Basic first aid

BASIC FIRST AID
• Burns
1. Hold the area under cold water for at least 10 minutes.
This makes the swelling go down and cools the skin.
2. Take off all their clothing apart from any clothes which are
stuck to the burn.
3. Make a sterile dressing from clean cling film or a clean,
non-fluffy cloth. And put over the burn. This keeps it moist
and will help it heal.
Top tip: If the burn happens to a child under 3, or is larger
than the palm of their hand they should be taken to hospital.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Nose bleed
1. Sit the child down and tilt their head forward so the blood drains
from the nose.
2. Get them to breathe through their mouth and pinch the soft part
of their nose below the bridge for 10 minutes.
3. When the bleeding stops, clean their face. Tell them not to speak,
cough or sniff because this might disturb the blood clots which have
formed in the nose and make the nose start bleeding again.
Top tips:
- Don't tilt the head back, because blood can go back down the
throat and make them feel sick.
- If bleeding doesn't stop after the first 10 minutes, pinch the nose
for another 10 minutes and then another 10 after that.
- If the child's nose is still bleeding after 30 minutes, you should
take them to casualty or your doctor.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Heat stroke
1. Classic heatstroke is caused by environmental
exposure and results in core hyperthermia
above 40°C
2. Exertional heatstroke is a condition primarily
affecting younger, active persons. It is
characterized by rapid onset—developing in
hours—and frequently is associated with high
core temperatures. Heat exhaustion is a more
common and less extreme manifestation of
heat-related illness in which the core
temperature is between 37°C and 40°C

BASIC FIRST AID
• Heat stroke
Signs and Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke
Signs Signs Symptoms
Heat
Exhaustion
37°C to 40°C • Anxiety
• Confusion
• Cutaneous
flushing
• Hypotension
• Oliguria
• Pyrexia
• Tachycardia
• Vomiting
• Anorexia
• Dizziness
• Fatigue and
malaise
• Headache
• Nausea
• Visual
disturbances
• Weakness

BASIC FIRST AID
• Heat stroke
Heatstroke > 40°C • Anhydrosis
• Cardiac
arrhythmias
• Disseminated
intravascular
coagulation
• Hepatic failure
• Hyperpyrexia
• Hyperventilation
• Anorexia
• Dizziness
• Fatigue and
malaise
• Headache
• Nausea
• Visual
disturbances
• Weakness

BASIC FIRST AID
• Heat stroke
Heatstroke > 40°C • Mental status
changes:
• Ataxia
• Coma
• Confusion
• Irritability
• Seizures
• Pulmonary edema
• Renal failure
• Rhabdomyolysis
• Shock
• Anorexia
• Dizziness
• Fatigue and
malaise
• Headache
• Nausea
• Visual
disturbances
• Weakness

BASIC FIRST AID
Does patient have significant
CNS involvement?
HEAT EXHAUSTION
NOYES
Immediate Management
Did symptoms resolve within
20 minutes?
YES
• Hydrate
• Remove from heat source
• Monitor for resolution
Immediate Management
• Address ABC
• Initiate EMS
• Remove patient from heat
• Begin cooling
Provide patient education
regarding prevention of
heat-related illnesses
NO
• Activate heatstroke
algorithm
Send to medical facility
HEATSTROKE
T
R
E
A
T
M
E
N
T

BASIC FIRST AID
• Strain and sprain
If you think someone has sprained their wrist or ankle or
strained a muscle, follow the 'RICE' procedure:
• R is for rest. So get the person to sit or lie down.
• I is for ice. Wrap some in a tea towel and put on the sore
area for ten minutes. This reduces pain and bruising.
• C is for compress. Put a bandage on tightly and firmly, but
not too tight that it stops the blood flow.
• E is for elevation. Keep the injured area up high to slow
blood flow to the injury which reduces swelling and
bruising.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Muscle spasm
• A muscle spasm, or muscle cramp, is an
involuntary contraction of a muscle. Muscle
spasms occur suddenly, usually resolve
quickly, and are often painful.
• A muscle spasm is different than a muscle
twitch. A muscle twitch, is an uncontrolled
fine movement of a small segment of a
larger muscle that can be seen under the
skin

