First Aid

Introduction:

The person who performs first aid is a vital link between the EMS
(emergency Medical Service) and the victim. Typically it is a person who
performs first aid who recognizes a situation as an emergency and
decides to intervene to help the victim. A person who performs first aid
must perform the following actions quickly and reliably:
1. Recognize the emergency.
2. Decide to help.
3. Contact the EMS if needed.
4. Assess the victim.
5. provide the first aid.

Bleeding
Definition:

When blood can be seen coming from an open wound.

Classification:

- Arterial Bleeding: Blood spurts from the wound. This is the most
serious because blood is being pumped out at a faster rate, leading to
greater blood loss. This type of bleeding is less likely to clot.

- Venous bleeding: Blood flows or gushes. It is easier to control than

arterial bleeding. Most veins collapse when cut.

- Capillary bleeding: Blood oozes from capillaries. This is the most

common type of bleeding and is easily controlled. Quite often this
type of bleeding clots off by itself.
Burns
A burn injuries the skin and sometimes underlying tissue. Burns can
result from high temperature, corrosive chemicals, and electric
current.

Burn Do Don’t
Apply cold water Apply butter,
- First degree:
and/or dry clean tooth paste, etc
Redness, mild dressing.
swelling, and pain.
Immerse in cold water, Break blisters.
- Second degree: blot dry with clean Remove shreds
Deeper, blisters cloth for protection. of tissue.
develop. Treat for shock. Use antiseptic
Obtain medical preparation or
attention if sever. ointment.

Cover with clean cloth Remove charred

to protect. clothing that is
- Third degree: Treat for shock. stuck to burn.
deeper destruction, Watch for breathing Apply ice.
skin layers difficulty. Use home
destroyed. Obtain medical medication.
attention quickly.

Remove by flushing Try to neutralize

with large quantities of chemical.
- Chemical burn.
water at least 5
minutes.
Remove surrounding
clothing.
Foreign Body Air Way Obstruction
(Choking)

How to recognize choking:

Partial air exchange:

 Good indicated by forceful cough.
 Poor indicated by weak, ineffective cough; high pitched noise;
blue gray, or ashen skin.
 Complete blockage:
- unable to speak, breath or cough.
- Clutches neck with one or both hands (known as the universal distress
signal for chocking)
What to do:

1. Give up to 5 abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver):

 Stand behind the victim.

 Warp your arms around the victim’s waist. (Don’t allow

your forearms to touch the ribs).
 Make a fist with 1 hand and place the thumb side just
above victim’s navel and will below the tip of the
sternum.
 Grasp fist with your other hand.

 Press fist into victim’s abdomen with 5 quick upward

thrusts.
 Each thrust should be a separate and distinct effort to
dislodge the object.
 Check the victim.
2. Repeat cycles of up to 5 abdominal thrusts until:

 Victim’s coughs up object.

 Victim become unconscious perform finger sweep:

Use your thumb and fingers to grasp victim’s jaw and
tongue and lift upward to pull tongue away from back of
throat and away from foreign object.
3. if the above steps are unsuccessful: cycle through the
following steps until the object is expelled:
 give 2 rescue breaths.

 Do up t 5 abdominal thrusts.

 Perform finger sweep.

Fractures
Definition:

Break or crack in a bone. There are two types of fractures:

 Closed (simple): the skin has no wound anywhere near the fracture
site.
 Open (compound): The overlying skin has a wound. The wound can
be produced either by the bone protruding through the skin or by a
direct blow cutting the skin at the time of the fracture. The bone may
not always be seen in the wound.

What to do:
Remove or cutRemove
away clothing over injury site
or cut away
clothing over injury site

Bleeding from open fracture

Control bleeding.
Don’t push bone.
Cover wound and bone with dressing.

Check circulation sensation, and movement.

Stabilized injured part by:

Straighten a bent or deformed part by using traction.
Use another person to hold and apply traction.
Apply splint.
recheck circulation sensation, and movement periodically.
Seek medical attention

Shock
Shock refers to circulatory system failure, which happened when oxygenated blood is
not provided in sufficient amounts for every body part.

Hypovolemic shock: low blood volume results from blood or fluid loss.

What to do:
Wounds
Check ABCs and treat accordingly
Definition:
An open wound is a break in the skin’s surface and bleeding can be seen.

Reserve body heat

Type Cause(s) What to look for What to do?

