Updating Your Boat’s Medical Kits

The article on DIY medical kits we published 5 years ago is due for an update (see PS July 2014, “Creating the Custom Medical Kit”). Evolving medical practice, newer treatment options and changes in availability of supplies made us think we should look once more at this issue.

Pain Management

Given the enormous attention to opioid addiction in our country, we no longer advise asking your personal physician for narcotics for on-board use. Back then we suggested sailors could probably get a prescription for a small amount of narcotics to treat, for example, a broken ankle until definitive medical care was available. All physicians everywhere have backed off on narcotic prescribing, even when patients leave the emergency room with their leg in a cast. We now know ibuprofen 800 mg three times a day or even acetaminophen 650 mg four times a day is usually as effective as oral narcotics and far less dangerous. (See Editor’s note in comments).

Simplified Prescriptions

You can simplify the other prescription medications in your kit as well. For common skin or urinary tract infections, having Keflex 250 mg or Bactrim available is sufficient; your doctor will determine the dosage. There is no longer any need to carry Macrodantin or penicillin but a having a Z-pack for ear infections or bronchitis, topical steroids and a Medrol dose pack for poison ivy and an antibiotic eye drop is still wise. We do not see a need to alter our 2014 recommendation for over-the-counter medicines.

Suturing Kits

Managing lacerations on board is always tricky. Sometimes Steri-strips are sufficient, sometimes super glue will do the job. But for more complicated wound closure, assuming the crew has some eye-hand coordination and is not squeamish, stapling or suturing wounds will be needed. Staplers are available in different sizes from Vitality Medical (www.vitalitymedical.com) while suture kits are available from several sources. Moore Medical, cited in the 2014 article, has been purchased by McKesson and is no longer available to the general public. School Health (www.schoolhealth.com) still offers a basic suture kit for $18 but the best source currently is MedVet International (www.medvet.com) They have a variety of kits from $28 to $45; your best bet is to buy one with syringes and needles included but you will still have to have your physician prescribe a local anesthetic.

Medical Kits

More comprehensive, all-in-one medical kits for off-shore sailors are available from Ocean Medix (www.oceanmedix.com) for $350 to $800. But if you are sailing within 12-24 hours of medical care, which most are, then a DIY kit may be all you need.

Skipper ‘Check-up’

And one more note: when was the last time you looked at your first aid kit to see if it was adequately stocked? Or leafed through your copy of Marine Medicine; a Comprehensive Guide by Eric Weiss and Michael Jacobs ? Managing injuries and sickness aboard a sailboat require just as much preparation as dealing with a balky diesel or a sticky jib furler. Be prepared.

Fred Bagley is a retired general surgeon who doublehands a 38-foot sloop with his wife on Lake Huron and Lake Superior.