It happens when least expected—in the middle of the night, at dawn, or in the light of day.
It can happen at home—in the kitchen, bathroom, or garden—an accident, an unexpected slip, an injury, or sudden lightheadedness that foreshadows a heart attack or stroke.
Emergencies can befall you or any of your loved ones.
Are you up to the task of providing first aid?
Besides preventing these things from happening in the first place, knowing exactly what to do, instead of panicking, can sometimes be the difference between life and death.
In this important post, we talk about how to administer first aid in some of the most common emergencies that you might encounter.
Fainting/ Dizziness/Light-headedness
Light-headedness and fainting happen when there’s insufficient blood flowing to the brain. This can be brought about by a variety of reasons—from being extremely hungry to emotional distress, severe pain, high heat, or an underlying condition. These can trigger a person to momentarily pass out.
Here are the things you do when somebody has fainted:
1) Position the person on his back, and check for falling injuries.
2) Loosen tight clothing, including belts, collars, watches, etc. Ask people not to crowd the person.
3) Elevate the legs above his head, helping blood flow back to the brain. (You can prop the legs on a chair.)
4) The fainting episode should last only a few minutes. Ensure the individual is breathing and has a pulse.
5) Turn the person on his side if he is vomiting or bleeding from the mouth.
6) If fainting was caused by a lack of food, provide some fruit juice once the person is a little alert.
7) Stay with the person until he fully recovers.
Poisoning
Poisonous or toxic chemicals can be inhaled, ingested, or strike the eyes or the skin. For inhaled poison, quickly transfer the individual from the toxic area to one with fresh air.
If poison is on the skin, remove clothing and wash the skin under continuous running water for 20 minutes. Do the same if toxic chemicals hit the eye.
The problem is when poison or toxic chemical is ingested. The response would be subject to the type of chemical that was taken. The commonsense thing to do might be to induce vomiting. But, as it turns out, this is not always advisable:
The process of inducing vomiting might injure the person, causing more damage.
Vomiting is not very effective in removing toxins from the stomach.
The liquid might flow into the lungs, causing lung damage.
Vomiting might cause the stomach to react by absorbing the toxins faster and in larger amounts.
Poisonous household products do have written instructions on packages to deal with poisoning. These are often based on old or outdated medical knowledge and may even exacerbate the situation.
Diluting the poison with other fluids like milk, raw eggs, vinegar, water, and baking soda, will depend on the type of chemical ingested. Giving the wrong fluid might even help hasten the absorption of the chemical by the body. The best thing is to rush the person to the emergency room or poison center and bring the product you suspect has been ingested.
Injury/Cuts/Wounds
If you’ve got kids at home, it will only be a matter of time before somebody falls or gets hurts. Many cuts and bruises do not require a trip to the ER. (Exemptions would be wounds that are large and deep, where bleeding is extreme and continuous, and where there is stuck debris that you can’t remove.)
When attending to the wounds, make sure that everything you use is clean. Clean hands, clean bandages, etc.
Here are the steps for treating a cut or a wound:
1) Control the bleeding. Apply pressure to the area by using a clean cloth or bandage. (If bleeding continues after 15 minutes, seek medical help.)
2) Clean the wound. Running it under clean tap water is fine. Using too much Betadine, alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide might only irritate the tissues and lengthen healing time.
3) Cover the wound. Use a clean bandage. (Change the dressing regularly, especially when it has become dirty or wet.)
4) Check for infections. (An infected wound would be red, swollen, and have yellow-green pus.)
For animal bites, like one from a dog, you need to consider the possibility not only of stitches but also of rabies. Get medical attention. And if possible, keep the animal under observation for strange behavior and rabid symptoms.
All snake bites should be considered an emergency. Although a majority of snakes are not venomous, there is still the possibility of anaphylactic shock.
Do not open the wound and suck the venom like they do in the movies. Wrap a tight bandage around the wound area and quickly take the person to the emergency room. This is important: Make sure that the bitten part, (which is often the leg), is perfectly still and does not move.
Drowning
With drowning, you don’t have much time to waste. Ask someone to call for medical rescue even when the victim is in the water. Take the person out of the water as quickly as possible, and lay him on his back on a flat surface.
1) Check for breathing. Kneel beside the person and check his condition. See if there’s anything stuck in his mouth.
2) 5 Rescue Breaths. If the person is unconscious, give him mouth-to-mouth. Blow 5 rescue breaths, remembering to tilt the head, pinch the nose, and bring the chin up.
3) 30 Chest compressions. If the person doesn’t respond after 5 breaths, begin administering CPR or chest compressions. Put the heel of your palm on the middle of the chest (sternum). Interlock your fingers, and lock your elbows straight. Using your body weight, exert enough force to push down on the chest, sinking it about 2 inches. Then release. Administer chest compressions at a rate of about 100-120 pushes per minute
4) 2 rescue breaths. If the person doesn’t respond after 30 chest compressions, give him another 2 rescue breaths. Always tilt the head up and pinch the nose
5) Alternate between 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths. Keep at it until help arrives. If you get tired, ask someone to take your place and continue with the 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths.
Heart Attack and Cardiac Arrest
Pain and tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, and light-headedness, with the pain spreading to areas like the neck, jaw, shoulder, and arms. These are signs of an impending heart attack.
A heart attack (myocardial infarction) happens when blood flow is blocked in parts of the heart, preventing the heart cells from getting needed oxygen. A cardiac arrest, on the other hand, is when the heart stops working as a whole. This is much worse and can lead to the person suddenly losing consciousness and not breathing.
Here are the things you should do when an individual has a heart attack:
1) Call for help immediately. If you suspect a person is having a heart attack, immediately call for medical help or bring the person to the emergency room. Do not wait for the symptoms to disappear or for the pain to subside.
2) Ask the person to chew on aspirin. This prevents blood from clotting and helps to minimize heart damage. (Warning: Some people may be allergic to aspirin.) Also, ask him to take his heart medication, if any.
3) If the person becomes unconscious, initiate chest compressions (like the one we described above, but without the rescue breaths). Administer chest compressions at a rate of about 100-120 pushes per minute. Or push to the beat of the song, “Staying Alive.”
Continue with chest compressions until help arrives.
Stroke
A stroke is considered a “brain attack” because it happens when parts of the brain don’t get enough oxygen. It can start with a painful headache that has no apparent trigger or cause. There will be numbness, weakness, and difficulty speaking.
Some strokes are painless and come as a total surprise.
So quickly do these things to test for one:
Ask the person to smile. (The face will droop on one side.)
Ask him to raise both hands. (One hand will drift down.)
Ask him a question or ask him to say something. (Speech will be slurred, almost unintelligible.)
Take note of the time you noticed the symptoms.
1) Call for help immediately. Time is of the essence here, every minute counts. Do not let the person dissuade you from calling for emergency assistance or going to the hospital.
2) Keep the person awake. The individual might mention that they are tired and would rather rest. Don’t waste time, keep moving. Don’t “wait” for the symptoms to disappear, every minute wasted means countless brain cells dying.
3) Don’t give medication. Aspirin can make the stroke worse. It may help during a heart attack by preventing blood clots, but in a hemorrhagic stroke caused by a burst blood vessel, it will make things worse.
Knowing what to do is half the job. With these tips, you are now in a better position to assist the people who need help. Keep your wits about you and don’t panic.
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