What is first aid? The short answer, the first aid is the temporary and immediate treatment given to a person in the event of an accident or unexpected illness. Generally, this type of care is provided at the scene of the accident, except in certain minor cases, until the patient can be placed in the care of a doctor for definitive treatment.
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF FIRST AID?
The importance of first aid lies in saving a life that is in danger by knowing what to do and when to do it, since in this way the aggravation of the wound can be avoided and the suffering of the injured person is always reduced.
It also puts the patient in the best conditions for receiving the definitive treatment that allows for their absolute and total recovery. In short, first aid serves to ensure that the greatest number of people possible know what to do in order to be able to provide it efficiently when necessary.
TYPES OF FIRST AID
Below we show you the types of first aid depending on the emergency you have. Click on the image of the article for more information.
The first aid for:
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| First aid for wounds |
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| First aid for contusions |
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| First aid for convulsion |
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| First aid for electrocution |
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| First aid for shock |
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| First aid for sting |
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| First aid for choking |
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| First aid for asphyxia |
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| First aid for dislocations |
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| First aid for fractures |
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| First aid for burns |
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| First aid for foreign bodies |
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| First aid for bite |
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| First aid for intoxication and toxic substances |
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| First aid for sunstroke and heat stroke |
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| First aid for hemorrhage |
FIRST AID IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
The main first aid measures in case of emergency are as follows:
1) When the patient has stopped breathing
Immediately give artificial respiration by mouth-to-mouth to revive the patient. Make sure the mouth and throat are not blocked.
In some cases when the patient is unconscious or injured, the tongue is pushed back and prevents air from entering. If this happens, turn the head to one side when the nose or mouth is full of fluid, blood or vomit and wipe it with your finger or a tissue.
Remove the tongue if it is obstructing the throat, pushing the lower jaw forward and thus leaving the airway clear for giving artificial respiration.
2) When there is severe hemorrhage
Apply direct pressure to the wound until the bleeding stops, using sterile gauze, a clean handkerchief, or any clean piece of cloth. If nothing is at hand, apply direct pressure to the wound with the heel of your hand.
Keep the pressure constant without increasing or releasing it alternately. If the wound is on an arm or leg, elevate the limb higher than the level of the body and support it with a pillow or folded blanket.
Try not to elevate the injured limb if there is a broken bone, and do not apply a tourniquet unless other means used to stop the bleeding are ineffective.
3) Do not move the victim
Do not move the victim from the scene of the accident while waiting for the doctor or ambulance to arrive, unless absolutely necessary. Keep the patient lying on his back on a flat surface and try not to raise his head.
Also, do not make him sit or stand or make him sit in the seat of a vehicle. On the other hand, it is important to remember that carelessly dragging an injured person or pulling him by the hands or feet can cause broken bones to cut and damage nerves beyond repair, so if a broken bone needs to be splinted, it must be done at the scene of the accident.
4) Prevent shock
Shock is a state of deep nervous and circulatory depression, without loss of consciousness, with cooling of the skin, increased heart palpitations, irregular breathing, paleness and sweating.
This state generally occurs after intense concussions, trauma, operations, sudden hemorrhages, serious burns and other major accidents.
In order to prevent shock, you must cover the injured person with a blanket or other garment to keep him warm, but not hot or sweaty. If he can swallow, give him warm liquids.
You can also give him a "solution to prevent shock", which is composed of 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, dissolved in 1 liter of water. Make him drink it by spoonfuls.
It is important not to give any liquid to drink to the patient in shock when he is unconscious or semi-conscious, when he is vomiting or has a wound in the abdomen.
WHAT ARE THE FIRST 10 BASIC AID MEASURES
The 10 basic first aid measures in any accident or emergency are:
- Do not change the injured person's position.
- Loosen any clothing that restricts them, such as a tie, vest and belt.
- Calm the injured person and do not allow them to see their injuries if they are serious.
- Ensure that the injured person can breathe.
- Do not give the patient liquids.
- Do not give alcoholic beverages as a stimulant.
- Move the injured person as little as possible.
- If the ambulance does not arrive, find a vehicle in which the injured person can be transported to the nearest medical centre, moving him as little as possible.
- Keep the injured person warm if it is not very hot.
- The person who provided first aid should not leave after the injured person has been admitted to the hospital without first giving all the details of the work he performed.
