 First Aid kit - expiration of items?
TonyB wrote:
>>>Suppose someone breaks a leg in the middle of the Irish Sea. A "proper"
>>>break, with bits of bone poking through the skin. It'd probably not
>>>warrant calling out a helicopter, but it's still a bit beyond a few
>>>paracetamols and an elastoplast.
>>
>> A compound fracture is automatically a serious medical emergency, and
>> you should not hesitate to call the emergency sevices. A fracture can
>> cause serious internal bleeding, resulting in clinical shock. You can
>> and should do first aid, but that is what it is - FIRST aid.
>
> I'm with Paul on that one, I think it does warrant a chopper one way or
> the other.
Well, maybe it was a poor example. There must be other examples of
situations where second aid from outside is not going to be viable,
other, perhaps, than advice over the radio or sat-phone.
On the other hand, replace the Irish Sea by the North Atlantic, putting
yourself out of chopper range. Then what? Hope there's a ship nearby
with proper facilities and a trained medic? |