Definition of First Aid
First aid is the immediate and temporary care given to a person who has been suddenly taken ill or
injured. It is the care administered by a concerned person as soon as possible after an accident or illness.
It is this prompt care and attention that sometimes means the difference between life and death, or
between a full or partial recovery.
Aims of first aid
The aims of first aid are:
To preserve life: Saving lives is the main aim of first aid.
To prevent further harm: The person who has experienced the injury must be kept stable, and their
condition must not deteriorate before medical services arrive. This may include moving the individual
away from harm, applying first aid techniques, keeping them warm and dry, and applying pressure to
wounds to stop any bleeding.
Promote recovery: Taking steps to promote recovery may include applying a bandage to a wound.
WHAT IS THE SPECIALITIES OF FIRST AIDER?
1.Be calm and not to be panic
2.To calm down the patient
3.To research thhe enviroment and determine that if there is a danger or not
4.Not to risk his own life
5.Snaffle the persons to inform the hospitals fire company and security
6.To realize the patiens conditions and begin to FIRST AID
7.To satisfy transfer of patient to hospitals.
What is the ABC's of first aid:
Airway: Make sure the airway is clear. Choking, which results from the obstruction of airways, can be
fatal.
Breathing: Once the airways are confirmed to be clear, determine whether the person can breathe, and,
if necessary, provide rescue breathing.
Circulation: If the person involved in the emergency situation is not breathing, the first aider should go
straight for chest compressions and rescue breathing. The chest compressions will promote circulation.
This saves valuable time. In emergencies that are not life-threatening, the first aider needs to check the
pulse.
What Should a First-Aid Kit Include?
Put these in each of your first-aid kits:
an up-to-date first-aid manual
a list of emergency phone numbers
sterile gauze pads of different sizes
adhesive tape
adhesive bandages (Band-Aids) in several sizes
elastic bandage
a splint
antiseptic wipes
soap
antibiotic ointment
antiseptic solution (like hydrogen peroxide)
hydrocortisone cream (1%)
acetaminophen and ibuprofen
extra prescription medicines (if the family is going on vacation)
tweezers
sharp scissors
safety pins
disposable instant cold packs
calamine lotion
alcohol wipes or ethyl alcohol
thermometer
tooth preservation kit
plastic non-latex gloves (at least 2 pairs)
flashlight and extra batteries
a blanket
mouthpiece for giving CPR (you can get one from your local Red Cross)
Also keep a blanket stored with your kit.
Characteristics of a Good First Aider
1. Observant - should notice all signs
2. Resourceful - makes use of things at hand
3. Gentle - should not cause pain
4. Tactful - should not alarm the victim
5. Sympathetic - should be comforting
6. Cheerful - inspires and develops confidence
BANDAGING
A bandage is a piece of material used either to covering wounds, to keep dressings in place, to applying
pressure controlling bleeding, to support a medical device such as a splint, or on its own to provide
support to the body. It can also be used to restrict a part of the body.
Bandage
The three major types of bandages are: roller bandages, tubular bandages and triangular bandages.
They are necessary for :
• covering wounds,
• applying pressure controlling bleeding, or
• supporting a strain or sprain.
Roller bandages are long strips of material. Basically there are two types of roller bandages :
• An elastic roller bandage is used to apply support to a strain or sprain and is wrapped around the joint
or limb many times. It should be applied firmly, but not tightly enough to reduce circulation.
• Cotton or linen roller bandages are used to cover gauze dressings. They come in many different widths
and are held in place with tape, clips or pins.
They can also be used for wound compression if necessary, as they are typically sterile.
Tubular bandages are used on fingers and toes because those areas are difficult to bandage with gauze.
They can also be used to keep dressings in place on parts of the body with lots of movement, such as the
elbow or knee.
Triangular bandages are made of cotton or disposable paper. They have a variety of uses:
• When opened up, they make slings to support, elevate or immobilize upper limbs. This may be
necessary with a broken bone or a strain, or to protect a limb after an operation.
