Quote:
Originally Posted by ODDJOB UNO
now theres a damn good idea on the saline!
how did the brits carry the saline?
does it have to be refrigerated at any time?
can it withstand high temps here ? obviously it can take low temps of the falklands in a pack.
whats the shelf life? ...
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The saline is the same as used in a hospital. You may have problems buying it but it's only purified water with salt added so I can't imagine it being too difficult.
Each bag normally comes with a tube set and clamp valve.
The Brits had outer covers made to protect their bags and these were stored in an external pocket in the same location in their back packs. They wrote an SOP for this so that they could be found in a hurray.
The actually bag is quite tough and is made of thick soft plastic... To burst one you'd have to jump on it.
Refrigeration is not required. There's nothing in it that can go off but it they should be protected and kept as clean as possible.
They do have a shelf life of about 24 months from manufacture but this isn't an issue if you're buying some just before a big trip.
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It's actually simple to do. There is a plastic barb designed to pierce the bag when inserted at one end of the plastic tubing.
You insert this barb into the bag and this self seals. Be careful not to stab your own hand when doing this. Just push it in straight and your done. Hang the bag about 1.5 meters above the casualty. A tree branch will do.
You then open the valve on the tubing until saline is runs all the way through. You need to cut the end off the tube because there's a thick and expanded section on the end designed for an intravenous needle.
Insert GENTLY. Not too much. About 4 to 6 inches should be plenty. Open the valve and squeeze the bag a little to make sure it's flowing.
Your large bowel absorbs water so this is just an effective way of hydrating someone while they are unconscious or in extreme pain or they have a facial wound that prevents them from drinking.
Let's say you have a hunting party of 5 or 6 men. I would take a full first aid kit and three 1 liter saline bags plus tubing.
It can also be used for wound cleaning and irrigation.