painful when used on patients as they may sting on contact with the injury.
Want to Know More?
If you’re interested in knowing more about your first aid kit, at Metro Safety Training, we provide full courses on first aid training in Vancouver. We’ll make sure you are well equipped to deal with emergencies with our emergency first aid training program. Check out our weekly schedule to book your training session today.
