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Cases Where First Aid Might be Needed and How to Deal with Them
(Part Two)
Fractures are breaks or cracks in a bone. In the case of an open fracture, it will present as an open wound or break in the skin near the site of a broken bone. In a closed fracture, the skin around the fracture is intact. This injury manifests trough deformity, swelling, and bruising around the fracture, pain or difficulty moving in the area and possible shock(not to be confused with emotional shock).
In cases where the suspected broken bones are the neck, the pelvis, the back or the fractures are open, seeking professional help without administrating First Aid is highly recommended.
If the suspected broken bones are smaller or do not pose critical risk, calling an ambulance is also necessary, but First Aid may be given.
Remove any jewellery or obstructing clothing.
If it is an open fracture, or there is a visible wound, cover the wound with a sterile dressing or a clean non-fluffy cloth.
Apply pressure around the wound, but not over the protruding bone or suspected fracture site, to control any bleeding, then secure the dressing with a bandage.
Advise the casualty to keep still while you support the injured part to stop it from moving. Do this by holding the joint above and below the injured area. Place padding around the injury for extra support.
Ask the patient if they have any changes in the sensation of the affected bone or site.
Do not move the casualty until the injured part is secured, unless they are in immediate danger. You can secure an upper limb fracture with a sling(a supporting confection that holds the broken membrane in a horizontal or raised position) and a lower limb fracture with broad fold bandages.
If necessary, treat for shock(read further), but do not raise the legs if either are suspected to be broken or there is injury to the pelvis or a hip.
Monitor until help arrives.
Heart attacks result from insufficient blood supply to certain parts of the heart. They are exhibited differently in every individual, but some common signs to look out for that are chest pains, a feeling of dizziness, discomfort in many areas of the body, such as the jaw, neck, back, and stomach, shortness of breath, perspiration, heaviness, tightness, or squeezing sensation throughout the chest, vomiting or nausea and wheezing or coughing.
Help move the casualty into a comfortable position. The best position is on the floor, with their knees bent and their head and shoulders supported. If available, place cushions behind them or under their knees.
Give them one aspirin tablet (300mg) and ask them to chew it slowly. Do not give aspirin to the casualty if they are under 16 or if they are allergic to it.
Ask the casualty to take their own angina medication, if they have some.
Keep monitoring the casualty’s level of response until emergency help arrives.
Needlestick Injuries occur when skin is punctured by a sharp medical tool like a scalpel or needle on a syringe. Victims of a needle stick injury usually feel a small, sharp pain at the needle stick point. If the penetrating object isn’t sanitized, there is risk of infection or coming in to contact with viruses or other afflictions.
Cleanse the affected area gently with soap and running water, or, if none can be acquired, sanitizer.
Apply an antiseptic and a clean dressing to the injury area.
Seek medical aid beyond calling the urgency number.
Dispose of the needle safely, in an identified sharps container if available, or in an empty plastic water bottle for later disposal in a sharp’s container.
Shock is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the circulatory system fails to provide enough oxygenated blood to the body and, as a result, deprives the vital organs of oxygen. This is usually the result of severe blood loss, but it can also occur after severe burns, severe vomiting, a heart attack, a bacterial infection, or a severe allergic reaction/anaphylaxis. Signs of shock include pale, cold, clammy skin, sweating, rapid and shallow breathing, a weak pulse, nausea and possible vomiting, grey-blue skin, especially inside the lips (with dark skin, look at the palms of the hands and the base of the feet), restlessness and aggressive behaviour as the brain's oxygen supply decreases, yawning and gasping for air, the casualty could become unresponsive.
Treat any cause of shock that you can see or that you have identified, such as, for example, heavy bleeding.
Help the casualty to lie down. Raise their legs, supporting them on a chair. This will help to improve the blood supply to their vital organs. If available, lay them down on a rug or blanket to protect them from the cold.
Loosen any tight clothing around the neck, chest, and waist to make sure it doesn’t constrict their blood flow.
While waiting for help to arrive, cover them with a coat or blanket to help keep them warm. Fear and pain can make shock worse by increasing the body’s demand for oxygen, so try to reassure the casualty and keep them calm if you can.
