What have you packed or carried which was useless? What d'you leave OUT!

ILemt said:
Let me clarify myself..
Im not a fan of the KED for its intended use.
(In fact some Med Directors in this area forbid their use and require the long board no matter what)
.
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??? You do use the LSB in conjunction with the KED ... right? Since the KED is ONLY an extrication device and should never be placed alone for adult treatment.

R/r 911
 
I'm with Rid on this one, Keds arent used to immobilize, they are only used to extricate a stable patient onto a bacboard or a vacmat (up here in QC we use those too unfortunately). Even at that, our local protocal says if you have to extricate a patient, you should rapid ex instead of using a ked.
 
Airwaygoddess, about V-VAC..

I was saddled with twenty of them when the trauma bag system I govern was set up by non EMS folks six years ago. Many of our little nurses could not hold the device properly. Furthermore, recently I discovered that the one way valves had gone bad, so you would have to aspirate, then shoot it to the aside when you relaxed your grip, because it had gone from one-way airflow to two-way. (Test by working an UNUSED one next to your cheek, feel for the air rushing back out).
 
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MMiz said:
I used my minimag flashlight all the time! My list:
1. Handheld Manual Suction - It sure sucked, and took up valuable space.
2. Cold packs - They lasted all of 30 seconds.
3. Tiny Medical Tape - Give me an inch or go home!
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would you carry a portable (rechargable) suction instead of the handheld?
 
seshan said:
would you carry a portable (rechargable) suction instead of the handheld?
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It really depends on the call. At the BLS level I can count the number of times I've used the portable suction on one hand.
 
well, since all of our rigs are the Van type, we can;t really pack-rat too much because theres not much space to begin with. I do agree with the person that said sometimes actually getting back to home-base to restock is harder than it sounds. Usually, the way we work it is we will stock up the rig at the beginning of our shift with enough stuff to handle whatever we may come across in the next 12 hours. If the crew on the rig before us is nice, they will say "hey I used 4 NRMs, 3 bags of sailene, a few 4x4s, and a backboard, collar, and a set of block. you're M tank is good and you will need a D tank on the stretcher soon though but the spare is good" so basically this avoids us having to go through the WHOLE ambulance.

In response to the suction thing, we have the re-chargable portable units on the rig. do I use it? well, I used it on a code ONCE and the only reason I think it even made it into the house was because one of the firemen needed something to do lol. could I have lived without it? yeah....

Stuff I have leaned away from carrying on my person:
-seatbelt cutter/o2 wrench combo thing (when i worked at my previous job i used the O2 wrench part quite often, the enw place supplies them on every set of rig keys so i dont need it)
-small EMS field guide (i keep it in the rig...not gonna be on scene long enough to need to look something up)
-Tape hanging of the little straps on the pants pocket

Stuff we have on the rig I don;t think we need:
-tin foil. there is an industrial sized box of tin foil on every rig. please, find me something to do with it other than make funky looking martain helemts to put on my partner while he's asleep.
8 boxes of 4-pack monitor electrodes. this is in addition to the 5 or 6 packs we have in the monitor.
-the pulse-ox thing thats about the size of a small laptop computer.
-and finally the most useless thing that we carry on the rig IMO: the Zoll Autopulse
 
MikeRi24 said:
-and finally the most useless thing that we carry on the rig IMO: the Zoll Autopulse
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There are times I agree with you and times I couldn't disagree more. I've been on calls where they went through 3 different batteries trying to get it to work before scrapping it. Those calls I'd say set it up once if it doesn't work get it out of here I know how to do CPR for gods sake. Other times they have it on and running within a minute of pulling on scene and I feel like it's a godsend.

I've been an EMR for 5 years and never used 75% of the gear in our bag because I either can't find it or don't have a need for it. They make us carry so much just in case gear now that some of the smaller members of the squad can barely carry their bags.
 
As for tin foil... in most systems its a required part of the OB kit
(used as a heat wrap for the newborn)
 
Foil is a good heat conductor if in contact with the skin.

How about a nice warm blanket?
 
Here's one...slim jim or other car entry tool.

Nothig like carrying burglary tools. Some states require a license to carry them.

(My wife's Windstar was opend by a professional...BP cuff with just the bladder in a nylon cover, two plastic wedges, a wooden yardstick and the tow operator's hands.
 
Can't get a slim jim without a license... I've heard. :)
 
MMiz said:
Can't get a slim jim without a license... I've heard. :)
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you don't need one here!

I worked security. My job was to break into people's cars... at their request.

Fun skill to have.
 
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Where's my car????

Ah Jon,..... Where are you going with my car!!!!!!! YikES!:P
 
ILemt said:
As for tin foil... in most systems its a required part of the OB kit
(used as a heat wrap for the newborn)
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Real tin foil or the emergency blankets? Because you won't be able to pry that emergency blanket from my cold dead fingers because I'm taking it with me when I die! Costs less than a buck, weighs less than an ounce, fits in my SAR pack, glove box, backpack. Is a blanket, tent, signaling device, can be torn up and used to flag a trail. I've used them on pts while waiting for the stokes to be packed in to their location. I've even used it as a triangle bandage for a sling. What else has such versatility at such a low price. That and duct tape and you can McIver anything
 
Actually... I know PA requires either a pack of "sterile aluminum foil" or a emergency blanket baby swaddler.

Jon
 
ILemt said:
the short board
and any commercial follower (example: KED)
MAST pants
activated charcoal (so unused, my state doesnt require it anymore)
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We used a short board the other day. It was rather useful for a little girl who dove into a shallow pool and broke her neck and back. her parents transported her to the ER but could not get her to walk out from the suv. we extracted from the vehicle using the short board and I explained to the father of the danger and harm he may have cause by not calling 911 in the first place.
 
WHy are short boards so maligned?


Item I'm going to stop carrying: spare oxygen "O" ring gasket.
Item I carry but can never find: spare stethoscope ear tip.
 
pedi-nasal cannulas, they are pointles....they rip them off....all you end up doing is blow-by
 
Ear Tip

I agree on the spare ear tip. I can't count the number of times I have poked my brain because of a missing ear tip.
 
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