WHAT ARE THE 4 MAIN OF FIRST AID
Although it is true that each type of accident has a treatment and a way of acting, in general the 4 main of first aid must be taken into account, which are the following: take charge of the case, examine the patient, notify the nearest hospital or doctor and notify the authorities.
1) Take charge of the case
When faced with an injured person and in the absence of another person with better training, the person who has first aid knowledge is obliged, for reasons of humanity, to provide it.
Act quickly, but without haste. It is important to remain calm, as this will prevent panic in others. On the other hand, it will also give confidence to the injured person by acting in this way.
In some cases, the support of two or three people is essential. However, it is necessary to try to avoid a crowd of people around the injured person, even if the patient has lost consciousness or has extremely serious injuries.
2) Patient examination
Before giving first aid to an injured person, it is vitally important to do a brief examination of the patient to check for any major injuries. Likewise, you should not only look at the injury that is visible to the naked eye, but you should also check that the patient does not have any other injuries that are not obvious.
Although it is true that it is preferable to move the injured person as little as possible, it will often be necessary to do so to avoid a greater danger, whether it is a fire, a crash, or something similar. However, if there is no reason to move the person, you should not do so and give him first aid in the same place where he is.
You should also deduce or find out what kind of accident occurred, so that in this way you can deduce the probability of certain injuries. For example, if you know that the patient fell from a certain height or was run over by a car, you will look for fractures.
You should also observe the position of the body, since if the person has an abnormal posture there is probably a fracture or dislocation. This suspicion may increase if the injured person is conscious and states that he or she cannot move any of his or her limbs.
It is also important to observe the skin color, since it may be pale, red, and in some cases blue, which will give more information about the condition of the injured person. Likewise, the skull must be examined to determine if there are wounds on the scalp or any type of indentation.
The examination should also be done on the ears and mouth to observe if there are foreign objects or wounds with blood. The examination of the mouth is important because if there are certain burns in the mouth, it can be presumed that the patient suffered poisoning.
In case the person is unconscious, when examining the mouth it is necessary to look at the smell of the breath, which will help determine the cause of the loss of consciousness. For example, the smell of acetone makes us think of a diabetic coma; the smell of urine can be caused by uremia and the smell of alcohol makes it likely that the person lost consciousness due to intoxication.
However, one must be cautious and not attribute all the conditions that a person has to alcohol, because it may be the case that the person, in addition to having alcohol poisoning, has a fracture or some internal bleeding.
At the same time, the nape of the neck must be palpated to see if there are or are not irregularities in the spine. Both the lower and upper limbs must also be examined in order to determine if there is a fracture.
The examination of the spine plays a preponderant importance because if the patient has fractures in this area, the lack of special care or transporting the injured person can cause irreparable damage.
Finally, the examination should conclude by observing and palpating the thorax and abdomen. When examining the thorax, it must be taken into account that there are few times when deformations in this area due to the collapse of the ribs can be observed with the naked eye, but fractures are frequently present when they manifest pain, which increases with deep inspiration and coughing.
Whether or not the abdomen is rigid will help to suspect some internal injury, such as the rupture of some organ such as the stomach, spleen, liver or intestine. Although the examination covers most of the body, it can be performed in a couple of minutes.
3) Notify the nearest hospital or doctor
Except in the case of minor injuries, it is a fundamental rule of first aid to notify the nearest hospital or doctor, providing as much information as possible such as: location of the accident, type of accident, type of injury, whether or not there is bleeding and its intensity, patient's condition (consciousness, pulse, breathing abnormalities, skin color, chills, etc.)
It is also necessary to mention what has been done up to that point. If this notification is made by telephone, which is always preferable to save time, is to ask for advice on what should be done until the ambulance and the medical personnel trained for the emergency treatment and subsequent transport of the injured person arrive.
4) Notice to family and authorities
When the patient is conscious, you can obtain his name, address and the telephone number of a family member to notify them of the incident. If he is unconscious and no one around him knows him, you can identify him by the documents or papers he may have in his pockets.
The person who informs the family of what happened should speak to the person with the greatest responsibility in the family, avoiding giving an impression of the seriousness of the case, which is often false, and clearly giving the details of the accident, such as the place, type of accident and the name of the hospital or medical center where he will be admitted.
It is also necessary to notify the police authorities about any accident or injury in which first aid must be provided, especially when it involves injuries caused by another person, poisoning, etc.
