patient care skills Flashcards
3 main aims of first aid
- PRESERVE life
- PREVENT situation from worsening
- PROMOTE recovery
priorities of treatment; primary survey
- airway
- breathing
- circulation
priorities of treatment; secondary survey
- bleeding
- burns
- broken bones
the glasgow coma score
scores the level of coma from 3-15, with 3 being most severe
what is hypoxia
body/ region of body is deprived of correct concentration of oxygen
- leads to inadequate O2 concentration in tissues
external causes of hypoxia
- gas or smoke
- drowning
- suffocation
- high altitude
airway causes of hypoxia
- choking
- tongue
- burns
- strangulation
-anaphylaxis
breathing causes of hypoxia
- crushing
- collapsed lung
- chest injury
- poisoning
- asthma
- disease or illness
circulation causes of hypoxia
- no blood oxygenation, low blood pressure
- heart attack
- cardiac arrest
- angina
- severe bleeding
- poisoning
- anaemia
control centre causes of hypoxia
- spinal injury
- electric shock
- drug overdose
- head injury
- stroke
the body’s response to hypoxia
- low oxygen- adrenaline released
- increased heart rate
- increase heart beat strength
- vasoconstriction
- vasodilation
- bronchodilation
signs and symptoms caused by hypoxia
- pale clammy skin
- cyanosis
- increased, weak pulse rate
- nausea and vomiting
- confusion/ dizziness
- changing breathing rate
what can head injuries lead to?
- unconsciousness
- risk to airway
- brain damage
- spinal injury
head injury conditions
- concussion
- compression
- fracture
symptoms of a concussion
- brain shaking
- unconscious for short time
- short term memory loss
- mild headache
- pale clammy skin
how to identify compression/ pressure
- history of head injury
- levels of responsiveness deteriorates
- intense headache
- flushed dry skin
how to identify a fractured skull
- suffer from concussion/ compression
- bleeding, swelling, bruising to head
- soft or depressed area to skull
which patients take priority
head injury
head injury treatment
- maintain ABC
- control bleeding - apply pressure to wound
- do not block flow from nose to ear
- be aware of other injuries
- constantly monitor breathing and monitor changes
- do not leave patient unattended
CVA
cerebrovascular accident
ischaemic cva
- caused by thrombus in artery supplying brain
- 85% of all cases
hemorrhagic cva
- caused by bleeding due to weakened blood vessel bursting
transient ischaemic attack (TIA) cva
- supply of blood to brain temporarily interrupted –> mini stroke
- lasting between 30 mins and several hours
cva signs and symptoms
- has their face falled to one side?
- can they raise both arms and keep them there?
- is there speech slurred?
- call 999
