A first aid kit is very handy during times of emergencies, accidents or injuries. There are commercially available types and sizes you can purchase at local drugstores and health care medical stores.

First Aid Kits

First aid kits are collections of equipments and supplies used in providing initial medication to the patient. It could vary by section due to legislation between organizations or governments. Its usual contents are items to avoid bleeding like breathing barriers when performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR bandages. It could also contain different kinds of medicines. It can be organized on mostly any kind of container be it commercially produced or personally arranged.

Standard First Aid Kits are usually kept in wall mounted cabinets, plastic boxes or durable fabric pouches. All pharmacies, groceries and stores sell first aid kits that already have the essential medicines and materials for common health problems.

A basic kit can be placed inside your bag or held in a separate container. It contains some band aids, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointments and some small medicines for usual illnesses such as headaches or diarrhea.

The advanced first aid kits can contain items like bag valve masks, Oropharyngeal airways, nasopharyngeal airways and suction units or manual aspirators. Such items need a little know-how to be used and applied correctly to a patient.

Summer first aid kits contain items specific to the common sicknesses acquired during summer. Examples are sunburns, heatstroke, rashes, headaches, allergies and bruises.

People would normally include in their kits items like aloe vera gels, antibiotic ointments, bandages as well as cold packs for cuts, scrapes and bug bites. They also carry along insect repellants, sunblocks for sunburn prevention and treatment. These are all brought along in any camping trip, trekking, excursion or any outdoor activity.

Making Your Own First Aid Kit

You could pack your own kit rather than buying because this will be more personalized to your specific needs. Assemble some stuff sacks to categorize factors as well as kit items like blister kits, wound management, trauma, over-the counter medication, tropical medications and the prescription medications. You can also assemble items in blister kits like adhesive bandages, athletic tapes, gauze pads, second skin, molefoams, duct tapes, benzoin tinctures and scissors.

Consider items for trauma kits like latex gloves, epinephrine syringe, micro-shield, scissors, airways, cravats, extractors, ace bandages, chemical heat packs, chemical cold packs, trash bags rectal thermometers, thermometers, extra lighters, signal mirrors and wilderness first aid boos. You can also consider tropical medications such as calamine lotions, hydrocortisones, antibiotic ointments, aloe vera gels, suncreams, antifungal crèmes and insect repellents.

Assemble the items for wound management. This would include 10 percent povidone-iodine, irrigation syringe, antibiotic ointment and athletic tape, gauze pads, adhesive bandages as well as rolled gauze, butterfly bandage, tweezers and iodine medicines for disinfecting water. You can also consider items for over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antihistamines and antacids, decongestants along with decongestant spray, oral rehydration, diarrhea medication and medication for motion sickness.

Ask a doctor for some prescribed antibiotics that can treat infections in the urinary tract, skin, gastro-intestines, ear, sinus, eyes and respiratory tissues. You can also ask the doctor again for other prescribed medications like anti-inflammatory medications, pain-killers, steroid cremes and altitude illness medications.

Camping First Aid Kits

A camping first aid kit gives relief for numerous uncomfortable situations and outdoor emergencies. Some of the uncomfortable situations include sunburns or insect bites that could simply be treated by insect relief pads or gel packs. Emergency situations refer to deep cuts or sprains that require instant attention wherein the victims are facing serious bodily damages.