First Aid In Few Words

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CHEST INJURIES These often cause troub le with breathi ng and some patients are more comfortable if propped up. If there is a " suckin g wound", quickly seal with dressing or hand. Lay casualty down with head and shou lders raised. Hospital urgently.

EYES AN 0 EARS FOREIGN BODY IN EYE Prevent rubbing . Wh~ n foreign body embedded in eyeball do not try to remove. Close eye and apply pad and bandage. Doctor at on ce. If the foreign body is at edge of eye and easily removable. use corner of handkerchief or flood eye with w arm wa ter. If under upper eyelid. lift lid forwa rd push low er lid up beneath it and let go. CHEMICALS IN EYE Speed is essential. Gently try to for ce t he eye open and flood with water from slow -running tap or make patient blink wi th face under water. Washing should conti nue for about 10 minutes. Apply pad and bandage and send to doctor. Eye w ashing bott les should be placed where there is a danger of chemical splashes. FOREIGN BODY IN EAR If insect. fill ear w ith olive oil or warm water to float it out. Other thi ngs should not be touched. Send to doctor. Do not probe. Keep child's hands from ear.

POISONING Call a doctor. Try and identify the poison quickly. If mouth and lips not burned or stained and if patient is conscious. immediately cause vomiting by lowering patient's head and push ing several fingers down patient's throat. 00 not give emetics such as salt or mustard. Send to hospital quickly.

If UNCONSCIOUS. refer to relevant section. GAS Beware of entering room. Life line must be used. Beware of naked lights . Try to let in fresh air before rescue. Keep near the floor when entering.

BURNS AND SCALDS Preventing burns is easier than treating them. Most burns are small and slight. SHOCK occurs only with very large burns and comes on fairly slowly. TREATMENT Cool the burn at once and keep cold until pain stops. Place under slow-runn ing tap or in cold water for up to 10 minutes. Cover burnt part with a dressing, clean sheet or clean pillow-case. Small superficial burns can be covered with a first aid plaster. Lay badly burned patient down and keep him still . Give small cold drinks if patient is thirsty and send to hospital as soon as possible. 00 not apply lotions or ointments . 00 not burst blisters or finger the burn. CHEMICAL BURNS E.g. by acids and alkalis. Quickly wash with large amounts of water for at least 10 minutes. CLOTHES ON FIRE Quench flames with water or lay patient down. flames uppermost. smother flames with wcollen rug. coat. etc. If alone. do not run out into street. lie on ground. roll over and over. Call for help.

EXTREME HEAT & COLD COLD (EXPOSURE) Wind. snow and rain increase the dangerous effect of'cold, Onset is slow and insidious causing slowness. cramps. shivering. slurred speech. irritability. etc. Take shelter and rest immediately. Conserve body heat by wrapping in dry clothing and protecting frorn wi nd and wet. Give w arm drinks. Hospital. H EAT EXHAUSTION caused by lack of salt and water. Signs ale exhaustion. restlessness. headache. dizziness and clammy skin. Keep patient cool. Give cold water with" teaspoon salt per glass. Hospital . HEAT STROKE overheating leading to sudden loss of consciousness and high temperature. Patient restless, dizzy. confused. with hot dry skin. Reduce patients temperature immediately . Wrap in cold wet sheet. Fan. Place in recovery posit ion. See UNCONSCIOUSNESS. general treatment. Hospital.

UNCONSCIOUSNESS All cases of unconsciousness should be seen by a doctor at once. Stay with patient, Watch state of consciousness carefully. Do not give anything :0 drink.

Causes. Head injury. fits or epilepsy. fainting. shock. asphyxia. stroke. poisoning. diabetes. etc.

GENERAL TREATMENT The danger is that the patient w il l choke when unconsc ious. The recovery position helps to keep air passages open and to prevent the patient from sucking vomit into his lungs if he should be sick. Recovery Position: patient should lie on one side. lower leg straight. upper leg drawn up. head tilted slightly downwards. Keep tongue forward to allow breathing. Keep warm. If not breathing. start EMERGENCY RESUSCITATION immediately. if vomiting occurs. tilt head down with patient lying on side.

SPECIAL TREATMENT Fits (Epilepsv) Try to protect from any source of danger and prevent biting tongue. Support head. No forcible restraint. Encourage sleep. Fainting Lay patient down and raise legs slightly. Loosen clot hing. Reassure when conscious. Strangulation & Suffocation Remove cause. Give EMERGENCY RESUSCITATION immediately. Electric Shock Sw itch off electricity. If you cannot it may be very dangerous for you to try to remove patient from cause. Stand on dry board or coat, covering hands with reasonably thick plastic or rubber. and pull patient away. Give EMERGENCY RESUSCITATION if necessary. Treat BURNS.

MISCELLANEOUS STINGS

Remove sting carefully. Apply pain killing cream.

DOG BITES countries.

Treat as WOUND. Beware rabies in some

SNAKE BITES Flesh wound with water. Immobilise patient at once and raise bitten part. Keep quiet. Hospital or doctor immediate ly. Do not cut rou nd bite. In desperate cases (not likely to occur in Britain) tourniquet may save life at cost of limb. DISLOCATIONS Do not try to replace. Treat as BROKEN BONES. Send to hospital. BRUISES App ly cold compress (firm bandage wet with cold water). SPRAINS AND STRAINS Rest the joint in co mfortable position. Apply firm crepe or stretch bandage. If severe. treat as BROKEN BONES. FISH HOOK IN FLESH and obtain skilled help.

