Foreign bodies are any material or object that is introduced into some part of the human body, the most common being the skin, eyes, ears, nose, respiratory tract, digestive tract, etc.
In this article we show you what the first aid is in case of foreign bodies in the eyes, nose, ears and skin, as well as how to act in this situation without causing any damage and what care we should take.
WHAT IS FIRST AID IN CASE OF FOREIGN BODIES?
Below we show you the first aid in case of foreign bodies:
First aid for foreign bodies in the skin
The most common foreign bodies in the skin are thorns and splinters, needles and fishing hooks.
Thorns and splinters
- Clean the skin around the thorn well with soap and water (with benzene or ether, if it is very greasy) and then disinfect it with alcohol. Wash your hands well before treating the case.
- Boil a sewing or injection needle and a pair of tweezers (those used for hair removal usually work very well for this purpose) for at least 10 minutes.
- You can also simply pass the sewing needle over a flame until it turns red. It is best to use an injection needle, which is already sterile and is disposable.
- If the thorn or splinter has a protruding part, it may be enough to take it with the tweezers and pull in the opposite direction from which it was stuck. If there is no protruding part, remove the most superficial and horny part of the skin with the needle (it does not hurt), to more easily reach the thorn.
- Disinfect, after removing it, with iodine tincture and alcohol and apply a small dressing. If the thorn or splinter was contaminated, perform tetanus prophylaxis.
- When the foreign body has penetrated under the nail, its removal is facilitated by cutting a wedge of the nail at that location.
Needles
- If the needle is protruding or accessible, simply remove it as explained above. If it is not visible, look for and save the remains of the needle to be sure whether or not a piece is missing, which may be lodged.
- Removing an lodged needle that is not visible is a job for the doctor, especially one with an X-ray machine.
- The duty of the first aider is to try to prevent the needle from being inserted further, immobilizing the affected part. If it is in the foot, the person should not be allowed to walk.
Fishing hooks
- If the hook is difficult to remove, push the sharp end through the skin in the same direction as when it was inserted.
- Using strong tweezers, cut off the tip, or file off the barb that prevents it from retracting, and remove it from where it was inserted.
- Take all the disinfection precautions mentioned for removing spines. Take tetanus prophylaxis.
First aid for foreign bodies in the eye
Here is a first aid and how to act in case of foreign bodies in the eye:
- Wash your hands carefully before treating the patient. Provide a small eyewash cup and place it in boiled water. When the patient applies it to the eye, blinking into it, the foreign body often comes off.
- If it still does not come out, carefully turn the upper eyelid over, as explained below. Very often the foreign body is visible under the upper eyelid, from where it will be removed with a gauze or a clean handkerchief folded or twisted into a point.
- To turn the upper eyelid over, take the eyelashes between the index finger and thumb of the left hand, make the patient look down and place a toothpick or toothpick horizontally on the middle part of the eyelid. While holding the toothpick down, lift the eyelashes upwards, thus turning the eyelid over. The toothpick can be surrounded with cotton to make it softer. To turn the lower eyelid, look up and pull the eyelid down with your index finger.
- If the foreign body is stuck or very strongly attached to the cornea, take the patient to the doctor for removal. While you take the foreign body, keep the eye closed or wear dark glasses.
- If you notice inflammation in one eye after removing a foreign body, take the patient to the ophthalmologist. The eye is an organ as delicate as it is useful.
- Some ophthalmologists advise gently washing the eye with boiled water after removing the foreign body.
- If quicklime, caustic soda or alkali acid has fallen into the eye, immediately tilt the victim's head to the affected side, gently drip several liters of cold or warm water into the inner corner of the eye to wash it. Place a drop of olive oil, liquid Vaseline or castor oil.
First aid for foreign bodies in the ear
What to do if an insect gets into your ear
If an insect enters the ear, follow this procedure:
- Kill the insect by filling the ear with cooking oil or lubricating oil used for sewing machines and other household machines. Leave the oil for a few minutes to kill the insect.
- Then wash the ear with a syringe containing warm water. The water usually washes the insect out along with the oil.
- If this treatment does not remove the insect, see an ear, nose and throat specialist, an otorhinolaryngologist.
- When the insect has just entered the ear, the following simple treatment can be tried: in a dark place or room, turn on a strong light and place it near the patient's earlobe. Usually the insect, eager to leave the ear, comes out into the light.
What to do if foreign bodies of another nature enter the ear
The most common foreign bodies that enter the ear are a small stone, grains of wheat, peas, etc. This usually occurs in children who introduce these foreign bodies while playing.
If a foreign body of another nature enters the ear, do the following:
- First find out the nature of the foreign body introduced.
- If it is a fairly heavy body, it may be enough to remove it by tilting the head to the affected side until it is horizontal, while gently pulling the auricle upwards and slightly backwards, in order to make the ear canal straighter.
- If it is a body that does not swell with water (stone, small button, etc.), wash your ears, which generally allows the foreign body to come out.
- When it is a seed (corn or wheat grain, bean, lentil, etc.), there is debate about which is the best treatment, since water can swell it, making its removal more difficult.
- Anyone who is not an ear specialist should never insert a clamp or hook into the ear canal to remove a foreign body, as this can injure the canal and push the foreign body deeper.
- When the seed has been in the ear for many days, it causes irritation of the ear and the secretion swells it, making its removal more difficult. In this case, it is wise to take the patient to an ENT specialist for better treatment.
- If it is not possible to take him to the specialist immediately, put drops of pure alcohol or anhydrous glycerin in the ear: water-loving substances that will reduce the size of the swollen foreign body, while also tending to disinfect or reduce the inflammation of the canal.
First aid for foreign bodies in the nose
First aid for foreign bodies in the nose is:
- If the foreign body has just been introduced, have the patient blow strongly through the nose, blocking the nostril (external opening of the nose) on the unaffected side.
- If this does not help, look inside the nose, shining a flashlight or strong light into it, raising the tip of the nose with your finger if necessary to see the inside better. If the foreign body is very close, you can try to gently remove it with a hairpin, bent at the elbow.
- If this also fails, a trained person can perform nasal lavage. Nasal lavage should not be performed if there is suppuration, as water can carry germs into the ear.
- The above maneuvers can be helped by placing nasal drops containing mucosa-retracting substances, such as ephedrine, adrenaline, privine, inhaling benzedrine, etc., on the affected side of the nose.
- If the body has been stuck for days or does not come out with the simple means mentioned above, the patient should be taken to a doctor and better yet, to a nose, ear and throat specialist, i.e. an otorhinolaryngologist.