▷ HOW do you TRANSPORT an INJURED PERSON CORRECTLY?: The FIRST AID

There are different ways to transport an injured person. The types of patient transfer in first aid are:

• Manual: when the injured person is transported without the aid of any device.

• Improvised: this type of transfer can be done with people who use special or improvised material, such as a stretcher, chair, etc. Likewise, this transport can be done by vehicle, car, ambulance, airplane, helicopter, car, etc.

When transporting a wounded person, try to transport him lying down as much as possible, in a manner that is both gentle and fast. Except in cases of extreme urgency, it is preferable to sacrifice speed rather than gentleness. Obtaining or improvising a stretcher is better than manual transport.

Avoid undue haste and the exaggerated movements that this causes. Movements should be gentle and slow. Avoid sudden movements and jumping as much as possible.

If there is more than one person, one of them will be the one to direct, and that person will stay with the patient and care for him until he has been placed in the hands of a doctor.

If the injury is small and does not disable the patient, he may be allowed to walk if the distance is short. Patients who have slight injuries and who have not been unconscious or in a general state affected may sit up.

When there is difficulty breathing, it may sometimes be necessary to put the injured person in a semi-sitting position. In all other cases, it is preferable to transport him lying down.

The method of lifting and transporting an injured person will vary depending on the number of people who can help, their strength or, better yet, their ability, the weight and type of injury of the patient.

That is why below we will tell you how to transport an injured person step by step, depending on the method of transport, whether manual or improvised.

Whenever possible, try to get another person to help you lift and carry the injured person, as this will make it less tiring and easier for the patient. Circumstances may, however, require the first aider to carry an injured person alone.

In the case of a fracture, it is important to bear in mind that it is almost impossible to use this method without making the injured person worse or causing him or her pain.

If the injured person is conscious, stand to the left of him with your left knee on the ground. Place your right arm under the upper back and your left arm behind the knees. Ask the injured person to hold on to the neck of the person lifting him.

When he stands up, he is ready to be transported. He can also be carried "in slippers", that is, on his back. It is less tiring than the other methods.

The procedure for lifting an unconscious person varies, whether he is face up or face down. If the patient is face up, tie both hands together with a tie and put the tied hands around the assistor's neck, then lift him in the manner described for the conscious person.

If the person is face down, kneel in front of the victim, facing his head. Put your arms under the victim's armpits and lift him until he is on his knees. Take him by the waist and lift him until he is on his knees.

Take him by the waist and lift him until he is standing (helping with your knees). Then take the patient's right wrist with your left hand, and bend down, throwing the patient over your shoulder and back.

Put your right arm over the patient's right knee and stand up. In this way, you will have the injured person on your shoulders and holding their right upper and lower limbs with the right arm and hand of the person assisting.

The assistants should kneel on both sides, and each should pass one hand under the back and one behind the knees, joining them under the patient. To lift the patient, it is more prudent for one of them to get up first and stay crouched, then the other to do so and both should stand up.

Also, to move a wounded person, two assistants can stand on the same side, kneeling, with one of them passing one arm behind the waist and the other arm under the upper part of the back, and the one who is facing the legs will pass his arms under the legs and thighs. At the command of the person in charge, they will stand up.

The transport can be done in the same way that the wounded person is when he is lifted from the ground, or any of the transport procedures on a real or improvised stretcher that we will mention later can be used.

The injured person can also be moved in a kind of chair. It is formed with three or four hands. This is applicable to a patient who cannot walk, but is not prone to fainting, and who can use one or both of his arms.

If he can use both, make a four-handed seat for him. If he can only use one, make a three-handed seat so that the arm of one of the helpers is free to support the patient on the injured side.

When a conventional stretcher cannot be obtained, one can be improvised with a little ingenuity. Some of the things that can be used to move a casualty on improvised stretchers are:

• A board, a door, a blind, a ladder, a cot. These are easier to transport than those described below.

• With a blanket. Obtain two long, rounded sticks and roll them up on the sides of the blanket until the blanket is about 60 cm wide. Secure the rolled part with safety pins or with ropes that are passed through holes made in the blanket. In this case, it should be carried by three people on each side, to prevent the middle part of the blanket from sinking.

• Bags. For example, two strong bags or covers can be passed through their sides with two sticks.

• Jackets and vests. Put two jackets with their sleeves turned inside out and buttoned. Pass two sticks through the sleeves. The back part of the bags will be the upper part of the stretcher. It can also be made using the lower limb part.

• Two chairs. Place the chairs together back to back and tie them tightly with string. This type of improvised stretcher has the advantage that it can be placed on damp or wet ground without disturbing the patient.

A patient is correctly moved on a stretcher in the following manner:

• If possible, three people will lift the casualty, while a fourth person, if available, handles the stretcher.

• Once the patient is lifted, the fourth person will place the stretcher next to the feet of the lifters and under the patient. He will then remove the stretcher when the casualty has been lifted in the same manner after being removed from the stretcher.

• Generally, the patient will be placed lying on his back. The head will be slightly raised if the patient is conscious and not prone to shock. Otherwise, or if there has been a lot of bleeding, or the patient is unconscious, the head will be lower.

• The upper limbs may need to be secured together so that they do not fall to the sides.

• Sometimes it may be necessary, if the stretcher has to be tilted a lot, to secure the patient to the stretcher with cloth straps at chest, hips and knees. It is preferable, if it is cold or there is a tendency for shock, to place a blanket on the stretcher and another on the patient.

• Depending on the weight of the patient, the number of people who can help and the distance to be covered, the stretcher can be carried by two or four people.

• When there are four people, each one could carry one of the handles (on the outside), or two of the bearers can also stand on the sides of the stretcher holding its edge.

• When lifting the stretcher, do so simultaneously from both ends and in a smooth manner.

• If there are two bearers, walk with a different step (one should start walking with the right foot and the other with the left).

• If there are four people carrying the stretcher, everyone should start walking with the foot that faces the stretcher.

• When the ground is flat, carry the patient with their feet forward. When the ground becomes inclined, try to keep the stretcher horizontal.

• If it is tiring to carry the patient horizontally, in the case of a fracture of the lower limb, it should be carried in the usual way going uphill, and when going downhill with the head forward, in order to prevent the weight of the body from pressing on the fracture.

• In the case of a patient who feels well, to keep the head slightly higher than the body, carry the patient with the head forward when going uphill and in the usual way when going downhill.

• If possible, avoid passing the stretcher through ditches, walls or wire fences.