Cut oflline. Apply dry dressing

PRINCIPLES Give Emergency Resuscitation to patients who are not breathing. Fetch skilled help. Give nothing by mouth to persons who are badly injured. unconscious or suspected of having a broken bone or dislocated joint. Move a badly Injured patient as little as possible until skilled help arrives. Stop bleeding as quickly as possible. Comfort the patient by word and deed. Generally keep yourself cool and work quickly and quietly - not hurriedly - with an air of confidence. If possible wash your hands before and after treating wounds. A few notes about the accident and any treatment are very helpful to hospital and doctor. Remember your treatment is First Aid. Often more damage is cauaed by doing too much than nothing at all.

Prevention is better than cure

SHOCK OR COLLAPSE The injured person may collapse from fright. the seve rity of the injury. loss of blood or severe pain. Any person feeling faint should be made co mfortab le as follows :1. Lay patient down. 2. Stop any bleed ing and treat any major injury. 3. Reassure him. 4. Protect from cold but do not make him hot. 5. Keep records of pulse rate. Do not give drinks. Do not move unnecessarily.

EMERGENCY RESUSCITATION (Artificial Respiration) The simple rules are:1. Airway - open to allow air to reach lungs. 2. Breathing - to get air into the lung s. 3. Circulation - to ge t oxygen from lungs to the tissues. The most important factor is speed. A delay of a few sec onds cou ld prove fatal. Continue Resuscitation until breath ing is restored.

MOUTH TO MOUTH METHOD Lay casualty on his back. hold his head in bot h hands. With one ha nd press the hea d backwards. with the other pu sh the low er jaw upwa rds and forwards . (Fig. 1) Open your mout h. take a deep breath and. In t he case of a n Infant Place you r mouth over casualty's mouth and nose and blow gently till you see his che st rise. then turn your head awa y a nd repeat proced ure about 20 times pe r minute. In the case of an adult Pinch nostrils tog ether. seat lips rou nd casualty's mouth and blow into lungs; w hen chest rises turn head aw ay. Repeat procedure abo ut 10 times per minute . (Fig. 2).

Givefirst 5 inflations quicklyand withoutdelay.

MOUTH TO NOSE METHOD If resuscitation cannot be given through the mouth . inflate lungs by th is method: Seal casualty's mouth with thumb . take a deep breath and seal your mouth over casualty's nose (be careful not to obstruct his nostrils) and blow into his lungs through his nose; turn head away and repeat. If expiration is prevented. part casualty's lips after each inflation with your thurrb, IF THE HEART IS NOT BEATING Put the patient on his back on the floor. Using one of the methods described above inflate his lungs five times. Now strike his chest smartly on the lower part of his breastbone with the edge of the hand. This may restart the heart. External heart compression should only be attempted by the uained first aider.

BLEEDING EXTERNAL Stop bleed ing as quickly as possible in all cases. Lay or sit the patient down . Press directly on the wound with a sterile or clean pad. e.g. a sterile dressing. or clean cotton. Use clean fing ers if no pad. Gentle but firm pressure will stop nearly all bleeding . Severe bleeding may need heavier pressure. Raise bleeding part if possible (not fractured limbs) . Immob il ise the part and maintain pressure on dressing with a firm bandage. Bleeding from large wounds may be contr olled by pressing edges to gether. Do not use tourniquets or rubber bandages. VARICOSE VEINS Lay pati ent down and raise leg vertically. Quic kly apply direct pressure. App ly pad and firm bandage. Hospital. NOSE BLEED Sit patient with head forward. mouth open. breathing through mouth. Forbid sniffing and spitting. Loosen clothing of neck and chest. Pinch soft part of nose for about 10 minutes. Hospital if bleeding lasts a long time. TOOTH SOCKET Place th ick gauze or cotton wool pad in socket. Bite on pad for at least 10 minutes. INTERNAL. Causes. 1. Bruising or laceration of internal organs; 2. Disease. produc ing bursting of blood -vessel. Signs - Faintness. rapid loss of strength. SHOCK. etc. Treatment. Treat for SHOCK. Doctor at once. Nothing by mouth. Keep careful note of pulse and condition.

WOUNDS TREATMENT 1. Sit or lie patient down. 2. Stop BLEEDING. Refer to relevant section. 3. If the wound is one that will require skilled attention. cover it with a sterile dressing. especially a Sterile Plain Lint Dressing. Get skilled help quickly. Do not probe or attempt to clean the wound. Do not apply antiseptics. Patient may require an injection to prevent tetanus. 4. If the wound is small enough to be treated by the first aider alone. wash the skin around it gently in soap and water or dilute Cetrimide. Remove dirt from the skin with a soft nail brush. Dry with a clean piece of gauze or clean towel, and cover with a clean dry dressing, preferably sterile. Antiseptics are unnecessary.

BROKEN BONES (Fractures) TYPES Closed - no external wound nearby. Open - flesh wound associated with broken bone. Complicated - broken bone and injury to important interna l structure. e.g. liver. Signs - Pain, loss of use. swelling, deformity. irregularity. unnatural movement SHOCK. TREATMENT 1. If necessary give EMERGENCY RESUSCITATION. 2. Treat BLEEDING and severe WOUNDS. 3. Prevent the fracture becoming worse by treating it before moving the patient unless life is in danger from other causes. 4. Move the broken limb only to make the patient comfortable. Support it arid keep it still by, for example: bandaging a broken arm to the body. padding firmly with cushions and pillows. Bandages should be put on firmly enough to prevent movement but not tightly. Apply padding where necessary.

Remember - only do what will make the patient more comfortable. Give nothing by mouth. 5. Send to hospital. Transport should be gentle. FRACTURED SPINE Keep the patient still while awaiting skilled help. If the patient has to be moved. great care is needed not to cause or increase paralysis by damaging the spinal cord.

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