First Aid Flashcards
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What is the definition of First Aid?
The emergency treatment of illness or injury in order to maintain life, ease pain and prevent deterioration of the patient’s condition until professional medical help can be obtained.
What are the aims of First Aid?
- Promote a safe environment
- Preserve life
- Prevent injury or illness from getting worse
- Help promote recovery
- Provide comfort to the ill or injured
3 points on Duty of Care
- Applies when one person owes a duty to another person
- Once you commence first aid, you automatically take on duty of care
- When providing first aid, always stay within the scope of your training
3 points on consent
- Obtain consent, before applying first aid
- Unconscious casualty: implied consent
- Casualty under 18 years, try to obtain consent of parent/guardian
Why is it important for a first aider to keep a record? What should they write?
Why:
- May be used as evidence in court
- Not get sued
- Keep for health professionals
What:
- Record any details of treatment
- Ensure accurately recorded in ink
- Only facts, not opinion
- SIgn + date it
- Confidentiality must be maintained, store in a secure locked cabinet
What steps must be taken in infection control?
Before providing first aid:
- Wash hands
- Cover exposed cuts
- Wear disposable gloves, if possible face mask + eye protection
After:
- Disinfect/wash blood-splashed clothing, contaminated surfaces, equipment
- Dispose of waste carefully
- Wash hands
(Under infection control) What to do in blood and needle stick incidents?
Skin: wash area well w/ soap and water
Mouth: spit contaminent out and rinse
Eyes: irrigate eyes for at least 5 minutes, keeping eyes open
- Refer to health care provider e.g. GP
DRSABCD + Details
Danger: check for danger to yourself, bystanders and casualty (esp relating to injury/incident)
Response: assess level of consciousness with COWS - can you hear me?
- open your eyes
- what is your name?
- squeeze my hand
Send for help: call 000 - never hang up before emergency operator does. Use bystanders nearby to find defib + first aid kit
Airways: open + clear casualty’s airways. If airway is blocked, place casualty in recovery position and scoop it out
Breathing: look (movement, rise + fall, of chest), listen (breathing noises, air from mouth/nose), feel (movement for at least ten seconds of monitoring). If none commence CPR, if breathing but unconscious, place in recovery position while monitoring
CPR: cardiopulmonary resuscitation:
- 30 compressions every 2 breaths (1 cycle)
- Compress to 1/3 of chest depth
- Lower half of sternum
- 5 cycles every 2 mins
Keep going unless person recovers, medical help arrives, or physically unable to continure
Defibrillator: don’t delay application, apply pads and follow prompts
What are the types of wounds?
- Incision
- Laceration
- Puncture
- Abrasion
- Contusion
- Avulsion
- Amputation
Bleeding classifications
Arterial blood: oxygen rich, bright red, under pressure so spurts from wound
Venous blood: oxygen-depleted, dark red in colour, under less pressure so flows from wound more evenly
Capillary bleeding: most common form of bleeding and is usually slow because blood vessels are small and low pressure
Signs/symtoms of major bleeding
- Faintness or dizziness
- Restlessness
- Nausea
- Thirst
- Weak/rapid pulse
- Cold, clammy skin
- Rapid, gasping breathing
- Pallor
- Sweating
Management of external bleeding
- DRSABCD
- Lie patient down if bleeding is severe
- Remove or cut clothing to expose wound
- Apply firm, direct presure - instruct patient to do this if possible
- If patient is unable to apply pressure, used pad or your hands with gloves
- Elevate bleeding part, restrict movement as much as possible
- Apply pad over wound if not already in place and secure with bandage - ensure pad remains over wound
- If bleeding is still not controlled, leave initial pad in place and apply a second pad (only) and bandage
- If bleeding continues, replace second pad only and bandage
- If bleeding is severe and persistent, give nothing by mouth - call 000 for ambilance
Management of embedded object
- Control bleeding by applying pressure to area surrounding object but not foreign object itself
- Place padding around object/place ring pad over object and bandage over padding
- If length of object causes it to protrude outside pad, take care to bandage only each side of the object
- Seek medical aid, consider calling 000 for ambulance
Management of shock
- Call 000 or seek medical aid urgently
- Treatment of shock is directed first towards the cause. External bleeding must therefore by stopped, features immobolised and/or burn treated
- If injuries permit, a casualty should be laid flat with both legs raised
- Protection should be given from extreme heat and cold
- Pain control and oxygen administration are important but not always possible
- Reassurance and careful handling are very important
- Continue to administer DRSABCD
Bleeding from ear
May indicate fracture of skull.
Ear should not be plugged or covered and be allowed to drain.
Position casualty on side with affected ear on side and seek medical advice
Bleeding from nose
Following head injury can be serious, medical adbice should be seeked immediately.
