Basic First Aid

FIRST AID
 help given to a sick or injured
person until full medical treatment
is available.
 Roles and Responsibilities of
the First Aider
 Assess the situation quickly and calmly.
 Protect yourself and them from any danger.
 Prevent infection between you and them
 Comfort and reassure
 Assess the casualty
 Give first aid treatment
 Arrange for the right kind of help
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A
GOOD FIRST AID PROVIDED
1.GENTLE – should not cause pain.
2.RESOURCEFUL – should make the best use of
things at hand.
3.OBSERVANT – should notice all signs.
4.TACTFUL – should not alarm the victim.
5.EMPATHETIC – should be comforting.
6.RESPECTABLE – should maintain a
professional & caring attitude.
 HINDRANCES IN GIVING
FIRST AID
 Surroundings
 Crowds
 Pressure from the victim
GETTING STARTED

1. Plan of Action
2. Gathering of Needed Materials
3. Initial Response:
• Ask for HELP.
• Get involved
• Do no further harm.
4. Instruction to Helper/s
 EMERGENCY ACTION PRINCIPLES
1. Survey the Scene
Once you recognized that an emergency has occurred and
decide to act, you must make sure the scene of the
emergency is safe for you, the victim/s, and
any bystander/s.
Elements of the Survey the Scene
• Scene safety.
• What happened.
• Determine the number of patients and
additional resources.
EMERGENCY ACTION PRINCIPLES cont…
2. Activate Medical Assistance and Transport Facility

In some emergency, you will have enough

time to call for specific medical advice before
administering first aid. But in some
situations, you will need to attend to the
victim first.
EMERGENCY ACTION PRINCIPLES cont…
3. Do a Primary Survey
1. Check for Consciousness
2. Check for Airway
3. Check for Breathing
4. Check for Circulation
4. Do a Secondary Survey
1. Interview the victim.
2. Check vital signs.
3. Perform head-to-toe examination.
 GOLDEN RULES IN GIVING
EMERGENCY CARE
What to do:
•do obtain consent, when possible
•do think the worst
•do provide comfort and emotional
support
•do be as calm and as directed as
possible
What not to do:
•do not let the victim see his own
injury
 Seizures/Convulsions
 Seizures: mild to severe
 briefblackouts, involuntary movements, sudden falls
 periods of confused behavior
 involuntary muscle contractions.

 Grand Mal seizures

 uncontrollable muscle movements (jerking or spasms)
 Rigidity
 loss of consciousness
 loss of bladder and/or bowel control
 breathing that stops temporarily.
 Seizures/Convulsions
 Stay with the person – consider calling 911

 Protect the person from injury

 Move all furniture or equipment that is nearby
 Do not hold or restrain the person
 Do not put anything in the person’s mouth
 Loosen clothing
 After the seizure activity has stopped:
 Perform rescue breathing if person is blue or not
breathing (if CPR certified)
 If breathing, lay person on side
FAINTING
 Pale, sweaty, slow pulse
 Lay person on back with head
to the side and legs elevated
 DO NOT give anything by
mouth
 If person doesn’t wake up right
away, call 911
Choking
 Partial
airway obstruction with good
air exchange
Forcefulcough
Gasping in between breaths

*Stay with the person and encourage

them to cough
 Choking
 Partial
airway obstruction with
poor air exchange
Weak, ineffective cough
High-pitched noises while breathing

* This type of obstruction should be

dealt with as if it were a complete
obstruction
 Choking
 Complete airway obstruction
 Unable to breathe, speak or cough
 Clutching at his/her throat (universal distress signal
for choking)

 If the person is still conscious, perform Heimlich

maneuver

 If the person becomes unconscious, call 911 and

continue helping if familiar with First Aid/CPR
Heimlich Maneuver
 Major Bleeding: Direct
Pressure
 Use a sterile dressing or clean
cloth
 Fold to form pad
 Apply pressure directly over
wound
 Fasten with bandage; knot
over wound
 If bleeding continues, add
second pressure dressing
Bleeding: Pressure Points
Bleeding: Pressure Points
 Use pressure point closest to wound,
between wound and heart
 Superficial arteries: use flat surface
of several fingers
 Femoral artery, use heel of one hand
Tourniquet
Absolute last
resort in
controlling
bleeding:
Life or the
Once a limb
tourniquet is
applied, it is
not to be
removed ,
Cuts

 Apply pressure with a clean cloth, elevation

 Can be cleaned better when bleeding stops
 Large and deep: seek medical attention
 Maintain pressure
 Minor cuts
 Soap and water, peroxide
 cover with antibiotic ointment and dressing.
 If cut may need sutures, seek medical care as
soon as possible
 Consider “Super Glue”
Abrasions
 Must get wound clean
 Hold pressure with or without
“numbing” medicine till bleeding
stops
 Clean wound with soap and water in
1 -2 hours
 Wrap in dry bandage
 Clean at least twice a day till healed
Puncture Wounds
 DO NOT remove large objects
such as knives or sticks, call 911

 For minor wounds, wash with soap

and water
 Remove splinters?
 Antibiotic ointment
 Bandage

 The person may need a tetanus

booster injection
 Stinging Insects
 Remove the stinger with the scraping motion of a
fingernail
 DO NOT pull the stinger out
 Put a cold compress on the bite
 Hydrocortisone cream
 Benadryl
 Check for allergies
 If hives, paleness, weakness, nausea, vomiting,
tightness in chest, breathing difficulty, or collapse
occur, call 911.
 For spider bites, call the Poison Control Center or
hospital
EYE Injuries

