Desarrollo del botiquín individual de combate en las Fuerzas Armadas españolas / Development of individual combat first aid kit in Spanish Armed Forces

Introducción: El botiquín individual de combate es el material sanitario específico con el que se dota a cada uno de los militares para que, en caso de resultar herido, se puedan realizar los primeros auxilios aunque carezca de formación sanitaria. Objetivo: Diseñar el nuevo botiquín individual de combate para el ejército español determinando su contenido y requisitos técnicos. Material y método: Se han realizado entrevistas a responsables sanitarios de las unidades militares más operativas del Ejército de Tierra Español. Estudio físico de cada uno de los elementos componentes del actual BIC y comparación de los botiquines existentes en los ejércitos de los países de nuestro entorno. Se ha realizado una revisión bibliográfica con metodología sistemática en las principales bases de datos científicas. Para verificar la validez de los textos seleccionados se aplicaron programas de lectura crítica. Resultados y conclusión: Realización de una propuesta de nuevo botiquín de combate así como de su contenedor, con adición y eliminación de elementos

Introduction: The individual combat kit is the specific sanitary material with which each one of the soldiers is provided so that, in case of being injured, the first aid can be carried out even if it lacks health training. Objectives: The objective is to design the new individual combat kit for the Spanish Army and the specific one to determine its content and technical requirements. Material and method: Interviews were carried out to health officials of the most operational military units of the Spanish Army. Physical study of each of the component elements of the current BIC and comparison of the medicine kits existing in the armies of the countries of our environment. A bibliographic review with a systematic methodology was carried out in the main scientific databases. In order to verify the validity of the selected texts, critical reading programs were applied. Results and conclusion: Proposal of addition and elimination of elements in the possible new combat kit as well as the container

Emergency Physicians as Good Samaritans: Survey of Frequency, Locations, Supplies and Medications.

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the frequency and locations in which emergency physicians (EPs) are bystanders to an accident or emergency; equally uncertain is which contents of an "emergency kit" may be useful during such events. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency and locations of Good Samaritan acts by EPs and also determine which emergency kit supplies and medications were most commonly used by Good Samaritans. METHODS: We conducted an electronic survey among a convenience sample of EPs in Colorado. RESULTS: Respondents reported a median frequency of 2.0 Good Samaritan acts per five years of practice, with the most common locations being sports and entertainment events (25%), road traffic accidents (21%), and wilderness settings (19%). Of those who had acted as Good Samaritans, 86% reported that at least one supply would have been useful during the most recent event, and 66% reported at least one medication would have been useful. The most useful supplies were gloves (54%), dressings (34%), and a stethoscope (20%), while the most useful medications were oxygen (19%), intravenous fluids (17%), and epinephrine (14%). CONCLUSION: The majority of EPs can expect to provide Good Samaritan care during their careers and would be better prepared by carrying a kit with common supplies and medications where they are most likely to use them.

Medical supplies for the expeditions of the heroic age of Antarctic exploration: introduction.

During the heroic age of Antarctic exploration (1895-1922) there were at least 18 expeditions to the Antarctic lasting between 18 and 30 months. This is an introduction to a series of articles about the drugs taken and used in the Antarctic at this time. Most of the information relates to the expeditions of Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton and the main supplier of medical equipment was Burroughs Wellcome and Co. This article also describes the medical cases that were taken to the Antarctic.

El botiquín de emergencias: nuestro seguro en la dificultad / The medicine kit of emergencies: our insurance in the difficulty

Las emergencias que se presentan durante los tratamientos odontológicos no solamente se relacionan al empleo de medicamentos, sino también pueden ser el resultado de complicaciones del estado de salud general de los pacientes, tan diversos como asma bronquial, infarto agudo de miocardio, etc., por lo que el planeamiento y tratamiento de estas situaciones pasan por contar con un adecuado botiquín de emergencias. El diagnóstico, tratamiento y la confección y mantenimiento de nuestro botiquín son revisados en este artículo.