For common nosebleed:
- Tell casualty not to sniff/blow nose
- Ask casualty to sit up, lean slightly forwards and pinch soft part of nostrils together for ten minutes while breathing through mouth
- If bleeding persists for 20 minutes, seek medical aid
Injury classification
Sprains: ligaments holding a joint are stretched and torn
Strains: fibers of a muscle or tendon are stretched and torn
Dislocations: when bones are displaced at a joint
Fractures: when there is a break in the continuity of a bone and is defined according to type and extent
Signs/symptoms of sprain/strain
- Pain
- Swelling
- Bruising
Management of sprain/strain
Rest the casualty and injured part
Ice w/ ice packs in a wet cloth applied to injury - 15mins every two hours for first 24 hours, then for 15min every 4 hours every 24 hours
Compression bandages, such as elastic bandages should be firmly applired to extend well beyond injury
Elevate the injured part
Signs/symptoms of dislocations
- Pain, discomfort
- Difficulty moving
- Loss of power
- Deformity/abnormal mobility
- Tenderness
- Swelling
Management of dislocations
Follow DRSABCD
Check circulation
Rest
Ice
Immobolise
- If in doubt, treat as fracture
Signs and symptoms of fracture
- Feels or hears a break occur
- Grating sound is heard or felt
- Pain at or near site of injury
- Swelling
- Tenderness at or near site of fracture
- Redness
- Loss of function
- Deformity
- Bone protruding (open fracture)
Management of fracture
- Follow DRSABCD
- Control any bleeding and cover any wounds
- Check for other fractures
- Ask patient to remain as still as possible
- Immobolise fractures with broad bandages to prevent movement at the joints above and below the fracture by:
- supporting the limb
- placing padded splint along the injured limb
- place padding between splint and the natural contours of the body and secure firmly
- for leg fractures, immobolise ankle and foot
- check bandages are not too tight
Types of slings and their functions
Full arm sling: support an injured forearm and/or wrist
St John (elevation sling): supports elbow and prevents the arm from pulling an injured shoulder or collar bone
Collar and cuff sling: useful sling for fracture of upper arm or injured hand
How to combat venom
Venom injected just beneath the skin has to reach local tissue fluids, then the lymphatic system, before entering the bloodstream. General effects are slow as long as patient remains still
General first aid for venomous bites and stings
- Follow DRSABCD
- Ask for history of event, site of sting/bit and where + when patient was stung
- Carry out first aid quickly -> details
- Seek medical aid
- Monitor breathing
Pressure immobolisation
- Funnel-web spider, snakes, blue-ringed octopus
1. DRSABCD
2. Calm patient
3. Keep patient still
4. Apply pressure immobolisation bandage
5. Ensure an ambulance has been called (000)
Cold compress (ice pack)
- Bees/wasps/ants, most spiders, centipedes
1. DRSABCD
2. Apply cold compress/ice pack directly over site
3. Seek medical aid
Hot water
- Blue-bottle jellyfish, stingray, stone fish
1. DRSABCD
2. Place partient’s stung limb in hot water (as hot as first aider can handle)
3. Ensure 000 ambulance has been called
Bl
Vinegar
- Box jellyfish, irukandji jellyfish
1. DRSABCD
2. Calm patient
3. Flood stung area w/ vinegar for 30+ seconds
4. If no vinegar, flick tentacles off w/ stick of gloved fingers
5. Ensure 000 ambulance has been called
Relievers vs preventers
Relievers open narrowed airways (treat asthma attacks)
Preventers must be taken regularly to prevent asthma attacks
What is asthma?
Asthma is a condition in which the bronchi (air tubes of the lungs) go into spasm and become narrower. Excess mucus is produced, causing the person to have difficulty breathing.
Signs/symptoms of asthma attack
- Unable to get air into lungs
- Shortness of breath
- Coughing, wheezing
- Pale, sweating
- Blue around lips
- Unconsciousness
Asthma triggers
Non allergens:
- Smoke
- Infection
- Emotions
- Medications
- Weather changes
- Industrial chemicals
- Exercise
Allergens:
- Pollen
- House dust, mites
- Animal dander
- Food
- Preservation/additives
- Mould and mould spores
Management of asthma attack
- DRSABCD
- Put casualty in sitting position
- Reassure casualty
- Ensure adequate fresh air available
- Administer inhaler: (444)
- 4 puffs (4 breaths each puff)
- Wait 4 mins
- If no improvements, repeat 4 puffs
If little/no improvements within minutes, call 000 for ambulance
Allergy triggers
Food: nuts, shellfish, eggs, wheat, milk/milk products, soy
Insect venom: bees, ants, wasps
Medication: antibiotics, pencillin
Plants: rhus tree, privet, some fruits/vegetables
Other: latex, exercise
Signs/symptoms of mild/moderate allergic reaction
- Tingling of mouth
- Swelling of lips, eyes and face
- Hives, body rashes, itching
- Vomiting and/or abdominal pain
Management of an allergic reaction
- Remove allergen
- Give medication
- If localised skin reaction, apply cold compress
- Stay + monitor casualty for signs of anaphylaxis
- Seek medical attention if needed
Signs/symptoms of anaphylactic reaction
- Difficulty and/or noisy breathing
- Wheeze or persistent cough
- Difficulty talking or hoarse voice
- Swelling / tightness of throat
- Swelling of the tongue
- Young children may become pale and floppy
- Loss of consciousness or collapse
Management of anaphylactic reaction
- Lay casualty flat
- Administer Adrenalin Auto injector (EpiPen) immediately (blue to sky/orange to the thigh)
- Call triple zero (000) for an ambulance
- If breathing is difficult all the patient to sit in a comfortable position
- Monitor the casualty’s breathing and pulse
- If no improvement after 5 minutes, further adrenaline may be given
- Resuscitate if necessary
