Wound care supplies

Household6

Household6

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Does anyone know where I can get a two week supply of Coban and Xeroform for cheap or free samples? A friend got his arm mangled in corn picker a couple weeks ago, he's home now but insurance won't cover the dressings. They also need sterile saline.

You know it goes, no income for them right now, and the need expensive stuff.
 
Saline:

Get a couple 1000 mL IV bags of NS from the pharmacy (they are normally around ~3.50).
Get a few syringes (~30 mL)/needles and alcohol preps (also very inexpensive) and draw off aliquots of saline into the syringe for wound care. The bag should stay sterile if done w/ aseptic technique.

Both of these items should be OTC.
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Coban is the exact same thing as vet-wrap. This should be available at farm co-op stores and be clean. Coban wrap (AFAIK) does not come sterile.

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Xeroform is a petroleum gauze dressing, so any dressing of that type should be fine. If ALL ELSE fails, check eBay - you can find pretty much ANYTHING on there. They have xeroform.
 
Av8or007 said:
Saline:

Get a couple 1000 mL IV bags of NS from the pharmacy (they are normally around ~3.50).
Get a few syringes (~30 mL)/needles and alcohol preps (also very inexpensive) and draw off aliquots of saline into the syringe for wound care. The bag should stay sterile if done w/ aseptic technique.

Both of these items should be OTC.
---------
Coban is the exact same thing as vet-wrap. This should be available at farm co-op stores and be clean. Coban wrap (AFAIK) does not come sterile.

----
Xeroform is a petroleum gauze dressing, so any dressing of that type should be fine. If ALL ELSE fails, check eBay - you can find pretty much ANYTHING on there. They have xeroform.
Click to expand...

Are saline bags OTC in Canada?
 
Yes, along with most other stuff. Devices up here are easy to get.

No regs on needles or syringes and they are cheap. Many pharmacies will sell bucket loads of wound care supplies, trays, as well as a variety of syringe sizes and needle gauges.

Iv fluids (crystalloid), drop sets, catheters and saline locks/flushes are otc.

Are saline and syringes not otc in the states?
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As for otc behind the counter meds, look up napra schedule 2. Everything in pharmacy schedule 2 and 3 is otc.

E.g. epi pens, glucagon, nitro spray, parentral gravol and benadryl, acetaminophen with codeine (8 mg max), all local anaesthetics (both jelly and parentral w/ and w/o epi) polymixin b eye/ear drops, insulin, some vaccines .etc

Other interesting thing is that those meds are usually CHEAP.

Nitro spray is 24.99 from any pharmacy, glucagon is ~$110. The insulin is also relatively cheap (don't know exactly).
 
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Household6 said:
Does anyone know where I can get a two week supply of Coban and Xeroform for cheap or free samples? A friend got his arm mangled in corn picker a couple weeks ago, he's home now but insurance won't cover the dressings. They also need sterile saline.

You know it goes, no income for them right now, and the need expensive stuff.
Click to expand...

Talk to your sup, they may let you take a few things home or order some for you for a kickback under the table.
 
It's been almost four months. How'd it do?
 
mycrofft said:
It's been almost four months. How'd it do?
Click to expand...

I ended up calling in a favor to a PA at a neighboring hospital.. She let me put some things on her personal account.. Sometimes it's nice to have friends..
 
Household6 said:
I ended up calling in a favor to a PA at a neighboring hospital.. She let me put some things on her personal account.. Sometimes it's nice to have friends..
Click to expand...

As long as they are NICE friends.
Good luck!
 
Household, you ought to share this case. Farm machinery (and farming in general) is dangerous and out there EMS can be thin.

And the bigger lesson is safety is 24/7 whether it's a corn auger, am ambulance, or whatever. And the cell phone isn't working if you leave it behind.

Best of luck and I hope the VA sticks up for him!!
 
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