First aid Flashcards
Outline primary assessment FIRST AID acronym
Danger
Response
Airway
Breathing
Circulation
Outline D and R of DR ABC
**D **
Assess the situation to ensure that what has happened to the patient
can not happen to you
Things to consider include:
* Electricity, gas, fire, traffic
R
* Ask the patient “Are you ok?”
* If there is no response, you can pinch their ear lobe or shake their
shoulders (gently!)
* If still no response, dial 999 and let
them know you have an
unresponsive patient
Outline A of DR ABC
If the patient is unresponsive, tilt their head back and lift their chin
- This will open their airway if airway not open and clear
Outline B of DR ABC
- Airways and breathing different
- Look at the chest to see if rising and falling normally
- Listen for signs of breathing
- Feel air being expelled onto your cheek
- Bring your cheek to their mouth and look towards their
- If unresponsive and not breathing
call 999 and start CPR
Outline C of DR ABC
- If there are signs of bleeding and its severe, you will need to stop it
- Apply pressure with a dressing or gauze:
Consider wearing gloves
Outline secondary assessment of FIRST AID
- Once you have completed DR ABC and you are satisfied that the
patient does not need urgent medical attention, you can move on to
the secondary assessment - Ask the patient what happened
- Ask anyone with the patient what happened
- Ask onlookers what happened
Outline the acronym for secondary system
Allergies
Medication
Previous medical history
Last meal
Event history
Outline 1 other part of ssecondary assessment
Symptoms -
Have they got any pain & is it constant?
Is it triggered by movement of an appendage?
What type of pain being experienced?
Outline another part of secondary assessment
Examination -
> Should be completed ‘head to toe’
Signs to look out for include:
* Concussion
* Blood from any orifice
* Loss of feeling
* Shock
* Blue lips
Outline the last part of secondary assessment
Concussion
- Assessed using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)
- This scale assesses the level of impairment of conscious level response
in defined stimuli
Outline the glasgow coma scale
1) Eyes – open, responsive to sound, responsive to lights
2) Verbal – confused speech, using words in the right order, able to
identify where they are, what score is in a sport
3) Motor – can obey commands? Is movement limited to stimulus
If head trauma – use Glasgow Coma Scale
Outline CPR – Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
- Involves chest compressions to maintain perfusion of blood around the
body - Works by pushing the heart against the spine to push blood around so patient stays alive
- Can also involve ‘rescue breaths’
Outline how to do CPR
- CPR is started after completion of the primary assessment (DR ABC)
and the patient is unresponsive and not breathing - Usually 30 chest compressions at rate of 100-120 per minute
- Then give two rescue breaths
- This is known as 30:2
Outline CPR but in adults which is pretty much the same anyway
- Open their airway and kneel near to the patient
- Arms straight in line with your shoulders
- Heel of palm in centre of chest, fingers interlocked
- Aim to compress the chest
approximately 5-6cm
Outline the rescue breath of CPR
- Watch for vomit, blood, spread of disease
- It is perfectly acceptable to perform compression only CPR
- Face mask can be used
Outline CPR in children
- Start with FIVE rescue breaths straight away
- If no response, use the heel of ONE HAND only in sternum
- Compress by one third of the depth of the chest
- Two rescue breaths
Outline CPR in infants
- Five rescue breaths
- Two fingertips in the centre of the chest
- Depress one third of depth of chest
- 30:2
Outline considerations of CPR
- CPR is exhausting
- To be successful, it must be maintained constantly
- Is portable defibrillator machine nearby
Outline anaphylaxis
- A severe and potentially life threatening reaction to a trigger such as an
allergy - It develops very fast; the whole body is affected
- Can be either uniphasic or biphasic
Uniphasic: these come on quickly and symptoms get rapidly worse, but
once treated, the symptoms go and do not return
Biphasic: these reactions may be mild or severe to start with, followed by a
period of time when there are no symptoms and then increasing symptoms
with breathing and blood-pressure problems
Outline triggers of anaphylaxis
Foods (nuts, milk, fish, shellfish, eggs and some fruits)
Medicines (antibiotics, aspirin, flu jabs)
Insects (bee and wasp stings)
Latex
General Anaesthetic
Outline symptoms of anaphylaxis
- Skin flushing
- Skin rashes
- Swelling of tongue and lips
- Difficulty swallowing and speaking
- Racing heart rate
- Abdominal pain
- Wheeze
- Collapse and unconsciousness
Outline pathophysiology of anaphylaxis
- Body senses allergen and reacts releasing mast cells and basophils
resulting in an inflammatory response - This blocks further entrance of the allergen
- The body swelling up is a response to prevent further allergens
entering
Outline management of anaphylaxis
- Epinephrine (Adrenaline) administered I/M via an auto-injector or
syringe into the quadriceps muscle - Dose depends on age and may require 2nd dose
- Call 999
Outline the different doses for anaphylaxis
Adult dose: 500mcg
Child (6-11 years) dose: 300mcg
Infant (1 month – 5 years): 150mcg
- Can be administered every 5 minutes if necessary
Outline types of auto injectors
Auto-injectors include:
Epipen, Anapen, Jext, Emerade
- Training pens are available to practice
before hand
