FIRST AID -- "Check, Call, Care"
CHECK
Before you can help the victim, you must make sure the scene is safe for you and any bystanders. Look the scene over and try to answer these questions:
- Is the scene safe?
- What happened?
- How many victims are there?
- Can bystanders help?
CALL
It is very important that you know your local emergency number. It may be 911, 0 for operator, or a local seven-digit number. Calling for help is often the most important action you can take to help the victim. It will start professional emergency help on its way as fast as possible.
CARE
Once you have checked the scene and victim, you may need to provide care. Always care for life-threatening emergencies first! You may want to care for an injured or ill person, but before giving first aid, you must have the victim's permission. Do not give care to a conscious victim who refuses it. Permission is implied if a victim is unconscious or unable to respond.
CHECKING THE VICTIM
Always begin by determining if the victim is conscious. To find out, tap him or her on one shoulder. Ask the victim if he or she is okay. If the victim does not respond to you, assume that he or she is unconscious. Call for an ambulance at once. Check to see if an unconscious victim:
- Is breathing
- Has a pulse
- Is bleeding severely
- Tap and shout to see if the person responds
If no response . . .
- Look, listen and feel for breathing for about five seconds
If the person is not breathing, or you can't tell . . .
- Position victim on back, while supporting the head and neck
- Tilt head back and lift chin
- Look, listen and feel for breathing for about five seconds
If not breathing . . .
- Give two slow breaths
- Check pulse for five to 10 seconds
- Check for severe bleeding
RESCUE BREATHING
To give rescue breathing, begin by tilting the head back and lifting the chin to move the tongue away from the back of the throat. This opens the airway, the path that air travels from the nose and mouth to the lungs. Place your ear next to the victim's mouth. Check for breathing by looking at the chest and listening and feeling for breathing for about five seconds. If you can't see, hear, or feel any signs of breathing, you must begin to breathe for the victim.
Pinch the victim's nose shut and make a tight seal around the victim's mouth. Breathe slowly and gently into the victim until you see the chest rise. Give two breaths, each lasting about 1-1/2 seconds. Pause between breaths to let the air flow. Watch the victim's chest rise each time you breathe to make sure your breaths are going in.
Check for a pulse after giving these two initial slow breaths. If you feel a pulse, but the victim is still not breathing, give one breath about every five seconds. You can time the breaths by counting,
"one one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand,"
Then take a breath on "four one-thousand" and breathe into the victim on "five one-thousand." Counting this way ensures that you give one breath about every five seconds. After 10-12 breaths, recheck the pulse to make sure the heart is still beating. If the victim has a pulse, but is still not breathing, continue rescue breathing. Continue until one of the following happens:
- The victim begins to breathe without your help
- The victim has no pulse (begin CPR)
- Another trained rescuer takes over for you
- You are too tired to go on
CHOKING RESCUE
Unconscious Victim
If an unconscious person is choking, it is more important to get air in than to get the object out. If you have tried to give two slow breaths with no success, you must try to clear the airway. This is done by giving up to five abdominal thrusts and trying to sweep the object out with your finger. Then reattempt two slow breaths. If still not successful, repeat until victim is breathing.
Conscious Victim
If the choking person is coughing forcefully, let him try to cough up the object. A person who is getting enough air to cough or speak is getting enough air to breathe. If not, you must get the airway open quickly. To do this, give a series of quick, hard thrusts to the victim's abdomen (also called the "Heimlich maneuver"). Stand behind the victim, wrapping your arms around the waist. Make a fist with one hand and place the thumb side against the middle of the victim's abdomen, just above the navel but below the rib cage. Grab your fist with the other hand and give quick, hard thrusts inward and upward. Repeat until the object is forced out.
HEART ATTACK
Classic signs of a heart attack include persistent pain or pressure in the chest that is not relieved by resting or changing position, noisy breathing, shortness of breath, elevated, irregular or slowed pulse, pale or bluish skin and
sweating.
To care for a heart attack victim you can: 1) convince the victim to rest and try to obtain information about the victim's condition, 2) call local emergency number to obtain professional help, 3) monitor vital signs and, 4) be prepared to begin CPR if the victim's heart stops beating. Call your local Red Cross office for classes in CPR.
SHOCK
Any severe bleeding or trauma can lead to life-threatening shock, when normal body functions may be interrupted and the body may not be able to adjust. Some signals of shock include restlessness or irritability, altered consciousness, pale, cool or moist skin, rapid breathing and pulse.
