Applying Basic First Aid Kit

What is First Aid?It is an initial care to an illness or injury mostly rendered by a non-expert to a sick or injured person until definite medical treatment can be performed by a medical team, or until the chance for recovery without medical care is ensured.

What Comprises a First Aid Kit?

Physical Hazards to Self and Casualty’s Health and Safety

1. In approaching a victim, check the are for immediate danger to yourself or to the victim.

2. Giving a First Aid to a person with HBV and HIV- use protective equipment whenever possible because there are blood-borne pathogens and disease-causing microorganisms that may be present in human blood

3. First aid during electrical emergency rescue-

electrical injuries are devastating

Checking the Victim’s Vital Signs and Evaluating Physical Condition

1. Primary survey for life-threatening conditions

2. Secondary survey for non-emergency conditions

Applying Basic First Aid Techniques

1. Check if the airway is open.2. Note if the victim has breathing

difficulties or unusual breathing sounds.

3. Check blood circulation.4. Check severe bleeding.5. Check for a spinal cord injury.

Making a Patient Comfortable

Taking care of a patient requires accurate and intelligent decision-making skills for the caregiver. It is a primary responsibility of the caregiver to make the patient comfortable during the period of illness or injury.

First Aid Management to the Casualty

Signs of shock: 1. Restlessness, anxiety, and weakness;2. Rapid breathing and pulse;3. Pale or bluish skin, nail beds, and lips;4. Moist and clammy skin;5. Thirst;6. Nausea and vomiting; and7. Unconsciousness when shock is severe

First Aid to be Applied to Shock

1. If the victim is talking or conscious, the airway is open2. Check if the victim is breathing or having breathing difficulties or unusual

breathing sounds3. Check circulation by feeling for a heartbeat (pulse) at the side of the neck4. Check for severe bleeding (hemorrhage) by looking over the entire body 5. Lay the victim down on his or her back. Those with head injuries or stroke

victims should not lay flat on their backs. Slightly raise their heads if no spinal cord injury suspected

6. Those with breathing difficulties, chest injuries, or a heart attack should be placed in a half sitting position to help breathing

7. Do not place unconscious or vomiting victims on their backs8. Raise the victim’s legs 8 to 12 inches for the ground. It allows the blood to

drain from the legs back to the heart9. Prevent body heart loss by wrapping blankets, coats, etc., around the

victim10.Do not give the victim anything to eat or drink.11.Seek medical attention

External BleedingAn average-sized adult has about six quarts of blood and can safely lose a pint during a blood donation. Rapid blood loss of one quart or more can lead to shock and death.

Types of External Bleeding1. Arterial bleeding – Blood spurts from

the wound. 2. Venous bleeding – Blood flows or

gushes3. Capillary bleeding – Blood oozes

from capillaries

What to Do When External Bleeding Occurs

1. Protect yourself against disease by wearing disposable latex gloves2. Expose the wounds by removing or cutting the victim’s clothing to see

where the blood is coming from.3. Place sterile gauze pads or clean cloths (handkerchief, washcloth, or towel)

over the entire wound and apply direct pressure with your finger and palm. 4. If bleeding does not stop in 10 minutes, the pressure may be too light or in

the wrong location.5. If bleeding still continues, apply pressure at a pressure point to slow the

flow of blood on combination with direct pressure over the wound. 6. After the bleeding stops, or if you need to be free to attend to other

injuries or victims, apply a pressure bandage on the wound. 7. Treat for shock by raising the legs 8 to 12 inches from the ground and

covering the victim with a coat or blanket to keep the victim warm.8. Check circulation in an arm or leg by monitoring the pulse and using the

capillary refill.9. When direct pressure cannot use a doughnut-shaped (ring) pad to control

bleeding.

What Not to Do When There is Bleeding

1. Do not touch a victim’s blood with your bare hands; it should be last resort.

2. Do not use direct pressure on an eye injury, wound with an embedded object, skull, fracture, or open fracture.

3. Do not remove a blood-soaked dressing.

4. Do not apply a pressure bandage so tight that it may cut off circulation.

5. Do not use tourniquet.

Internal bleedingSigns for internal bleeding may take days to appear:1. Bruise or contusions of the skin;2. Painful, tender, rigid and bruised abdomen;3. Fractured ribs or bruises on chest;4. Weaknesses, dizziness, and fainting;5. Rapid pulse; 6. Cold, moist skin; 7. Vomiting pr coughing up blood; and 8. Stools that are black and contain bright red color

What to Do for Save Internal Bleeding

1. Check if the airway is open and the victim is talking.

2. Expect vomiting.3. Treat the victim shock by raising the

victim’s legs 8 to 12 inches, and cover the victim with a coat or blanket to keep warm.

4. Seek medical attention immediately.

Heart AttackThis happens when the blood supply to the part of the heart muscle itself is severely reduced or stopped. This happens when one of the coronary arteries is blocked by an obstruction or spasm.

Possible Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack 1. Uncomfortable pressure, fullness,

squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back;

2. Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck, or arms; and

3. Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath.

What to Do When a Heart Attack Happens

1. Call the emergency medical service or get to the nearest hospital emergency department that offers 24-hour emergency cardiac cases.

2. Check the airway if it is open, if the patient is breathing, and circulation.

3. Help the victim to the least painful position, usually sitting with the legs up and bent at the knees.

4. Determine if the victim is known to have coronary heart disease and is using nitroglycerin.

Stroke Is a form of cardiovascular disease affecting the arteries of the brain. It impairs circulation to the brain.

Warning Signs for Stroke1. Numbness, weakness, or paralysis

of face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.

2. Sudden blurred or decreased vision in one eye or both;

3. Difficulty in speaking or understanding simple statements;

4. Loss of balance or coordination when combined with another warning sign;

5. Sudden unexplained headache.

What to Do When a Stroke Happens

1. Check the airway if it is open, if the patient is breathing, and the circulation.

2. Call the emergency medical service immediately or bring the victim to the nearest hospital.

3. Keep the victim lying down in the “recovery position” with the head and upper body slightly raised.

4. Do not give the victim anything to eat or drink.

Advantages in Calling the Emergency Medical Service

1. Victims will be removed by trained medical personnel

2. The emergency medical technicians who arrive with the ambulance know what to do and they are in contact through radio with physicians in the hospital.

3. Care provided by emergency medical technicians at the scene and on the way to the hospital can affect the patient’s chances of survival and rate of recovery

4. Time will be saved in getting the victim to the hospital.