Monitor their level of response. If they become unresponsive at any point, prepare to treat them as an unresponsive casualty.
A stroke take place when there's bleeding in the brain or when blood flow to the brain is blocked. Within minutes of being deprived of essential nutrients, brain cells start dying.
Use F.A.S.T. to help remember warning signs:
Face. Does the face droop on one side when the person tries to smile?
Arms. Is one arm lower when the person tries to raise both arms? Is one arm weak or numb?
Speech. Can the person repeat a simple sentence? Is speech slurred or hard to understand?
Time. Every minute counts during a stroke. Call 911 or your local emergency number right away if you see any of these signs.
Other stroke symptoms that come on suddenly and need emergency care include:
Weakness or numbness on one side of the body, including either leg.
Confusion and having trouble speaking or understanding someone speaking.
Having trouble seeing in one or both eyes. This may include dimming, blurring or loss of vision.
Severe headache with no known cause.
Trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or a sudden fall.
Recovery Position and CPR: When the victim is unconscious
It’s safe to place someone in the recovery position who is not responding to you but is breathing normally. When someone is put into the recovery position, their airway is kept open and any vomit can drain away without interfering with their breathing.
If you find someone collapsed, you should first perform a primary survey. If it shows that they are unresponsive but breathing, put them in the recovery position.
Kneel by the casualty and straighten their legs. If they are wearing glasses, or have any bulky items in their pockets, remove them. Do not search their pockets for small items.
Place the arm that is nearest to you at a right angle to their body, with the elbow bent and their palm facing upwards.
Bring their other arm across their chest and place the back of their hand against the cheek nearest to you. Hold it there.
With your other hand, pull their far knee up so that their foot is flat on the floor.
Keeping the back of the casualty’s hand pressed against their cheek, pull on the far leg to roll the casualty towards you onto their side. You can then adjust the top leg so that it is bent at a right angle.
Gently tilt the casualty’s head back and lift their chin to make sure their airway stays open. You can adjust the hand under their cheek to do this.
Call for emergency help if it hasn’t already been done. Monitor their level of response while waiting for help to arrive. If they remain in the recovery position for 30 minutes, roll them into the recovery position on the other side.
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It combines chest compressions and rescue breaths to give a person the best chance of survival following a cardiac arrest. If an adult is unresponsive and not breathing normally, you need to call for emergency help and start CPR straight away.
Maintain contact with urgency services. They can guide you trough the steps if you give them all the information you acquired.
Call for help: in situations like these, having another person help give First Aid is ideal.
Ask a helper to find and bring a defibrillator, if available.
Start chest compressions. Ideally, this should be on a firm surface. For example, if they are on a bed, and if it is safe for you to do so, move them to the floor.
Kneel close to the casualty and put the heel of your hand on the middle of their chest. Put your other hand on top of your first hand and if you can, interlock your fingers.
Lean forwards so your shoulders are over your hands, keep your arms straight and press down hard, to a depth of about 5-6 cm before releasing the pressure and allowing the chest to come back up.
Push at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute. Playing the songs ”Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees and ”Baby Shark” in your mind can help maintain the rhythm.
Listen to instructions from the ambulance controller. They will tell you what to do and help you to push at the right speed.
If you are trained to do so, after 30 compressions, provide two rescue breaths. If you are unable or unwilling to provide rescue breaths, give continuous chest compressions.
Tilt the casualty's head backwards, lift their chin, and pinch the soft part of their nose closed.
Take a breath and put your mouth around the person's mouth to make a seal.
Blow into their mouth steadily and firmly for up to one second, until the chest rises.
Remove your mouth and watch the chest fall.
This is a rescue breath, do this twice.
*It is important not to interrupt chest compressions for too long so each time you attempt rescue breaths, stick to two attempts to get the breaths in. If one or both don't work, return to chest compressions.
6. Keep alternating 30 compressions with two breaths (30:2) until:
Emergency help arrives and takes over.
The person starts showing signs of life and starts to breathe normally.
You are too exhausted to continue. If there is a helper, you should swap every one to two minutes, but try to minimise interruptions to chest compressions.
A defibrillator is ready to be used.