First-Aid

Just imagine you are at home and you don’t have any means to call someone. Your house is far-far away from the city and basically, you are away from a doctor. Then an important thing that each and every one of us must know is First-Aid.

It is that necessary tool which would help you out to become a lifesaver for someone. With some basic knowledge of first-aid, you can easily save someone from cuts, wounds, bites, sprains, and strains etc. This would be a basic guide so everyone can understand it easily.

Most Important CPR

Learn CPR and save lives of many people.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is now easier than ever before. If a person is found unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse, there are just a few steps a person can help to assist the victim.

• First, send somebody to call for proper help or call the Ambulance.
• Next start pushing hard and fast on the chest, (not very fast also you would not want to kill the patient). No need to perform mouth-to-mouth breathing. No need to count. Just continue to push hard and fast on the chest until an AED is found or other help arrives.

CPR should be known by everyone because it acts as a life-saver many-a-times and is also very important in today’s growing world. The population is growing very rapidly and same is the speed of the people dying so in order to save the lives of your loved ones or of those who are in an emergency situation you can put a good helping hand in saving there lives. This is Basic First-Aid.

Bleeding

Before providing care, put on protective gloves or use a barrier between you and the victim, to reduce the chance of disease transmission while assisting the injured person. Do remember to clean your hands properly after assisting the patient.

Basic first aid treatment:

• Call the Ambulance, according to the situation.
• Keep the victim lying down.
• Apply direct pressure using a clean cloth or sterile dressing directly on the wound.
• DO NOT take out any object that is lodged in a wound; wait for the doctor.
• If there are any signs of fracture, then do not try to move the patient and wait for the doctor.
• Once bleeding is controlled, keep victim warm by covering with a blanket.

Eye Injuries

• If an object is impaled in the eye, immediately call the ambulance, DO NOT remove the object.
• Cover both eyes with clean dressings.
• Covering both eyes will minimize the movement of the injured eye.
• DO NOT rub or apply pressure, ice to the injured eye.
• If the injury is a black eye, you may apply ice to cheek and area around the eye, but not directly on the eyeball itself.

How to flush the eyes: If the chemical is in only one eye, a flush by positioning the victim’s head with the contaminated eye down. . . to prevent flushing the chemical from one eye to another. Flush with cool or room temperature water for 15 minutes or more. Do remember to remove contact lenses after flushing.

Unconsciousness

• Do not leave an unconscious victim alone do him/her a little help and firstly call the ambulance.
• Assess the patient’s state of awareness by asking if they are OK.
• Check the victim’s Airway, Breathing, and Circulation (ABC’s).
• If the victim’s ABC’s are not present, perform CPR. IMPORTANT: only a trained & qualified person should administer CPR.

• If ABC’s are present and spinal injury is not suspected, place the patient on their side with their chin towards the ground to allow for secretion drainage.
• Cover the victim with a blanket to keep him/her warm and prevent shock. If the patient communicates feeling warm, remove the blanket.

Animal Bites

• Control any bleeding by applying direct pressure or with elevation. To avoid the risk of infection, do not close the wound.
• Rinse the bite thoroughly, holding it under running water. Cleanse with soap and water and hold it under water again for five minutes.
• Do not put ointments or medicines on the wound. Cover it with a dry and clean bandage or gauze.
• Seek medical assistance immediately.

Burns

• First, stop the burning process by removing the patient from contact with hot water or a hot object (for example, hot iron). If clothing is burning, smother flames. Remove clothing unless it is firmly stuck to the skin. Run cool water over burned skin until the pain stops. Do not apply ice, butter, grease, medicine, or ointment.
• Burns with Blisters: Do not break the blisters. Ask the doctor how to cover the burn. For burns on the face, hands, feet, or genitals, seek emergency care.
• Large or Deep Burns: Call the ambulance or your local emergency assistance. After stopping and cooling the burn, keep the patient warm with a clean sheet covered with a blanket until help arrives.

• Electrical Burns: Disconnect electrical power(CAREFULLY). If the patient is still in contact with an electrical source, do NOT touch the patient with bare hands. The patient should be pulled away from the power source with an object that does not conduct electricity (such as a wooden broom handle) only after the power is turned off. All electrical burns need to be seen by a doctor.

Nose Bleeding

Keep the patient in a sitting position with the head tilted slightly forward. Apply firm, steady pressure to both nostrils by squeezing them between your thumb and index finger for 5 minutes. If bleeding continues or is very heavy, call the doctor or seek your local emergency care.

The above first aid referred is to the basic problems that you might face with anyone at your home or on the road while traveling. First-Aid is very important in one’s life, so you must know these basic things of life. Everything mentioned above should have a good space in everyone’s brains. As not everyone is a doctor or can become a doctor so First-Aid can be used as a good substitute.

THAT’S ALL FOLKS!