First Aid Prosedure

This is by no means written by an expert and only meant to be guidelines to the person who land up in a situation where basic first aid is required. The first and foremost task of a first aid assistant is to make the patient comfortable and calm. In order to do this the first aid assistant must stay calm and appear confident. If you panic it will make the patient panic which will increase his/her heart rate and cause anxiety.

 Dressings, bandages and slings

Dressings:

Dressing is a covering for a wound. The aim is to stop bleeding and to prevent infection. 

Dressing should be sterile and put directly over the wound.

Dressing should be absorbent so that it can absorb blood.

Dressing should not stick to the wound.

Do not use dirty dressing as this will introduce germs into the wound causing infection in the wound.

We use adhesive dressing for small wounds with light bleeding. For example, Elastoplast is an adhesive dressing. It has an outer edge which is adhesive, with a dressing pad in the middle.  It sticks to the skin around the wound so it does not need bandage.

We use pressure dressings to control severe bleeding.

We use gauze dressings, which are kept in place with a bandage.

Special gauze dressings are available for burn wounds. If these dressings are not available, cool the wound down with clean, cold water and get the patient to medical help as soon as possible. Under no circumstances should burn wounds be covered wit cotton wool or any other cloth. This will only introduce foreign substances into the wound wich will make the work of the medical staff very difficult because all the foreign matter must first be removed before they can start to treat the patient. The removal of these foreign substances will cause the patient a lot of discomfort as well.   

Bandages:

A bandage is any kind of material that holds a dressing in place. 

A bandage also keeps pressure on a wound to help stop bleeding.

A bandage can support a part of the body and keep a part of the body from moving.

You can make a useful bandage by cutting a square piece of cloth (1 meter by 1 meter) diagonally from corner to corner to form a triangle.

This bandage can be used to support an injured arm, to immobilise a part of the body or as a broad or narrow bandage.

An Arm Sling:

An arm sling give support and protection for an injured arm and keeps the arm elevated.

How to make an arm sling:

Support the arm across the injured person’s chest. 

Keep the wrist and hand slightly higher than the elbow. 

Keep the arm slightly away from the chest

Put the triangular bandage between the forearm and the chest.

Move the top end of the bandage over the person’s shoulder and around to the injured side.

Support the person’s injured arm. 

Bring the lower end of the bandage over the hand and forearm, and tie at the top.

Bring the point of the bandage in front of the elbow and fasten it with a safety pin.

Make sure the person’s fingertips stick out of the bandage so you can check for any signs of loss of circulation. Fingers turning blue is a good sign for loss of circulation

FIRST AID FOR MINOR WOUNDS

A minor wound is one that is small, shallow and has not caused shock. The following steps for treating a minor wound.

1.  Wash your hands and put on a pair of gloves.

2.  Help the person to be comfortable and clean any dirt from the wound.

3.  Wash the wound in clear water to which you have added some disinfectant.

3.  Dry the wound gently. (Press Dry, do not wipe the wound)

4.  Cover the wound with a sterile dressing, and keep it in place with a bandage. 

5.  Try to keep the wounded part of the body in a raised position. This will slow down bleeding.

FIRST AID FOR DEEP WOUNDS

A deep wound is deeper and larger than a minor wound. Follow these steps for a deep wound.

1.  Wash your hands and put on a pair of gloves. Remember to hurry because you must stop the bleeding as soon as possible.

2.  Stop the bleeding by putting pressure on the wound. Use your hands or dressing.

3.  If the dressing becomes full of blood, do not remove it. Just add another dressing on top.

4.  Raise the body part where the wound is.

5.  Arrange for the patient to be taken to hospital as soon as possible. 

FIRST AID FOR FRACTURES, DISLOCATIONS AND SPRAINS

FRACTURES:

The primary aim of first aid for fractures is to reduce the pain and prevent further injury.

Only apply  a splint if it will be a long time before the medical staff arrive because applying a splint can be very painful.

Unless the patient is in a dangerous position you should not move the patient who has fractured a bone. 

Send for medical assistance 

If there are open wounds involved, dress the wounds as you have learned.

Dislocations:

A dislocation is when two bones are forced apart at their joint. This is usually very painful. The injured person will be unable to move the joint and the joint will look deformed, swollen and discoloured.

It is better not to move the bones back to their normal position if you are not a medical person. Rather use cushions or blankets to support the injured arm or leg.
Check the circulation and apply an ice pack. Keep the ice pack on for 15 minutes and then remove it for 15 minutes. Do this at least twice and get the patient to a medical facility or doctor as soon as possible.

Preparing an ice pack:
An ice pack helps to relieve pain and swelling.
To make an ice pack, fill a plastic bag two thirds with crushed ice. Press the air out of the rest of the bag and close the bag to make it watertight. Wrap the bag in a towel. Do not put the ice pack directly on the injured persons skin as the cold can cause more damage to the skin.

A bag of frozen peas or corn kernels works very well as an ice pack because it can form around the leg or arm. To make such a n ice pack take the bag out of the freezer and wrap it in a towel.

Burns:

A burn is more serious if the person is older or sick or if the burn is close to internal organs.

