_Wet Pack._—Slip a waterproof under patient, wring a sheet out of cold
water and pass it under him and wrap him in it, cover with three or four
blankets, and tuck him in. At first he will feel cold and chilly, but
soon the surface vessels will dilate, and he will begin to feel hot,
and very likely will sweat; keep him in the wet pack with the clothes
carefully tucked in round the neck, feet and sides for about half an
hour. Then partially dry the patient, and put him into bed between warm
blankets and with hot-water bottles, and give hot drinks to encourage
perspiration.
_Catheters._
At least six silk-webbed catheters should be taken as part of the
equipment. The most suitable sizes are, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10. They should be
packed in a separate box, and should be kept dry with French chalk or any
other dusting powder.
Before use the catheter should lie for at least a quarter of an hour in
an antiseptic solution such as chinosol (1 in 1000), and the solution
should be frequently syringed through it. The catheter should then be
lubricated with eucalyptus, vaseline, or carbolic oil, or, better, with
boric acid ointment.
Let the patient lie down, and thoroughly wash the genitals, especially
the opening of the pipe, with an antiseptic solution, the operator having
carefully cleaned his own hands. Then pass the catheter gently down the
pipe and into the bladder. The silk-web catheters are so flexible that
unless force is used they can do no harm; begin with a No. 8 size, and if
this cannot be passed, try a No. 4.
After use, wash the catheter as before, dry with a soft handkerchief,
and dust it with powder. On no account should the catheters be greased
when they are being put away. Neglect of cleanly precautions in passing
catheters may lead to inflammation of the bladder and even more serious
mischief.
_Stomach Tube._
The stomach tube consists of a piece of india-rubber tubing about three
feet long, with a funnel at one end. The method of passing it is as
follows:—The patient’s jaws should be kept apart by a gag such as a piece
of stick wrapped in lint placed between the back teeth on either side.
The left forefinger should be passed into the patient’s mouth as far as
possible and the tongue drawn forward; the rubber tube, oiled or smeared
with vaseline or glycerine, should then be passed by the side of the
finger and down the throat for about twenty inches, taking care to use no
great force. The funnel is then raised and slowly filled with water; when
all the water has run down, the funnel is lowered and the liquid in the
stomach is drawn out by the syphon action of the tube. The process should
be repeated till the water returning from the stomach is clear.
If the patient is unconscious the tube should not be passed except by a
doctor.
_Enemas._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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