According to Dr. Jim Duff and Dr. Peter Gormly, the following should be included in a first aid kit depending on group size for major mountain expeditions of more than 4 weeks (Dr Jim Duff is a mountaineer and worked as Doctor on Chris Bonnington’s 1975 expedition on Everest). This is a very comprehensive list and not all items are included in our first aid kit on treks. See what’s included in our first aid kits at the end of this article.
INSTRUMENTS
| Large group | Small group | Two people | Personal minimalist (mountaineer) | |
| Thermometer | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Tweezers splinter type
(pointed end) |
1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Scissors sharp :
One fine , one large |
1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Ordinary sewing needle | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Safety pins | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Forceps (artery) | 2 | 1 | ||
| Scalpel no. 15 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Disposable razors | 1 packet | |||
| Syringe 20ml or bigger | 1 | 1 | ||
| Syringe 10ml (and needles ) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Syringe 2ml (and needles) | 4 | 2 | 1 | |
| Protective gloves | Dozen pairs | Half dozen pairs | 1 pair | |
| Rubber gloves(washing-up) | 2 pairs | 1 | ||
| Enema tube | 1 | 1 | ||
DRESSINGS AND WOUND CARE
| Large group | Small group | Two people | Personal minimalist (mountaineer) | |
| Band aids | 60 | 20 | 10 | 3 |
| Blister ‘skin’ (Moleskin TM Compeed) | 3 packets | 1 packet | 1 packet | |
| Cotton buds | 1 packet | 1 packet | ||
| Gauze squares 5cm | 30 | 10 | 5 | |
| Sterile non-stick dressings 10cm (e.g. melolin TM) | 20 | 5 | 2 | |
| Large wound dressing | 2 | 1 | ||
| Sanitary pads (for absorbent padding) | 10 | 5 | 1 | |
| Plastic food wrap (Cling wrap TM, Saran wrap TM ) | Roll | Small roll | ||
| Adhesive tape bandage 10cm | Roll | Small roll | ||
| Triangular bandages | 4 | 1 | ||
| Cotton bandages 10cm x 1.5m | 6 | 2 | 1 | |
| Elastic bandages 10cm | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Crepe bandages 10cm x 1.5m | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| Duct tape | 1 large roll | 1 small roll | 1 small roll | 60 cm length |
| Closures (Steristrips TM) 6mm | 4 packets | 1 packet | 1 packet | 1 packet |
| 1 tincture of benzoin (prone to leaks: double wrap) | Small bottle | |||
| Alcohol swabs | 20 | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| Petroleum jelly (Vaseline TM) | 1 tube/jar | 1 small tube/jar | ||
| SAM splint TM (large) | 2 | 2 | ||
MEDICATIONS
| Large group | Small group | Two people | Personal ‘minimalist’ (mountaineer) | ||
| ALLERGY, INFLAMMATION AND ITCH | |||||
| Antihistamine tablets
(Chlorpheniramine maleate 4mg e.g., Piriton TM, or diphenhydramine 25mg, e.g., Benadryl TM) |
20 tabs | 10 tabs | 10 tabs | ||
| Antihistamine tablets non-sedating (cetirizine, or desloratidine, or fexofenadine | 10 tabs | ||||
| Anti-inflammatory cream/ointment/gel | 100g tube | 30g tube | |||
| Hydrocortisone cream 1% | 15g tube | 15g tube | 15g tube | ||
| Calamine or Eurax TM cream | 15g tube | ||||
ALTITUDE ILLNESS (IF GOING ABOVE 2000 METER) |
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| Acetazolamide 250mg (Diamox TM) | 60 tabs | 20 tabs | 20 tabs | 6 tabs | |
