Imagine that you and your friend or relative are walking down the streets of some city and suddenly the one with you falls unconscious or you both see someone unconscious on the ground what will be your first thought in mind? Of course to rescue the person but the question is do you know any first aid that can help the person recover their consciousness. If not then let me explain it here.
Generally the emergency cases we see in our day to day life will be road traffic accidents, someone suddenly falling unconscious and the most important one is chocking. Let’s see what are the 3 important first aids for the above situations.
I. CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)
Image Source: https://cpr.heart.org/en/news/2019/02/15/on-screen-cpr-heart-stopping-drama-doesnt-always-reflect-reality
- If you see somebody collapse on the road then first you have to move the person to a safer space. Move them to side walk or onto any hard surface.
- Check for their response. Tap on the persons shoulder with force and ask loudly to them “Are you okay?” multiple times.
- If the person is responding then let them lay down there for a bit. The collapse might be due to hypoglycaemia or hypotension. Take them to the hospital and in the meantime ask them about their medical conditions that they are aware of. Raising their leg helps with hypotension.
- If the person is not responding, call for an ambulance immediately and also call for help.
- Check their pulse. To do this, place your index and middle fingers 1cm left or right to the prominent bone of your neck. Press deeply and you can feel a pulse on at the tip of your fingers which means that the person is alive and bring them to hospital immediately.
- Recheck pulse every 2 min.
- No pulse then start CPR. We are going to wake heart and lungs.
- Interlock your fingers of both hands. Note that your hand must be kept straight do not bend.
- Place the heel of your palm in the centre of the chest and start giving compressions.
- Count and give 30 compressions and then 2 breaths. (30:2)
- To give breaths, Pinch their nose and tilt their head back as far as possible. Take a normal breath and blow into their mouth.
- If you any severe disease that can be transmitted by saliva then just continue with compressions (hands only CPR).
- The compressions must be hard and fast, technically speaking 30 CPR in 18 sec (100-125 CPR/min) and then 2 breaths.
- Repeat a set of 30 compressions and 2 breaths until ambulance arrives or the person is showing any signs of life (pulse, moaning, coughing, opening their eyes, trying to speak or showing any kind of movement).
Image source: https://www.hri.org.au/health/your-health/lifestyle/cpr-guide-how-to-perform-cpr
What about in the case of a kid?
- If the kid is about 1-12 years of age, then the compressions must be 15 instead of 30 and the breath remains 2. (15:2).
II. First aid for chocking
- If something is stuck in a person’s throat then ask them to cough strongly. This is done because that person is the most capable to expel the contents that is chocking them.
- When you cough the lungs is contracted and additional pressure is exerted. The air that is coming out is approx. 300 km/sec speed which favours the expel.
- Tell them that you are going to help them and go stand behind them and bend the person forward slightly.
- Keep your 1 leg in between theirs and make a fist with your hand and place it on their upper mid portion of the abdomen and cover it with your free hand.
- Now thrust inward and upward continuously until the object comes out. His method is also called as heimlich maneuver.
Image Source: https://blog.uvahealth.com/2015/01/22/patricia-conant-saves-choking-victim-performing-heimlich-maneuver/
- If it a kid less than 1 year of age, the signs they show is that bulging of their eyes, try to grab their throat or beat on the floor with their hands.
- What to do is that take your index and middle finger place it at either side of their cheeks place them in prone position onto your hand such that your arm is in between their legs.
- Then with your heel of the palm, remember only heel tap with some force between their upper mid part of shoulder 5 times.
- Now place them in supine position on your other hand such that their legs are on either side of your arm, support their neck. Press with 2 fingers between their nipples for 5 times. Continue this cycle until the content comes out or the baby stops moving.
- If baby is not moving go on with CPR.
III. Accidental cases – What to do?
- If you don’t transport a person in accident correctly or with care it can even lead to lifelong paralysis.
- First and mainly support their neck because the nerves are coming from their spine.
- Hold their neck firmly with your hands such that they don’t move freely and your hands must be supported on a hard surface.
- Use collar to transport the patient or a newspaper can be folded and wrapped around their neck (act as a collar) to protect the neck.
- To support the rest of the body, a 2nd person must take a hold of their shoulder and their leg and the 3rd person takes hold of the injured persons arm by crossing the 3rd persons arm over the arm of the 2nd person that is holding their leg and other arm of the 3rd person takes hold of the injured persons leg.
- The person holding neck must count to 3 and turn the injured person to their side and place a bed sheet or spine board to protect the persons back and now the person must again count to 3 and bring them back to their initial supine position.
- Now the person is ready to transport safely by these 4 people.
Image Source: https://onlinefirstaid.com/spinal-injury-signs-and-how-to-help/
First aid training courses, even certification courses are accessible easily in these days and you can look into it if you are interested in learning it so that next time you happen to encounter with any such situation you can help them without any hesitation and more confidently. This is not such a big deal and can be learnt easily even without the help of a course. All you need is a mind that is willing to help and everything comes after.
Written by Gayathri Gopinadh