• Folded narrowly, a triangular bandage becomes a cold compress that can help reduce swelling.
They are used also for applying pressure to a wound to control bleeding
BASIC BANDAGING FORMS
Each bandaging technique consists of various basic forms of bandaging. The following five basic forms of
bandaging can be used to apply most types of bandages:
1. circular bandaging
2. spiral bandaging
3. figure-of-eight bandaging
4. recurrent bandaging
5. reverse spiral bandage
Circular bandaging is used to hold dressings on body parts such as arms, legs, chest or abdomen or for
starting others bandaging techiques.
For circular bandage we used strips of cloth or gauze roller bandage or triangular bandage folded down
to form strip of bandage (cravat).
In the circular bandaging technique the layers of bandage are applied over the top of each other:
• With the roll on the inner aspect, unroll the bandage either toward you or laterally, holding the loose
end until it is secured by the first circle of the bandage.
• Two or three turns may be needed to cover an area adequately. Hold the bandage in place with tape
or a clip.
Almost all bandaging techniques start and end with a few circular bandaging turns.
Spiral bandaging
Spiral bandages are usually used for cylindrical parts of the body. An elasticated bandage can also be
used to apply spiral bandaging to a tapered body part. Despite the increasing diameter of the body part,
the elasticity will allow the bandage to fit closely to the skin.
With each spiral turn, part of the preceding turn is covered generally by 1/3 of the width of the bandage.
Figure-of-eight bandage involves two turns, with the strips of bandage crossing each other at the side
where the joint flexes or extends. It is usually used to bind a flexing joint or body part below and above
the joint.
The figure-of-eight bandage can be applied using a roller bandage in two ways:
• Following a circular turn around the middle of the joint, the bandage should fan out upwards and
downwards. The turns should cross at the side where the limb flexes.
• The figure-of-eight turns can also be applied from a starting point located below or above the joint
crease, working towards the joint itself. The cross-over points will be located at either the flexing or
extending side of the joint; the side where the turns do not cross remains uncovered.
Recurrent bandaging is used for blunt body parts consists partly of recurrent turns.
The bandage is applied repeatedly from one side across the top to the other side of the blunt body part.
To be able to fix the recurrent turns well, not only the wound, but the entire length of the blunt body
part should be covered.
Depending on the width of the bandage and the body part, successive turns either cover the preceding
turn fully or partially.
Recurrent bandages are fixed using circular or spiral turns.
Reverse spiral bandage is a spiral bandage where the bandage is folded back on itself by 180° after each
turn.
This V-shaped fold allows the bandage to fit to the tapered shape of the body part all the way along.
This type of bandaging is required when using non-elasticated bandages. The development of
elasticated fixing bandages, which are applied to tapered body parts using the spiral technique, means
that the reverse spiral technique is far less commonly used nowadays.
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What is Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)?
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a procedure performed in an emergency when the heart stops,
with the goal of prolonging circulatory and lung function.
What is CPR?
CPR stands for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. CPR is a series of immediate actions to take when a
person suffers Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)
Why do we do CPR?
The main reason to provide CPR is to restore the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain of a victim who
has suffered sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). After SCA, the victim is not breathing (or not breathing
adequately) and the heart is not pumping oxygenated blood to the brain or vital organs. Clinically the
victim is dead. Biologically though, the victim still has a chance at survival. After 4-6 minutes without
oxygen, permanent brain damage will occur. After 10 minutes without oxygen the brain is dead,
biological death has occurred. Biological death is irreversible. The reason we do CPR is to keep the brain
alive after SCA by pumping blood to the brain with external chest compressions and rescue breaths.
How To - The Basics of CPR:
CPR is actually pretty easy to learn and remember. It is very physical work to pump on the chest, but the
hardest part is remaining calm in the face of an emergency. The basic CPR steps include:
Recognize the emergency (tap and shout)
Activate EMS (call 9-1-1)
Check for breathing
Compressions: Provide 30 compressions
Airway: Open the victim’s airway
Breathing: Give 2 breaths
Continue till help arrives