First Aid
Tips
In case of an
accident ask for professional help instantly, however till the time help
comes a few pointers how you can help.
Your first priority should be to save a life, to prevent aggravation of
injuries and to assist in recovery. Absence of any physical wound does
not indicate that the victim is completely all right. An injury to the
head or abdomen may not manifest itself immediately and the victim has
to be escorted to a safe place and asked to remain there, till examined
by a medical officer. The three major areas that have to be examined in
case of an accident are: airways, breathing and circulation.
In the eventuality of a broken neck the basic rules to be followed are:
Never mishandle or move him around for him for it may lead to permanent
paralysis.
Check the airways first, because if the airway is deprived of oxygen
for more than three minutes, it can cause irreversible damage to the
human system resulting in death. Therefore, obstruction to the airways
is of the greatest priority.
This obstruction can be diagnosed from the color of the lips, breathing
sounds and feel the expelled air on your cheek. If the breathing is
absent, explore thew mouth bodily with a finger and remove the
obstruction. This movement will pull the tongue forward and restore the
airway. Secondly, check the breathing. If the first step does not help
in restoring the breathing, a mouth to mouth resuscitation is required.
Take a deep breath, pinch the victim's nostrils together with your
fingers, and seals your lips around his mouth. Look along the chest and
blow into the victim's lungs until you see his chest rising.
Thirdly, take care to see if the victim is bleeding to death. When
bleeding is very severe, blood pressure falls and bleeding stops. We can
stop bleeding by direct hand or thumb pressure over the wound. Retain
the pressure for no more than 15 minutes. Any injury to the spine can
result in paralysis. The first aid to be administered it: gently lift
the neck if the neck is flexed and try to keep the victim looking
straight to his front. Don't let the head flop about from side to side
or let his head rotate.
If you have a burns victim, do not remove any burnt clothing from the
body of the victim. Cover the area with clean material. Pouring cold,
clean water over a fire burn is a good treatment.
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