BY DUANE CHENEY

Accidents happen, even in the home. Sometimes, a first-aid kit can help relieve the pain of a burn or treat minor lacerations to avoid infection. Common traumas that happen in the home are lacerations, chemicals in the eyes, minor burns, strains, and sprains. Although professional medical care should always be consulted to assure proper care, the following is a list of minor traumas and what you will need to provide for some important first aid:

Include in First-Aid kit:
• Fabric band-aids; plastic bandages hold in moisture and bacteria. Sterile saline solution for cleaning wounds. Only use alcohol around the wound, not in the wound; alcohol kills healthy tissue. Benzalkonium chloride is effective and can be used on the wound.
• Use sterile gloves.
• Abrasions: use sterile saline.
• Veinous wounds; bleeding is prevalent, not spurting blood. Use hydrophilic powder. It stops bleeding in 20 seconds and contains a disinfectant. For nose bleeds, apply a cotton swab inside the nostril.
• Minor burns: use burn-free gel. Apply burn-free gel immediately and cover with a gauze dressing.
• Strain: use ice, 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off, for 48 hours. Do not apply heat. Chemically activated instant ice wraps are purchasable. Include splints and ace bandage wraps for immobilization.
• Chemical Eye Burns: Flush the eyes with lukewarm tap water for 15 minutes. Buffered isotonic solution matches the body’s 7.2 PH to quickly neutralize the chemical.

Supplies available at local stores, TNTfirstaid.com, mymedic.com, redcross.org, first-aid-product.com, and first-aid-store.com.

FREE FIRST-AID CLASS
July 17th at 10 a.m.
Room #1, Syracuse City Community Center Products on display and for sale.