BASIC FIRST AID
• Muscle spasm
• Muscles are complex structures that cause movement in
the body. There are three types of muscle in the body:
• Heart muscle pumps blood (cardiac muscle).
• Skeletal muscle moves the external body parts, like the
arms and legs, and the neck, back and trunk.
• Smooth muscle moves portions of hollow structures
inside the body. Examples include the muscles that line
the esophagus, stomach and intestine, muscles that line
large arteries and the muscles of the uterus

BASIC FIRST AID
• Muscle spasm
• There are a variety of causes of muscle spasms, and each
depends upon predisposing factors, the part of the body
involved, and the environment the body is working in.
• Spasms may occur when a muscle is overused and tired,
particularly if it is overstretched or if it has been held in
the same position for a prolonged period of time. In
effect, the muscle cell runs out of energy and fluid and
becomes hyper excitable and then develops a forceful
contraction. This spasm may involve part of a muscle, the
whole muscle, or even adjacent muscles.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Muscle spasm
• Overuse as a cause of skeletal muscle spasm is often seen
in athletes who are doing strenuous exercise in a hot
environment.
• Unfamiliar exercise activities can also cause muscle
spasms to occur.
• Dehydration and depletion of electrolytes will lead to
muscle spasm and cramping. Muscle cells require enough
water, glucose, sodium, potassium, calcium, and
magnesium to allow the proteins within them to interact
and develop an organized contraction.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Muscle spasm
• Treatment
• Prevention is the key to most skeletal muscle spasm
episodes. Since they are often associated with
dehydration and electrolyte disturbances, it is important
to keep the body well hydrated.
• If the fluid loss is due to an illness with fever or vomiting
and diarrhoea, controlling the symptoms will help limit
fluid loss and prevent spasms.
• Similarly, for those who work or exercise in a hot
environment, drinking enough fluids to keep hydrated is
very important.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Muscle spasm
• Treatment
• Muscles should also be prepared for the activity that they
are expected to do. Just as athletes stretch and warm up
before the game, non athletes should warm up before
heavy labor.
• Should a skeletal muscle go into spasm, the initial
treatment is to gently stretch the muscle back to length to
break the spasm cycle and resolve the acute situation.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Falls
• If someone is knocked out, even if it's not for a long time, cover their
body with a blanket to reduce the chances of them going into shock, and
then call for help.
• Look for signs of a fractured skull such as unequal pupils in their eyes,
bleeding from the ear or clear fluid running from the nose.
• Check for swelling or limbs sticking out at an unusual angle. If you think a
bone's broken, keep it still while you wait for an ambulance but wrap it
with towels to support it.
• If you can't see any broken bones or you don't think they've got a head
or neck injury, put them in the recovery position.
• If they're conscious and there are no obvious signs of serious injury
apply a cold compress made from a cloth dipped in water to the areas
that were hit for 10 minutes to help with the swelling.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Electric shock
• Don't touch someone if they're still in the source of
electric current or you'll get a shock, too.
• Switch off the current at the plug if you can get to it
easily.
• Stand on some dry insulation and then take something
made from non-conductive material like a wooden broom
or a roll of newspaper and push the electrical source away
or loop rope around the person's arms or ankles and drag
them away.
• Check their breathing. If they're unconscious but
breathing normally put them in the recovery position.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Poisoning
• If you think someone might have breathed in, been
splashed by or eaten something poisonous including
household cleaning fluids or drugs, call an ambulance
straight away and keep him/her still until it arrives
• If you can, find out what they've taken and take the
packaging to the hospital.
Top tips:
- Don't try to make them vomit, as this can make them
worse by damaging the stomach and the tubes that carry
food to it.
- If they've taken something that burns the airway or mouth,
you can let them have sips of milk or water to cool the
airway.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Anaphylactic shock
What is it?
An anaphylactic shock is a serious allergic reaction to something.
It's usually caused by foods or by insect stings.
What happens to your body?
When your body goes into shock your blood pressure will drop
making you feeling tired and dizzy. Your face and body might go red and your
face and neck might swell up making it harder to breathe.
Treating it
1. First try to find out if the person has any known allergies or is carrying
medication. This is usually an adrenaline injection which counteracts the
reaction.
2. If they have, ideally this should be injected into the outside of the thigh or
top of the bum.
3. Once you've given the injection, or if they haven't got any medication you
must call for help.
4. Lie them in the recovery position. If the person stops breathing or you
can't find any medication, call for help and then start CPR.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Cuts and bleeding
• If a person cuts him/herself badly, wash and dry your hands and,
if you can, put on disposable gloves.
• Lift the wound up so that the blood goes back to the heart,
rather than draining away.
• See if there's an object stuck in the wound. If there is leave it
there as you could do more damage by taking it out.
• Instead, use dressings around the wound until the padding is
higher than the object, then bandage over it, without pressing
down. Then seek immediate help from your hospital.
• If there's nothing stuck inside, use a clean cloth to put pressure
on the wound and wrap with a bandage, firmly but not so tight
that it stops circulation. If it's a deep cut or there's a lot of
blood, call for help.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Choking
If someone is choking they might go quiet because they can't breathe or
they might cough violently. If they can't get rid of the object by coughing do
the following:
1. Look to see if there's an object stuck, but only take it out if you think you
can get it without pushing it further down.
If not, do the following:
For kids under 12 months
1. Put the baby over your arm and hit them on the back, making sure you
support their head and neck.
2. If this doesn't work, turn the baby onto their back and put their head in
your hand. With two fingertips, push inwards and upwards against the
breastbone five times.
Do this every three seconds and look in the mouth each time. If you see
something, pick it out, if not, carry on.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Choking
For kids older than 12 months
Put the child over your knee and give them 5 backslaps, between the
shoulder blades, with the palm of your hand.
For children & adults;
• Stand behind them and place your fist between the belly button and
bottom of ribcage.
• Cup your fist with your other hand and pull sharply in and upwards in a
scooping movement. Do up to five times. This is known as the Heimlich
manoeuvre.
• Call an ambulance if it still hasn't worked and carry on doing it until the
ambulance arrives.