Rubbing or scraping. Only skin surface affected.
Abrasion Remove all debris.
(scrape) Head injury or breathing difficult?
Little bleeding. Wash away from
wound with soap
and water.
Incision Sharp objects Smooth edges of Control bleeding.
(cut) wound. Wash
Elevate headwound.
and
Sever bleeding.shoulders if no spinal
Laceration Blunt object Veins and arteries Control
cord injury bleeding.
suspected
(tearing) tearing skin can be affected. Wash wound.
Sever bleeding.
Danger
Unconscious of of
or chance
infection.
vomiting
Puncture Sharp pointed Wound is narrow Do not remove
(stab) object piercing and deep into impaled objects.
Elevate legs 8-12 Turn on left side
skin. veins and arteries. if no spinal cord
inches if no spinal
cord injury suspected. Embedded injury suspected.
objects.
Danger of
infection.
Less than 1-2 hours from
Avulsion Machinery medical care, surgery
Tissue tornpossible,
off or Control bleeding.
(torn off) Explosives. or abdominal wound?
left hanging. Take avulsed part
Sever bleeding. to medical facility.
If conscious and can Do Not give fluids except
swallow, small amounts of to conscious who are
liquid allowed. severely burned.

Seek Medical attention

Heat related emergencies
The body maintains a constant temperature even when outside temperatures
change. To keep a constant temperature, the body regulates heat production and
heat loss. Heat emergency results when the body is exposed to more heat than it
can deal with.

What to do:
Exposed to excessive heat

Hot skin, high body temperature,

and altered mental status?

Heat exhaustion Heat Stroke

Move victim to cool place. Seek medical attention immediately

Raise victim’s legs 8-12 inches.
Remove excess clothing.
Sponge victim with cool water Move victim to cool place and
and fan. remove clothing.
Give cold water or commercial
electrolyte drink.
Seek medical attention if no High humidity>75%?
improvement happens within 30
minutes.

 Spray water on Place ice packs

victim’s skin and on neck,
vigorously fan armpits, groin.
victim, or
 Cover victim with
wet sheet or
similar cloth, keep
it wet, and
vigorously fan
victim

Stop cooling when consciousness and mental

status improves.
B: Inhaled Poison:

Inhaled poisonous gas or

vapor

Remove victim to
source of fresh air.
No yes
Airway open?

Monitor airway
Open airway

No Yes
Breathing?

Give mouth to mouth

resuscitation. Monitor breathing

No
Yes
Pulse?

Give CPR Monitor pulse

Ambulance quickly
No available to provide 100% Yes
oxygen?

Transport victim to medical

facility for oxygen as soon as Ambulance transports
possible. victim to medical facility
Poisoning
Poisons are substances that produce harmful effects to the body.
Actually, almost any substance can be poisonous if taken in sufficient
quantity. Poisons can be swallowed, inhaled, absorbed, or injected.

A: Swallowed poison:
No yes
Conscious?

yes
Corrosive or caustic?
No
Check ABCs and
treat accordingly

Give milk or water immediately

Place on left
side.
Identify poison, how much and
when taken.
Seek medical
attention.
Call poison control center or
other medical source.

yes
No Instructed to induce
vomiting?

Give activated Syrup of

charcoal? ipecac? Yes
No
No yes

Give 1 tablespoonful for

Premixed children under 5 years and 2
Not available liquid form. tablespoonsful for adults.
Give a glass of water after
ipecac

After vomiting give

Gagging is activated charcoal
ineffective
and salt No
water is Yes
dangerous.
Check ABCs, keep on left side to delay Not
stomach emptying into small intestine. available Premixed
liquid form
Fainting
Definition:

Faintaing ( a brief loss of consciousness) can happen suddenly

when the brain’s blood flow is interrupted.

What to do:

Fainting has
occurred?

Person about to
faint?
Check ABC.
Lay victim on back with
legs elevated.
Prevent from If vomiting occurs or is
falling. Lay victim anticipated, turn victim on
on back with legs side.
elevated. Loosen clothing around
victim’s neck.
Wipe victim’s forehead
and face with cool, wet
cloth.

Seek medical attention if victim:

Is over 40 years old.
Has repeated attacks of unconsciousness.
Loses consciousness while sitting or lying down.
Faints for no apparent reason.
Does not waken within 4-5 minutes.
What to do:

Locate Bleeding Source

Apply direct pressure over wound:

Place cleanest cloth available.
Do not remove first dressing if blood soaked; add others over it.
Don’t remove impaled object.

No Yes
Bleeding Stopped?

Elevate part above

victim’s heart and
continue pressing
on wound.

No
No Yes
Yes
Bleeding
Bleeding
Stopped?
Stopped?

Locate pressure point

and apply pressure.

No
No Yes
Yes
Bleeding
Bleeding
Stopped?
Stopped?

Bleeding from arm or leg? Treat for shock. Care

No Yes for wound. Seek
medical attention if
needed.

Apply tourniquet

Seek medical attention