 DON’T RUB!!!
 Wash out (chemicals, dirt)
 Patch or compress or keep closed
 Send the person directly to an
emergency room.
NOSEBLEEDS
 With person sitting, squeeze
nostrils together between
thumb and index finger for 10
minutes
 Ice on forehead
 If bleeding persists, seek
medical attention– but maintain
pressure
 Position victim in
a sitting position

 Keep head tilted

slightly forward
 Pinch both nostrils
 Apply ice to bridge of nose
 Put pressure on upper lip beneath
nose
 Once controlled DO NOT rub,
blow, or pick the nose
 TEETH
 If knocked out, find the tooth and rinse it
gently without touching the root
 Insert and gently hold the tooth in its
socket or transport the tooth in cow’s
milk
 If broken, save the pieces. Gently clean
the injured area with warm water. Place
a cold compress to reduce swelling.
 Send the person directly to the dentist or
an emergency room. Time is important!
 Major Fractures
 Otherinjuries – major accident
 Broken skin, major deformity
Heavy bleeding
Loss of circulation
 Neck, head, hip, pelvis, upper leg
Major Fractures
 Stopany bleeding
 Immobilize
Splint
Don’t try to re-align
 Treat for shock
Head down
Legs up?
Dislocations
 Don't delay medical care
 Don't move the joint
Nerves, blood vessels and ligaments
 Put ice on the injured joint
Fractures and Sprains: PRICE
 P-- protect the injured limb from further
injury by not using the joint
 R-- rest the injured limb
 I-- ice the area
 C-- compress the area with an elastic
wrap or bandage
 E-- elevate the injured limb whenever
possible to help prevent or limit swelling
 Classified according
to depth or
degree of skin
damage.
 First Degree Burn
 Second Degree Burn
 Third Degree Burn
First Degree Burn

 Cause: overexposure to sun

 Light contact with hot objects
 Boiling by hot water or steam
First Aid: First Degree Burns

 Cold Water NOT Ice Water

 Burn Lotion or Spray
 Dark Vinegar

 NO BUTTER OR OINTMENTS
Second Degree Burns

 Results from a very deep

sunburn
 Contact with hot liquids
 Flash burns from gasoline etc.
 First Aid: Second Degree
Burns
 Immerse in cold water NOT ice water
 Apply cool conpresses
 Blot dry & apply sterile guaze or clean cloth
for protection
 DO NOT break blisters or remove tissue
 DO NOT use an antiseptic preparation,
ointment, spray or home remedy on a
severe burn.

 If arm or legs are affected, keep them

elevated.
Third Degree Burns

 Caused by flame, burned

clothing, immersion in hot
water, contact with hot objects,
or electricity.
Signs of Third Degree Burns

 White appearance
 Deep tissue destruction
 Complete loss of all skin layers
 Nerve Damage
 Pain or No Pain
 First Aid: Third Degree Burns

 DO NOT remove pieces of adhered

particles of charred clothing.
 Cover burn with thick, sterile or freshly
laundered cloth.
 If hands or legs involved, elevate.
 Face burns to sit up or prop them
up.
 DO NOT immerse or apply ice
water to burn area.
 Transport ASAP.
 DO NOT apply ointment,
commercial preparations, grease,
or other home remedies.
 Chemical Burns of the Skin
 First Aid:
Remove clothing
Flush with water ASAP for 15 – 20
minutes
Get name / source of Chemical
Seek Medical Attention ASAP
METHODS OF TRANSFER
ANKLE PULL is the fastest method for
moving a victim a short distance over a
smooth surface. This is not a preferred
method of patient movement.
•Grasp the victim by both ankles or
pant cuffs.
•Pull with your legs, not your back.
•Keep your back as straight as possible.
•Try to keep the pull as straight and in-
line as possible.
•Keep aware that the head is
unsupported and may bounce over
The shoulder pull is preferred to the
ankle pull. It supports the head of the
victim. The negative is that it requires
the rescuer to bend over at the waist
while pulling.
•Grasp the victim by the clothing
under the shoulders.
•Keep your arms on both sides of the
head.
•Support the head.
•Try to keep the pull as straight and in-
line as possible.
Blanket Pull This is the preferred method for
dragging a victim.
•Place the victim on the blanket by using the
“logroll” or the three-person lift.
•The victim is placed with the head approx. 2 ft.
from one corner of the blanket.
•Wrap the blanket corners around the victim.
•Keep your back as straight as possible.
•Use your legs, not your back.
•Try to keep the pull as straight and in-line as
possible
ONE-PERSON LIFT
1-Person Lift This only
works with a child or a
very light person.
•Place your arms under
the victim’s knees and
around their back.
FIREFIGHTER CARRY
PACK-STRAP CARRY
HUMAN CRUTCH/TWO-PERSON DRAG
FOUR-HANDED SEAT
TWO-HANDED SEAT
CHAIR CARRY
IMPROVISED STRETCHER
BLANKET STRETCHER
HAMMOCK CARRY
THREE-PERSON CARRY OR STRETCHER
LIFT