4 Kinds of Medical Supplies That Should Be Kept for Use at Home

Your first aid kit at home is already filled with the basics. Is there anything else that you should add to the adhesive bandages, gauze, and ointments that you keep on hand? In fact, it never hurts to keep a few things that are less likely to be needed. If something a little out of the ordinary happens, you’ll be prepared. Here are four examples of supplies you can add to the kit.

Respirator Masks

You definitely need to get respirator-masks and keep them around the house. They will come in handy if someone is gravely ill and being treated at home, especially if there’s the potential for some sort of airborne bacteria. Disposal masks are relatively inexpensive and can be stored for long periods of time. As a bonus, you can use them if you decide to engage in a home improvement project like painting a room.

Tourniquets

Tourniquets are excellent for stopping blood flow to an open wound. For example, it’s easy to apply a tourniquet on the upper part of the arm in order to help slow the flow of blood emerging from a wound just below the elbow. The same would hold true if you sustained a serious wound on the lower leg; applying the tourniquet at some point above the wound will help minimize blood loss and make it easier to remain stable while you get to a medical professional.

Eye Shields

Also called eye patches, these are helpful for protecting an eye that was injured. The patch helps to keep airborne contaminants away from the eye. Block the light from the injured eye may also be helpful to the healing process. Like the respirator masks, eye shields are disposable, inexpensive, and remain ready for use over the long term.

Most shields are designed so that they’re easy to remove when it’s time to apply eye drops or ointments. Once the application is complete, it’s easy to move the shield back into position. Remember to replace the older shield least once a day.

Medical Plasters

A supply of medical plasters in different sizes is always helpful. You probably already have some that are fine for small cuts and abrasions on fingers and other parts of the body. If the affected area is a little larger, plasters that are designed to adhere properly to elbows, knees, shoulders, and even to individual toes can come in quite handy. Consider investing in several different sizes and keep them on hand. Using one that’s the right size is much more effective than attempting to use two or three smaller plasters.

There are other medical supplies that you should keep on hand, especially if someone in the home has certain kinds of chronic conditions. Talk with your doctor and come up with a list of what you should keep in the first aid kit. Doing so will improve the odds of being ready to deal with just about any type of malady or injury.