To care for the shock victim have the victim lie down. Control any external bleeding and try to help maintain normal body temperature by either cooling or warming the victim as circumstances dictate. Elevate the legs about 12 inches unless you suspect head, neck or back injuries. Do not give the victim anything to eat or drink.
BURNS
Critical burns include those that involve breathing difficulty, cover more than one body part, include burns to the head, neck, hands, feet or genitals, involve burns to a child or elderly person, or are a result of chemicals, electricity or an explosion.
To care for critical burns, do the following: 1) stop the burning, 2) loosely cover the burn with a dry, clean dressing, and 3) if possible raise the burned areas above the level of the heart. Do not apply ice directly to any burn, unless it is very minor, and do not remove pieces of cloth sticking to the burn areas.
Flush a chemical burn to the skin or eyes with large amounts of cool water and remove any clothing with the chemical on them.
Never go near a victim you think has been injured by electricity until you are sure the power is turned off. If there are people in a car with a downed wire across it, tell them not to move and to stay in the car.
INJURIES
When caring for a muscle, joint or bone injury, always care for life-threatening injuries first. Call for emergency assistance at once if the victim's head, neck or back is injured, if the victim has breathing problems, or if the victim is unable to move or use the injured part without pain. If you think the victim may have a head or spine injury, leave him lying flat and prevent him from moving.
POISONING
Poison can enter the body in four ways: ingestion, inhalation, absorption and injection.
Ingestible poisons can include aspirin, household and garden items. Certain combinations of substances, such as drugs and alcohol, can be poisonous. Inhaled poisons include gases such as carbon monoxide or toxic fumes. Absorbed poisons come from plants, such as poison ivy, fertilizers and pesticides. Injected poisons enter the body through bites or stings of insects, spiders or ticks.
If you suspect that someone has swallowed a poison, try to find out what it was, how much was taken and when it was taken.
Check for victim's level of consciousness, breathing and pulse. Care immediately for any life-threatening conditions. Look for any containers and take them with you when you call your local Poison Control Center. Do not give the victim anything to eat or drink unless instructed by medical personnel to do so.
When someone breathes in toxic fumes, the skin color may turn pale or bluish. This may mean a lack of oxygen. If it is safe to do so, get the victim to fresh air.
If poisonous chemicals get on the skin, flush the affected areas with water until emergency personnel arrive.
For poisonous bites or stings, remove the stinger if possible by scraping it away from the skin, then wash the area with soap and water.
HEAT EMERGENCIES
Heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heat stroke are conditions caused by overexposure to heat. Heat cramps are the least severe and are often the first sign that the body is having trouble with the heat. They usually occur in the legs and abdomen. Heat exhaustion is more severe and its signs include cool, moist, pale or flushed skin, headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness and exhaustion. Heat stroke is the most severe and can result in death. Its signs include red, hot, dry skin, possible loss of consciousness, a rapid or weak pulse, and rapid, shallow breathing.
To care for heat-related emergencies, do the following: 1) remove the victim from the heat, 2) loosen tight clothing, 3) remove perspiration-soaked clothing, 4) apply cool, wet cloths to the skin. If the victim is conscious, give cool water to drink.
Call for an ambulance if the victim refuses water, vomits or starts to lose consciousness.
COLD EMERGENCIES
Frostbite and hypothermia are two types of cold emergencies. The signs of frostbite include lack of feeling in the affected area, and skin that appears waxy, is cold to the touch, or is discolored. To care for frostbite, handle the area gently. Never rub the area, as this will cause further damage to soft tissues. Instead, warm the area gently by soaking in water no warmer than 105 degrees until the skin looks red and feels warm.
With hypothermia, the entire body cools. The victim will die if not given care. Signs include shivering, numbness, glassy stare, apathy and loss of consciouness. To care for a victim of hypothermia, remove any wet clothing and dry the victim. Warm the body gradually by wrapping in blankets or putting on dry clothing and moving the victim to a warm place. If available, apply heating pads or other heat sources to the body. If the victim is alert, give warm liquids. Do not warm the victim too quickly (such as immersion in warm water), as rapid re-warming can cause dangerous heart problems.
LEARN CPR AND FIRST AID
Contact your local American Red Cross Chapter for classes
This first aid information was provided courtesy of the
Cincinnati Area Chapter of the
American Red Cross,
720 Sycamore Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202-2185
|