BASIC FIRST AID
• How to resuscitate
If a person loses consciousness, you must call an ambulance. While you're
waiting for it to arrive, follow the ABC procedure:
A for Airway
B for Breathing
C for Chest compression (Circulation)
A: Airway
- Lift their chin with one hand as you push down on the forehead with the
other to tilt head back. If they're under 5 lift the chin up so the face lies flat.
If the head is too far back or forward, it'll block the airway.
Once airway is open, listen for breathing.

BASIC FIRST AID
A for Airway
B for Breathing
B: Breathing
If there's no sign of normal breathing, start CPR (cardiopulmonary
resuscitation) straightaway.
How to do CPR
- Tilt their head back, lift up their chin and pinch their nostrils together.
- Take a fresh breath, put your mouth completely over their mouth and
breathe into it for one second.
- Repeat no more than five times, checking to see if their chest rises. If not,
check to see if there is anything in their throat and make sure their head is
still tilted back.

BASIC FIRST AID
A for Airway
B for Breathing
C: Circulation
- Put the heel of your hand on their breast bone.
- Press down firmly and quickly at a rate of 100 per minute.
- After you've done it 30 times, breathe into their mouth twice to get air into
their lungs in the same way you did above (B).
- Watch to see if the chest rises and falls. After the two breaths, go back to
chest compressions. Repeat this so that you do 30 chest compressions to
two breaths each time, until normal breathing starts.

BASIC FIRST AID
• Recovery position
If a person is breathing but unconscious, put them into this position. By
doing this it helps them to breathe easily and prevents choking from their
own vomit should it occur.
Top tip: If you think they've got a neck or head injury don't move them if
their breathing is okay.
How to put them in the position
- While on supine position, raise 1 arm above the head, place the other
arm across the chest near the cheek.
- Lift the knee of the leg distal to you and place it over the other leg
- In a log roll fashion, roll the person towards you holding the shoulder
and pelvis.
- Keep their neck supported with cushions. For a baby, cradle in your
arms, with the head supported and face tilted down to prevent choking.

Basic first aid

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