| Nifedipine modified release (MR) or long acting (LA) 20 to 30 mg | 20 tabs | 10 tabs | 6 tabs | 6 tabs | |
| Dexamethasone 4 mg | 40 tabs | 20 tabs | 20 tabs | 6 tab | |
ANTIBIOTICS |
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| Ciprofloxacin 500mg or norfloxacin 400mg | 40 tabs | 20 tabs | 10 tabs | 4 tax / caps | |
| Co-amoxiclav or amoxicillin 250mg or cefalexin 250mg | 40 caps | 30 caps | 20 caps | ||
| Flucloxacillin 500mg | 40 caps | 20 caps | |||
| Azithromycin 500mg (or erythromycin 250mg) | 15 caps (40 caps) | 10 caps (20 caps) | |||
| Metronidazole 400mg (or tinidazole 400/500 mg) | 40 tabs | 30 tabs | 15 tabs | ||
ANTIBIOTIC / ANTIFUNGAL SKIN APPLICATIONS |
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| Antibiotic ointment (muprirocin or fucidin) | 15g tube | 15g tube | 15g tube | ||
| Antifungal cream (miconazole, clotrimazole, terbinafine) | 15g tube | 15g tube | |||
BURN |
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| Burn cream (silver sulfadiazine or Aloe Vera gel) | 2 x 20g tubes | 1 x 20g tube | |||
CONSTIPATION |
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| Laxative (Bisacodyl TM) | 20 tabs | 5 tabs | |||
DENTAL |
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| Clove oil (Dentaik TM of W.L. toothache drops TM) | Bottle | ||||
| Dental first aid kit (proprietary) | 1 | ||||
DIARRHOEA |
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| loperamide (Imodium TM) | 30 caps | 15 caps | 10 caps | 2 caps | |
DISINFECTANT |
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| Povi-iodine (Betadine TM ) or Dettol or Savlon | Small bottle | Small bottle | Small bottle | ||
| Dettol Soap | 1 | 1 | |||
DISINFECTANT FOR WATER |
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| Iodine (tablets or lugol’s solution in a 25ml bottle with dropper or crystals) | As appropriate | As appropriate | |||
EYE AND EAR INFECTION |
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| Antibiotic ointment for eye and ear (chloramphenicol or soframycin) | 1 tube | 1 tube | 1 tube | ||
| Anaesthetic eye drops (tetracaine, minims Amethocaine TM) | 4 minims | 2 minims | 1 minim (in case of snow blindness) | ||
HAEMORRHOID (PILES) |
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| Haemorrhoid ointment | 1 tube | 1 tube | |||
| Haemorrhoid suppositories | 5 | ||||
INDIGESTION |
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| Antacid simple (Gaviscon TM etc) | 40 tabs | 20 tabs | |||
| Ranitidine 150mg | 20 tabs | 10 tabs | 10 tabs | ||
NAUSEA & VOMITING |
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| Prochlorperazine (as Buccastem TM buccal tablets 3mg or stemetil TM tablets 5 mg) AND/OR | 20 | 10 | 5 | 2 | |
| Prochlorperazine suppositories, OR | 5 | 3 | |||
| Prochlorperazine injectable ampoule | 5 | 3 | |||
PAINKILLER (ANALGESICS) |
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| Paracetamol | 60 tabs | 20 tabs | 10 tabs | ||
| Aspirin | 40 tabs | ||||
| Ibuprofen 400mg | 60 tabs / caps | 40 tabs/ caps | 20 tabs/caps | 2 tabs/caps | |
| Codeine phosphate 30mg* | 40 tabs | 20 tabs | 10 tabs | 9 tabs | |
| Diclofenac 50mg suppository (voltarol TM) | 10 | 5 | |||
| Tramadol 50mg | 30 caps | 15 caps | 10 caps | ||
| Methoxyflurane (penthrox TM) inhaler | 2 | 1 | |||
| Lidocaine gel | 1 tube | ||||
ORS (ORAL REHYDRATION SOLUTION ) |
