INTRODUCTION

 This is going to be a series of Ten presentations teaching the basics of First Aid and addressing some common Emergencies that you may encounter in your daily life and therefore be prepared if the time arises. A few words before we do begin the tutorial.

DOING YOUR BEST

First Aid is the First and Basic help given to a casualty. First aid is not an exact science and is open to human error. Even with appropriate treatment and however hard you may try, some casualty may not respond as you may have hoped. Some conditions are inevitably fatal even with the best medical help. If you do your best, your conscience can be clear. One does not need expensive equipment or expertise training. Anyone can save a Life.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

The First aider’s responsibilities are clearly defined. They are;

• To assess a situation quickly and clearly and summon help.
• To protect casualty and bystanders from possible danger.
• To abide by the golden rule “First do no harm” to the casualty.
• To ensure that he himself does not get injured or infected.

Please note that over the course of the following weeks the First Aid tutorial that you will learn will be helpful and may even help save a life, but it is still NOT a replacement for practical First Aid Classes taught by a registered person.

Bleeding from the nose most commonly occurs when the fragile blood vessels inside the nose ruptures either by a blow to the nose, or by sneezing, picking or blowing the nose. Nose bleeds may also occur due to high blood pressure.

Majority of nosebleeds are nothing serious and are usually self limiting given the appropriate first aid. But a nose bleed can be dangerous if the casualty looses alot of blood or if the bleeding follows a head injury and the blood appears thin and watery – this is a sign that the skull is fractured and the fluid from around the brain is leaking out.

Action

Ask the casualty to sit down.

Advise her to tilt her head forward to allow the blood to drain from the nostril and not to allow blood to drain backwards in to her throat. 

Ask casualty to breathe through her mouth (this will also have a calming effect) and to pinch the soft part of the nose. Reassure and help her if necessary. 

Tell casualty to keep pinching her nose.  

Advice her not to speak, swallow, cough, spit or sniff as this may disturb the blood clots that have formed in her nose to stop the bleeding.

Give her a clean cloth to wipe off any dribbling.

Pinch for 10 minutes. Then release pressure.

If bleeding has not stopped then reapply the pressure again for another 10 minutes. 

Once bleeding has stopped, and with the casualty still leaning forward, clean around nose with tap water. 

Advise casualty to rest quietly for a few hours.

Tell her to avoid exertion and in particular, not to blow her nose, because these actions will disturb any clots. 

Caution

Do not let head tip back; blood may run down the throat and cause vomiting. 

If nose bleed is severe, or if it lasts for more than 30 minutes in total, take or send to hospital in the treatment position.

Chemicals that are swallowed may harm the digestive tracts or cause more wide spread damage if they enter the blood stream and are transported to other parts of the body.

Hazardous chemicals include common household substances. For example, bleach, dishwater detergents, kerosene are all corrosive when swallowed. Drugs whether prescribed or bought over the counter are also potentially harmful if taken in overdose. The effects of poisoning depend on the chemical ingested.

Recognition features

Depends on the poison, but there may be;
Vomiting, sometimes blood stained.Impaired consciousness.Pain or burning sensation.Empty containers in the vicinity.History of ingestion/exposure.

AIM

Maintain breathing, airway and circulation.To remove any contaminated clothing. Try and identify the poison.To arrange urgent transport to hospital.  

ACTION

If casualty is conscious, ask her what she has swallowed and try to reassure her. Look for clues around the casualty for possible poison. Example empty drug containers around children.If lips are burnt by corrosive chemicals, give her frequent sips of cold milk or water while waiting for medical help to arrive. Dial for ambulance or rush to hospital which ever is quicker. Give all information to the doctor.  

WARNING

Never attempt to induce vomiting, the chemical if corrosive will once again burn the food pipe on its way out, or worse the patient could aspirate the chemical in to his lungs.If the casualty becomes unconscious; be prepared to give rescue breaths and chest compressions.If there is chemical on the casualty’s mouth – ALWAYS use a face shield or cloth for rescue breathing. 

(Extracted from: FIRST AID MANUAL)

Choking - Tutorial Number 4

Choking is the obstruction of an airway blocking air from reaching the lungs. Sometimes an object such as a piece of food can get stuck at the back of the throat and causing the person to choke. The obstruction needs to be cleared as quickly as possible to restore a clear airway to allow the person to breathe.

What is it?

A severe obstruction is when a person is unable to speak, cry, cough or breathe. A mild obstruction is when a person finds it difficult to breath, but is able to speak, cry, cough or breathe. Encouraging them to cough will enable them to clear the obstruction.

First aid aims:

• Relieve the obstruction
• Arrange for medical help if necessary

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