When was the last time first aid kit was checked?

Byline: THE HEALTH FILES By Tim Christie The Register-Guard

Accidents happen: Are you prepared?

OK, maybe you have an old box of Band-Aids and a crinkled tube of Neosporin moldering in a medicine cabinet for when you suffer a paper cut.

But what about more serious injuries that require urgent attention: Have you checked your stock of bandages, gauze and tape? Do you have aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen at hand? Do you know what to do if your toddler swallows drain cleaner?

Every home should have at least one well-stocked first aid kit, and household members should know how to use it, emergency and medical professionals say.

"The 'how-to' part is critical - buy a first-aid manual and read it thoroughly," said Dr. Greg Walker of the American College of Emergency Physicians. "The items in the kit will be of little use unless you know how to use them."

With first-aid kits, sometimes simpler is better, said Dr. Desmond Crooks, an emergency physician at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center.

"A simple pack is one that people are going to use," he said. "If it gets too complex, you're going to be less likely to know what to do when the time comes."

That's why the American Red Cross encourages people to take a first-aid class to learn how to use their kit, said Jenny Carrick, agency spokeswoman in Eugene.

"You need at least one person in every household trained to respond to emergencies," she said. "When you have first aid and CPR training, it gives someone that extra edge of confidence in how to respond to a situation without going into a panic."

Crooks keeps one kit in his house and one in his shop. Many doctors carry them in their cars as well.

"We encourage people to put them in several locations," Carrick said. "That way you're prepared with first-aid materials when emergencies occur."

While many items in a well-stocked kit have remain unchanged, one venerable treatment for poison - syrup of ipecac - has fallen out of favor.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, which had recommended parents keep a 1-ounce bottle of ipecac in the home to induce vomiting in case of accidental poisoning, changed its policy in 2003.

Inducing vomiting after swallowing a potentially poisonous substance seems to make sense, but it was never proven effective, the AAP said.

Most emergency rooms have switched from ipecac to activated charcoal.

Now, emergency officials advise people to call the Oregon Poison Control Center (800-222-1212). If they have an old bottle of ipecac sitting around, they should toss it out, said Tonya Drayden, a poison control nurse at Oregon Health & Science University.

Ipecac, derived from the ipecacuanha root, itself is a poison that can do more harm than good when improperly given, she said.

If someone has taken a narcotic that makes them sleepy, giving them ipecac can cause them to throw up and accidentally inhale their own vomit, she said.

If someone has ingested a caustic substance or a volatile liquid like gasoline, vomiting can cause damage to the esophagus when it comes back up.

"In many cases there's no need for vomiting," she said. "There's no need to put a finger down the throat. There's no need for any home remedies to cause vomiting."

Even activated charcoal is not recommended for home treatment, she said.

If you don't have a first-aid kit, you can buy one from the American Red Cross, REI, GI Joe or other retail outlet. They range in price from about $10 for a barebones kit to nearly $300 for an expedition kit for extended back-country or Third World travel. The most popular kit sold by the Red Cross runs about $30, Carrick said.

Or you can put one together yourself. The American College of Emergency Physicians suggests using a tote bag for a first aid kit.

Remember to store it out of reach of children, and to periodically check to make sure it's well stocked and that its medicines are up to date.

Here's a list of suggested items for a first aid kit:

A first-aid manual. The best-stocked first-aid kit is of no use if you don't know how to use it.

Information: Keep emergency phone numbers, such as the family doctor and the regional poison control number; a list of allergies for each family member; and a list of medications taken by each family member. Also: Make a list of what's in the kit.

Medicine and supplies: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin tablets relieve headaches, pain, fever and simple sprains and strains.

Have at least two aspirin tablets available at all times in case of heart attack. Remember that aspirin should not be used to relieve flu symptoms and should never be given to children. Include an oral syringe to administer medicine to children.

Other medicines to include: cough suppressant; antihistamine; decongestant tablets; and fluids for rehydrating infants with diarrhea.

Bandages and other wound care supplies: Include bandages of assorted sizes to cover minor cuts and scrapes; bandage closures or "butterfly bandages" to tape edges of minor cuts together; a triangular bandage to wrap injuries and make an arm sling; elastic wraps for joint injuries; gauze in rolls and pads to dress larger cuts and scrapes; and adhesive tape to keep gauze in place.

Also, sharp scissors with rounded tips to cut tape, gauze or clothes; safety pins to fasten splints and bandages; antiseptic wipes; disposable, instant-activating cold packs for icing burns and injuries; tweezers for removing small splinters, foreign objects, bee stingers and ticks; hydrogen peroxide to disinfect and clean wounds; and rubber gloves to protect hands and reduce risk of infection when treating open wounds.

Other supplies: Antibiotic ointment; thermometers, including a rectal thermometer for babies; petroleum jelly to lubricate a rectal thermometer; calamine lotion to relieve itching and irritation from insect bites and stings and poison oak; hydrocortisone cream to relieve irritation from rashes.

Medical forms: Include complete medical consent forms for your family to allow someone to authorize treatment in an emergency situation.

Tim Christie can be reached at 338-2572 or [e-mail].

FIRST AID TIPS

In case of accidental poisoning, call the Oregon Poison Control Line at [phone].

For information in first aid and CPR classes, contact the American Red Cross at 335-5244; on the Web at oregonpacific.redcross.org; or stop by the office at 862 Bethel Drive.