{"id":2086,"date":"2010-12-27T15:05:48","date_gmt":"2010-12-27T19:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/?p=3928"},"modified":"2023-09-23T09:39:59","modified_gmt":"2023-09-23T13:39:59","slug":"the-first-aid-kit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/2010\/12\/the-first-aid-kit\/","title":{"rendered":"The first aid kit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of the things that was drilled into my head when in the military was first aid, which we were all required to learn. Those of us who worked around high voltages were also required to know CPR, including passing the American Red Cross CPR course. \u00a0I have used CPR on three separate occasions, and none of the victims lived to tell about it. \u00a0I have been told by my wife’s cousin, who is an ER doctor, that that result is fairly typical, especially in older persons with heart conditions, which in two instances was the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have always carried a standard first aid kit in my truck. \u00a0Things like band-aids, gauze pads, sterile water, Hydrogen Peroxide, medical tape, splints, antimicrobial cream, blankets, etc. \u00a0Nothing hugely complicated, something like this unit. \u00a0I have used it recently at accident scenes, which I tend to stop if it looks like they need help.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Philips<\/a>
Philips Heartstart onsite AED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

To complete this, I have also purchased an AED<\/a>. \u00a0As one medic once said, if a heart gets shocked out of sinus rhythm<\/a>, it can be easily shocked back into sinus rhythm provided it is done quickly. \u00a0Working on high-voltage power supplies always entails some risk, even when all safety procedures are followed. \u00a0As little as 60 mA can cause arrhythmia. \u00a0Dry skin has a resistance of about 300 ohms, which means that 180 VDC is the threshold for fatal shocks. \u00a0This value is much lower if the skin is wet. Any shock received through either hand is likely to travel through the chest and can effect the heart. \u00a0Many of the transmitter sites we service are remote, medical help may be 30-60 minutes away under good conditions. \u00a0Having an AED on hand is just a little bit of extra insurance, that will hopefully never have to be used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CPR procedures<\/a> have been updated in the last few years, if one has not recently reviewed them, it might be worthwhile to take a refresher course. \u00a0I will say, hands-only CPR is an improvement not only because it is more effective, but also because most heart attack victims vomit and lose control of their bowls. \u00a0Reduced contact with someone else’s stomach contents is always welcome. \u00a0This AED came with a training video CD. \u00a0While AEDs are designed to be intuitive, having training on their use is always a good idea. \u00a0The Red Cross also gives classes that include the use of an AED with hands-only CPR.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the things that was drilled into my head when in the military was first aid, which we were all required to learn. Those of us who worked around high voltages were also required to know CPR, including passing the American Red Cross CPR course. \u00a0I have used CPR on three separate occasions, and … Continue reading The first aid kit<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[170],"class_list":["post-2086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-first-aid"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2086"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12465,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2086\/revisions\/12465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineeringradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}