Mapeh

• First aid is immediate and temporary care given to a person who suddenly gets ill or injured
• First aid includes self-help and home care if medical assistance is not available or delayed
• First aid aims to save lives, prolong lives, alleviate suffering, and prevent further injury
• A good first aider should be gentle, observant, resourceful, tactful, and sympathetic
• Principles of giving first aid:

  • Do stay calm
  • Do reassure and comfort the victim
  • Do check for a medical bracelet indicating a condition such as epilepsy or diabetes
  • Do loosen any tight clothing
  • Do keep the victim covered to reduce shock
  • Don't give food and drink to an unconscious person
  • Don't move an injured person unless necessary to place them in the recovery position
• • Step 10: Do the secondary survey when the victim is conscious
• Emergency action principles:

  • Step 1: Make sure the scene is safe
  • Step 2: Ensure the victim is lying on their back
  • Step 3: Check for responsiveness
  • Step 4: Call for help if there is no response
  • Step 5: Do the primary survey (ABC: Airway, Breathing, Circulation)
  • Step 6: Give two initial full breaths to the victim
  • Step 7: Take off clothes that can block the compression area
  • Step 8: Perform CPR (5 cycles of 30 compressions and 2 breaths)
  • Step 9: If the victim is not revived, continue CPR while waiting for the rescue team
• Vital signs:

  • Pulse rate: 60-70 for men, 70-80 for women, 80-90 for children over 7 years old, 80-120 for children 1-7 years old, 110-130 for infants
  • Guidelines for checking body temperature
  • Guidelines for checking respiration
  • Guidelines for checking skin color
• Different steps in checking the vital signs of a person:

  • Use fingertips to get the pulse
  • Guidelines for checking pulse rate
  • Guidelines for checking body temperature
  • Guidelines for checking respiration
  • Guidelines for checking skin color
• Dressings and bandages:

  • Dressing is a piece of sterile cloth that covers a wound to prevent infection and stop bleeding
  • Techniques in applying a dressing
  • Compress is used to reduce swelling and relieve pain
  • Bandages are used to apply pressure to bleeding, cover wounds and burns, and provide support for immobilization
  • Types of bandages: triangular, ace, tubular
  • Parts of a triangular bandage
• In bandaging, a tubular bandage is used to support joints or whole dressings in place
• A smaller tubular bandage is used for finger injuries
• Different parts of a triangular bandage:

  • Open face: used for wounds on top and back of the head, chest, back, hand, foot, and as an arm sling
  • Kravat face: used for wounds on the eye, forehead, ear, cheek, jaw, shoulder, hip, arm, leg, elbow, knee, palm, and for a sprained ankle
  • The narrower the cravat, the greater pressure it will give
• Techniques in bandaging:

  • Always use a square knot
  • Keep the cloth sterile to avoid infection
  • Bandage firmly over bleeding and securely over the broken bone, not too tight to cut off blood circulation
  • When wrapping bandages around the body, use natural hollows to slide the bandage gently into place
  • Check regularly to ensure the bandage is still comfortable and remains firmly secured
  • Secure the bandage with tape, clips, or a bow or square knot
  • Ensure that the bandages, especially the knots, do not touch the skin
• Different kinds of wounds:

  • Closed wound: no break or damage in the skin
  • Open wound: break in the skin
  • Puncture: piercing wound caused by nails, needles, and other pointed objects
  • Abrasion: caused by rubbing or scraping the skin against a rough surface
  • Incision: cut caused by a knife, broken glass, or any sharp object
  • Laceration: blunt breaking or tearing of soft tissues
  • Avulsion: forcible tearing or partial tearing away of tissues
• First aid for different unintentional injuries:

  • Fracture: check vital signs, do not move the injured part, stop bleeding, immobilize the broken part by splinting, seek medical help immediately
  • Dislocation: call for help immediately, splint the affected part, do not try to move a dislocated part or force it back into place, apply ice on the injured part to reduce swelling
  • Sprain and strain: rest the injured part, apply ice, compress the injured part, elevate the injured part
• • Heart attack: help the person sit or lie down with head elevated, call for medical help, monitor vital signs, be prepared to give rescue breaths and chest compressions
• • Heat exhaustion: transport the victim to a cooler place, give plenty of water, check vital signs, seek medical help
  • Food poisoning: help the person lie down and rest, give plenty of flavorless fluids, call for medical help if the condition worsens
  • Choking: encourage the person to cough, give back blows and abdominal thrusts if necessary, call for an ambulance if obstruction is not cleared
  • Drowning: lay the person down on their back, check breathing, open the airway, give rescue breaths and chest compressions if necessary, treat for hypothermia
• Transporting a victim:

  • Consider weight and height of the victim, status of the victim (conscious or unconscious), environment safety, special needs and considerations
  • One-man transport techniques: fireman's carry, piggyback, backstrap carry, fireman's drag or tied hand scroll, blanket drag
  • Two-man carry: chair or seat carry
  • Three or more men transport: hammock carry, bearer alongside carry, six-man lift and carry
• Practice safety awareness at all times to prevent unintentional injuries

  • Appropriate knowledge and skills of first aid application can help alleviate pain, prevent further injury, and save lives