A Great Emergency Surgical Kit

This kit is made of stainless steel and is surprisingly good quality for $48.99

              This week I received a remarkably good emergency surgical kit.   Let me preface this entire conversation by saying that it is my opinion that most wounds, even large ones, heal nicely even if not sutured, in an emergency situation.   Suturing wounds without training can be very dangerous by virtue of accidentally leaving in foreign bodies, being unable to properly and completely irrigate the wound with the correct solutions or being reticent to do so, or simply not having access to antibiotics or a tetanus booster, which is sometimes essential treatment for a major wound.  Sometimes we are simply better off initially cleaning a wound well, dressing a wound with a dry sterile dressing, changing it a couple of times a day and allowing it to heal through something called second intention, which means from the bottom up.  If the patient is taking in sufficient protein, it will heal, and slightly infected material, fluid, blood and sometimes even road gravel will gradually be pushed from the wound.
             Certainly, if you or a family member receive a deep wound and you think it might even possibly require sutures or other intervention, then you should contact your physician.   Your physician will have the option of providing the CORRECT antibiotic, and will be able to select the type of repair to be done. Sometimes absorbable sutures are necessary inside, and removable sutures along the outside, are optimal.  Your physician will also have the option of providing a tetanus booster.  I am one of the few critical care nurses who has cared for a patient with actual tetanus, and this is not something you want to have.
             Occasionally however, things happen where you or a loved one are injured, and there is an icestorm outside which makes leaving your home more dangerous than taking care of the wound yourself, with your physician's directions over the phone. There are also times, sometimes during evacuation situations or when you are stuck somewhere with a group of people and some supplies, where a physician, dentist, veterinarian, or nurse practitioner are present, but your kit comprises the only medical instruments that are available.   If this is the case, then this particular surgical kit would be incredibly useful to have, in your home medical kit, or in an evacuation medical kit. Some of you might actually want to have two of them.   Keep in mind that ideally, you would need to boil the instruments for a period of time, or sanitize them somewhat in isopropyl alcohol before using for most things.  However, this might enable you to remove a small or large splinter,  correctly remove a fishhook embedded in skin,  or even carefully remove an obvious pea a child has placed in an ear or nostril.  If your physician is directing you to do something,  you would have the stainless steel tools with which to do it.
              If your interest is truly being able to suture skin competently and safely then please take a course which trains you properly before attempting something which could be dangerous.  Chuck Fenwick of Medical Corps in Ohio,  taught an amazing course in suturing, but is no longer doing so.  Florida physician and nurse practitioner AND a certified nurse midwife,  "Dr. Bones and Amy" also teach an intermittent suturing course.  Please let me know, if you are a medical practitioner who teaches this skill to families in the interest of preparedness, also.  " Dr, Bones and Nurse Amy" do a preparedness radio program, called "Doom and Bloom".   You can google this and contact them.

             The wonderful kit I mentioned which is pictured above, can be purchased through:

       Nitro-Pak       (800) 866-4876          http://www.nitro-pak.com/


             I have no business relationship with Nitro-Pak, nor have they been a show sponsor, I simply like their surgical emergency kit.