I’m likely to be traveling in some rural areas of countries that re-use medical equipment like needles, syringes and tubing, not necessarily in the most sanitized way. For this sort of travel, I’ve always been told that one should carry a small medical packet with a syringe or two, some medical tubing, and perhaps other sterile supplies. My medical provider isn’t sure what to do with this request. I see needles and syringes on sale online, but don’t know what size I should carry or whether I can just purchase them. plus, I don’t need a box of 20.
I put it to you–
Does one need a prescription in the U.S.?
If not, are there medical supply places that sell this sort of kit?
I think the first question is, what are you planning to need them for? That would help to determine things like needle size and what other things in general you would need.
Syringe availability varies from State to State. In Kansas they are over the counter. In other States and even some cities you must have a prescription.
Your best bet? Ask your doctor for sample items of a couple syringes and the medical tubing and other sterile supplies.
Note that going through TSA security, however, you may need to show a prescription. If you pack them in your carry-on you may not have any issues (I say “may” because I have had my diabetic supplies illegally seized once before by the TSA). Note as well that I’ve been warned by my security guy at work that in some countries possession of syringes are “on the face of it” evidence of being a drug user or in drug trafficking, but I do not have proof of such.
Joey: Emergency medical care that otherwise might transmit blood-borne pathogens from non-sterile equipment. It’s not my intention to be injured, but I’ve known enough people to have accidents in rural areas that I’s prefer to be prepared.
Una Persson: I probably could get some syringes pretty easily, but do want the doctor’s note or prescription for just this reason.
Just buy them when you get there. It will be ten times cheaper and easier. Developing world pharmacies will generally hand out anything to anyone.
That said, I can think of few places on this planet today where health care providers routinely re-use needles, and none where you can’t request that they open a new needle in front of you. Where you going?
Perhaps cheaper (perhaps). Not easier in a rural area. And what is handed out is not always what it says it is. There’s a big problem with fake penicillin in a lot of countries right now. I was in some villages in Mexico this summer that did not have any stores, and the medical care was a boarded up clinic with an itinerant nurse who might or might not show up some time that week. Last time I was in Cambodia, there were no sanitary pads to be found.
There are lots of places that re-use needles. Much of Africa, and much of Asia. There aren’t always new needles to open. I’ve visited hospitals that functionally had no supplies. Needles are often re-used (without autoclaving and sometimes without re-sharpening). Medical tubing and other supplies like forceps are also re-used without adequate sterilization. The general recommendation (e.g., from CDC) is to bring your own wound care supplies, including needles and syringes. I’ll be in Cambodia and possibly Laos, in both urban and rural areas. I’ll also be flying twice through an airport where transit was recently disrupted and passengers were stranded for some time.
Well, YMMV, but any city with airport is going to have a reasonably reputable pharmacy with imported (ideally French, not Chinese) medical supplies. Seems easier than messing with prescriptions and airline security.
Depending on how long you’ll be out in the sticks, you could get something small like this or something a little meatier such as this. I picked up something similar to the second one when I was travelling and it came with a little card with something along the lines of “This pack is full of sterile medical supplies” in a dozen different languages.
ED doc here; raised in a third world. Fourth, even.
YM does V, as you have noted. The short answer to “how to obtain” is to check with your doctor in your state, as this can vary.
But what to take? How to decide which emergency requiring filthy local parenteral supplies is going to happen to you? I can speak only for myself.
Don’t waste effort on IV supplies. It’s not that you might never need an IV; it’s that every part of the process, from site prep to cannulation to tubing to drip is either going to be done properly, or not; if not, then lugging around IV tubing is probably not going to help.
What about IM injections for illness? I’m not sure what would get injected… Antibiotics? Emergency steroids? I’d take a good broad-spectrum well-absorbed oral antibiotic or steroid (from my own supply) long before I’d take an IM injection of an unknown (to me) locally-supplied medication. If I’m so sick I can’t take PO, I’m not sure I’d have enough of any supply to stay sterile for the whole course of treatment.
Wound care? Clean (not necessarily sterile) medical gloves, betadine or chlorhexidine etc, your own suture packet of 5-0 nylon, a disposable suture kit and some broadspectrum antibiotic ointment. Bandaids in various sizes. Remember; if it’s not cosmetically important to close it, you can keep it clean and covered with reasonably approximated edges and an ordinary flesh wound will do fine. Adhesive tape to make your own butterflys or pull wound edges together, and some Dermabond or super glue.
Willing to carry your own local anesthetic so it doesn’t hurt as much to get closed up? 10 cc syringe; 20 ga 1 1/2 inch needle. Not what we use here, but that combo is good for all-round use. Add a 27 ga needle if you are a wimp. I’d take my own bupivicaine if I were determined to be sewed up in peace, although personally I prefer just gutting out the suturing unless the wound is in a really sensitive area. Remember, you can reuse your own needle on yourself, so save it. Clean it with the betadine.
In general, I would obsess over which pills to take, and not worry too much about parenteral supplies. But that’s just me. If I needed local filthy supplies I’d try to sterilize them appropriately (remember, the concept that medical supplies are disposable is a western we-are-so-rich-we-get-to-use-stuff-only-once concept…) and that there is such a thing as re-use and sterilization.
Well, my morning fun dope time is gone and I am off to other things. In looking over this post, I see it wasn’t very helpful but there is a lot of emergency medicine to know and shrinking it to a short post is difficult.
Thanks, all. I’m going with antiseptic wipes, antiseptic ointments, Crazy Glue, butterfly bandages, and a couple of latex gloves.
Me, to the pharmacist: I’m going on a trip to a country with poor medical care. I’d like to buy a suturing kit. Do have them, or do I need to go to a medical supply store.