Deep burns, when the outer layers of the skin has been destroyed.

Superficial burns, when only the outer layer of the skin has been damaged.

First aid for burns:

1.  Take the person away from the cause of the burn.

2.  Switch off any electrical current or brush away any chemical substances that can cause further burning. Remember to protect your hands from chemical substances.

3.  Put cold water or towels soaked in cold water on the burn. For chemical burn, keep on pouring cold water over the burned area for at least 15 minutes.

4.  Remove the persons clothes because of chemical substances that may still be on the clothes. This is no time to be modest rather be seen naked than burn further with chemicals.

5. Help the injured person to take a shower.

6.  You can also help by giving the person small sips of water.

7.  Make the person comfortable by removing tight clothing, jewellery, belts and shoes.

8.  If any piece of clothing sticks to the burn, do not pull it away. Leave it as is for the doctor to remove.

9.  Most important, get the person to a doctor as soon as possible.

Dressing for burns:

   Do not put creams or ointments on burns until a medical professional has looked at the burns. Creams and ointments can damage the skin and make the injury worse.

   Do not break blisters!  This will cause pain and lead to infection.

   Do not put cotton wool or fluffy stuff on the burn. This will stick to the wound and the skin will came away with the cotton wool or fluffy stuff.

   Lightly cover the area with sterile dressing to keep the burned area clean.

   Do not touch the area of the dressing that will touch the wound as this may transfer germs into the wound.

First aid for eye injuries:

Your eyes are the softest part of your body and must be protected at all times. Wear eye protection.

In case of an eye injury you must act quickly to prevent the person from losing his/her sight.

Particles in the eye.

Any small foreign object in the eye can make the eyeball inflamed. Usually tears from the injured person will wash away the particle but sometimes it can get stuck. If you can see the particle then you can remove it.

You must remove it by using the corner of a moist tissue or clean moist cloth.

If you can not see the object it might be stuck to the underside of the top eyelid.

To look there follow the following steps:

Person sits in chair facing the light. Stand slightly behind him and to the side.

Tilt the persons head back and ask him to look down.

Hold the lashes of the upper eyelid between your thumb and forefinger and lift the eyelid over a matchstick so you can inspect the inside of the eyelid. 

Objects in the eye.

If an bigger object get into the eye, especially a piece of glass, do not try to remove it. Ask the person to lie down and place dressing around the eye. Put the bottom of a paper cup over the eye to prevent any further pressure on the eye and take the person to a doctor.

Cuts on the eye.

 cuts on the eye are very painful and dangerous. Do not put any pressure on the cut eye. It will not stop the bleeding and probably injure the eye even more. Give the following first aid:

Help the injured person to lie down. He or she will not be able to see and must be kept very quiet.

Close the injured eyelid. Cover the eye and the areas around the eye with soft padding You can keep the padding in place with adhesive strips. This will stop movement and protect the eye.

Prevent movement of the head and spine as this will increase bleeding.

Keep the persons head as still as possible and take him to a doctor as soon as possible.

Chemical burns to the eye:

If someone has a chemical burn in the eye, you must first remove the chemicals. 

If it is dry chemicals brush it out of the eye with a soft brush protecting your hands at all times. 

If the chemicals are in liquid form rinse the eye under running water for at least 15 minutes. Keep the eye open with your fingers while you do this. Cover the eye and take person to a doctor as soon as possible.

Burns to the eye from intense bright light.

Bright sunlight, flash from a welding machine or infrared lights can permanently damage the eyesight. Sometimes pain is only felt 4 or 5 hours after the incident. If a person has been burned by bright light in the eyes, cover the eyes and get the person to a doctor as soon as possible.

First aid for breathing:

If someone has stopped breathing start CPR immediately. (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) CPR means to breathe into someone’s mouth and press on his/her chest in order to make the person start breathing on his own again. Every first aid kit should have a plastic mouth piece to form a barrier between the mouth of the patient and the person giving CPR.

Follow these steps to do CPR:

1.  Using gloved hands put the mouth piece in the patient’s mouth. 

2.  Use one hand and put your thumb over the persons lower teeth, gums and tongue, with your fingers under his chin and open his mouth gently. 

3.  Use your other hand to place the bite block of the mouth piece between the person’s teeth.

4.  Place your gloved hands under the plastic, In contact with the skin: the palm of one hand on the forehead, and two fingers under his chin.

5.  Lift the head and tilt the chin by pushing down on the forehead and lifting the chin up, to open the  person’s air passages.

6.  Place your mouth over the patient’s mouth with the plastic in between.

7.  Close the patient’s nose under the plastic sheet with the hand on the forehead. This will prevent air escaping through his nose.

8.  Blow into his lungs until you see his chest rise. 

9.  Give two breaths each lasting for one second.

10. If the person does not breathe or start moving, chest compression must be started. This means pushing down on the chest, in the middle of where the nipples are supposed to be. Push with the palm of your hand, one hand on top of the other. For thirty pushes. About one second per push. 30 pushes should take 30 seconds.

11. Stop and check if the person has started to breath or moving yet. If not, start again at number 4.

12. Repeat this proses until the patient start to breath or move on his own or until paramedics or a doctor arrive.