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Update Your First-Aid Kit

Saving your own life or someone else’s is serious business. Here, some innovative products, in every price range, to help.

Car Kit
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Car Smarts
Whether you need to cut your seat belt, smash your windshield, signal for help, or shine a flashlight, the 4 in 1 Emergency Tool and Flashlight ($15, safetybright.com) will help. The LifeHammer shatters glass and cuts seatbelts. ($15, lifehammer.com) Battery-free light Simply shake the No Batteries SafetyBright flashlight, and it’s ready to use. ($7, safetybright.com)

Wound Care
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Wound Care
BloodSTOP, a high-tech bandage, interacts with your platelets and forms a clear gel to stop bleeding. ($15 for 10, lifescienceplus.com)
Action Plans
The Home Emergency Pocket Guide has easy-to-follow instructions for every scenario, from how to treat bumps and bruises to what to do during a tsunami. ($17, informedguides.com)

Intelligent First Aid
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Foolproof First Aid
The Intelligent First Aid Kit contains everything you need, like ice packs, antibacterial wipes, and bandages, and even talks you through the process so your nerves won’t get the best of you -- just press a button on the card to hear step-by-step instructions. Use it for broken bones, eye injuries, severe bleeding, and five other emergencies. ($130, intelligentfirstaid.com)

Wilderness Survival
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Superstockpile
From a dry-food supply to radios and lanterns, the Ice Qube Essential survival package can keep one person comfortable for three days and two people comfortable for two days. ($600, ice-qube.com)
Survival for One
The Red Cross Emergency Preparedness Kit contains everything you might need in a wilderness emergency: drinking water, food for three days, a blanket, light sticks, and more. ($50; redcrossstore.org)

Home Defibrillator
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Jump-Start a Heart
If you’re at high risk of a heart attack, consider investing in the Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator. It talks you through checking vital signs and giving CPR and will administer a shock, if needed. ($1,250 and up; heartstarthome.com)

Comments :
By kli4nia, 06/12/2008, 11:44 AM EDT

That's a great article! I would like only to say that LifeHammer is made in Europe and has been around for over 25 years! I personally own one as well as the US made ResQMe (the keychain version).

By oljoe49, 05/27/2008, 8:44 AM EDT

GREAT INFORMATION. THANKS, JOE

By nruffels, 05/19/2008, 11:04 AM EDT

i really enjoyed the article on "Saving Your Life". The "Update Your First Aid Kit" slide show was especially interesting, and sent me on a Google search for more information. I found a great website that sells many first-aid items, including the Safety Bright Flashlight and the LifeHammer, www.saveyourlifeusa.com. There is some interesting educational information there as well.

By Batanna, 05/14/2008, 11:38 PM EDT

Regarding "Saving Your Own Life" in the June issue, subtitle "Heart Attack:" This short piece describes heart attack symptoms, then says, "Women are more likely to have atypical symptoms..." and goes on to list some of these symptoms, "severe fatigue, nausea," and so on. These are not "atypical" symptoms. For women, they are completely typical. You would only call women's symptoms "atypical" if you assume that men's heart attack symptoms are the human norm. They aren't.

By dovequil, 05/13/2008, 5:20 PM EDT

I really appreciated the article about "Saving your Own Life" in the June 2008 issue. I've often thought about what I would do if I was chocking at home alone. Calling 911 and leaving the line open is an excellent idea, as suggested. I also wanted to add, if you are able to, wack a table nearby with the morse code for S O S in the speaker part of the phone. HOPEFULLY, the educated 911 office knows what that means! SOS = 3 quick taps, 3 taps with pause inbetween, then 3 quick taps ... donna

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