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| e.g. Diorylate TM, Gastrolyte TM, Jeevan Jal TM, Electrobion TM, Rehidrat TM | 10 packets | 4 packets | 2 packets | ||
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RESPIRATIORY (BREATHING ) PROBLEMS |
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| Phenylephrine or pseudoephedrine nasal drops / spray | 1 bottle / spray | 1 bottle / spray | |||
| Flu & sinus medication | 20 tabs / caps | 10 tabs/ caps | |||
| Throat lozenges | 30 | 15 | 5 | ||
| Asthma reliever spray (salbutamol) | 1 | 1 | |||
| Prednisolone 5 mg | 60 tabs | 60 tabs | |||
| Tiger balm or eucalyptus oil | 1 tube / jar | ||||
OTHER MEDICATION |
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| Diazepam 5mg tablets | 20 tabs | 10 tabs | |||
| Diazepam ractal tubes 5mg | 2 | ||||
OTHER ITEMS RECOMMENDED
| Large group | Small group | Two people | Personal minimalist (mountaineer) | |
| Hyperbaric bag and/or oxygen (if going above 2500m) | 1 bag /1 cylinder | |||
| Facemask for rescue breathing (Laerdal TM mask) | 1 | 1 | ||
| Space blanket | 1 | 1 | ||
| Bivvy bag, plastic survival bag or small tarp | 1 large | 1 | ||
| Sunscreen | 1 tube | 1 tube | 1 tube | |
| Glucose tablets | 10 | |||
| Gas lighter | 1 | 1 | ||
| Square of boiled clean cotton sheet (1 meter) | 1 | 1 | ||
| Pencil | 1 | 1 | ||
| Incident forms (sample available from | 5 | 2 | ||
DOCTORS, PARAMEDICS OR SPECIFICATION TRAINED FIRST – AIDERS MAY CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING |
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| Oto/opthalmo/stetho-scope | 1 | |||
| Pulse-oximeter(oxygen saturation meter) | 1 | |||
| Airways | Selection | |||
| Ambu-bag | 1 | |||
| Sutures with needles | Various sizes | |||
| Lidocaine local anaesthetic injection | 5 ampoules | 2 ampoules | ||
| IV/IM: antibiotics, antiemetic, antipsychotic, dexamethasone, diazepam, epinephrine (adrenaline) tetanus booster | As appropriate | As appropriate | ||
| Blood volume expenders 500ml infusion bag/giving set | 2 | |||
| Ketamine anaesthetic for IM or IV injection | 2 ampoules | |||
| Fluorescein eye stain | 2 minims | |||
| Morphine or pentazocine for IM injection* | 5 ampoules | |||
| And/or fentanyl patches* | 5 patches | |||
| Naloxone (Narcan TM) | 2 ampoules | |||
GROUP LEADER SHOULD ALSO HAVE AVAILABLE |
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| Closed cell foam mat, spare fleece of down jacket, whistle, plus if appropriate a radio, mobile and/or satellite telephone | ||||
| Note: for customs purposes carry a letter from a doctor or other authority stating these painkillers are for expedition use. | ||||
ITEMS INCLUDED IN CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN TREK’s FIRST-AID KIT
- Small Scissor
- 4 inch crepe bandage
- 4 inch cotton roll bandage
- Sterile Gauze piece 4×4
- Alcohol swab
- Handi-plast
- Safety pin
- Paper tape
- Glove 2 sets
- Pulse Oximeter
- Thermometer,
- Kidney tray
- Forceps
- Betadine solution
- triangular bandage
And over the counter medicines for high altitude, pain, diarrhea, wound care etc as follows:
- Anistihistamine tablets (non sedating)
- Anti-inflammatory cream/ointment/gel
- Hydrocortisone cream 1% 15g tube
- Acetazolamide 250mg or 125 mg (Diamox)
- Ciprofloxacin 500mg or norfloxacin 400mg
- Azithromycin 500mg
- Metronidazole 400mg
- Oral Rehydration Salts
