American Red Cross
First Aid
and
CPR -- Adult
Lesson One
Introduction – Before Giving Care
Key Points
• Purpose:
– Help participants identify and eliminate
potentially hazardous conditions.
– Recognize and make appropriate decisions for
first aid care.
– This course teaches skills
needed to give immediate
care until more advanced
medical care arrives.
Recognizing and Responding to
an Emergency
Key points:
• By recognizing an
emergency and taking
immediate action to help,
you will provide the best
chance for survival
• Emergencies can often be recognized
because of an unusual sight, appearances,
behaviors, odors, or noises.
Using Senses to Recognize
Emergencies
• Unusual sights
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Blood
Smoke or fire
Broken items
People milling around
Unusual Appearances or
Behaviors
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One who is noticeably uncomfortable
One who is clutches his / her chest or throat
One who is unconscious
One who appears to be confused or drowsy
for unknown reasons
• One who has trouble breathing
Unusual Odors
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Unusual odors of the person’s breath
Gasoline
Natural gas
Smoke
An unrecognizable smell
Unusual Noises
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Screaming
Sudden silence for infants or children
An explosion
Items falling
Tires screeching
Metal Crashing
Changes in machinery sounds (e.g., pitch,
tone)
• Breaking Glass
Overcoming
Barriers to Act
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Presence of others
Uncertainty about the person’s condition
Fear of catching a disease
Fear of doing something wrong
Fear of being sued
Being unsure of when to call 911
Good Samaritan Laws
• Enacted to protect people who voluntarily
give emergency care, without accepting
anything in return.
• Laws protect you as long as you –
– Act in good faith
– Are not negligent
– Act within the scope of your training
Obtaining Consent
• You MUST obtain permission to help
• If one refuses care, call 911
• If unconscious, confused or seriously ill &
not able to grant consent, the consent is
implied.
Obtaining Consent
• If a minor, get consent from parent or
guardian ASAP
• Implied consent for a child means the
parent or guardian would agree for care to
be given
• To Obtain Consent
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State your name
Tell the person you are trained in first aid
Ask the person if you can help
Explain what you think might be wrong
Explain what you plan to do
Preventing Disease
Transmission
• Avoid contact with:
– Blood
– Body fluids
• Use PPE such as:
– Gloves
– CPR barriers
• Wash hands immediately after care
• Key Points
– The risk of getting a disease is extremely rare:
– Taking precautions can reduce this even further
– Whenever possible, you should use Universal
Precautions
Emergency Action Steps
• Key Points:
– Follow the emergency
action steps:
• CHECK
• CALL
• CARE
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Check the scene for safety
Check the person for life-threatening conditions
Call 911
Care for the ill or injured person
• If alone, call first or care first
– Call first:
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Cardiac emergencies
Unconscious adult
Witnessed sudden collapse of infant or child
Unconscious infant or child with known heart
problems
– Care first:
• Breathing emergencies
• 2 minutes of care then call 911
– Unwitnessed collapse of someone under 12 yrs of age
– Any victim of drowning
• Moving a person can lead to further injury.
You should move a person only when safe
to do so or if there is immediate danger.
Lesson 2
Checking an Ill
or
Injured Person
Life Threatening Injuries/Illness
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Unconsciousness
Not breathing or having trouble breathing
Choking
Persistent chest pain
No signs of life (normal breathing or
movement)
• Severe bleeding
• Shock
• Seizures (that recur, last more than 5 min.)
Checking a Conscious Adult
• Key Points
– Adult: over 12 years of age
– After checking the scene for safety, check the
adult
– Obtain consent to give care
– Head to toe examination
– Care based on conditions found
– Take steps to minimize shock
• Life-threatening condition in which there is
not enough blood being delivered to all
parts of the body
• Develops after a serious injury or illness
including:
– severe bleeding
– Serious internal injury
– Blood or body fluid loss
• Signs of Shock
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Restlessness or irritability
Altered level of consciousness
Nausea or Vomiting
Pale, ashen, cool, moist skin
Rapid breathing and pulse
Excessive thirst
• Care of Shock
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Call 911
Have the person lie down
Control any external bleeding
Elevate the person’s legs 12 inches (unless
you suspect head, neck or back injuries)
Cover with 1 blanket
DO NOT give anything to eat or drink
Reassure the person
Monitor airway, breathing, and circulation
Checking an Unconscious
Adult
• Check the scene for safety
• Check the person for life-threatening
conditions
• Remember the ABC’s
– Airway
– Breathing
– Circulation
• Airway
– Open airway
• Breathing
– Look, listen, feel
– Two breaths
• Circulation
– Check for pulse
• Carotid pulse (neck) adult
• Brachial pulse (mid-arm) infant
Lesson 9
Soft Tissue Injury
• Key Point
– Five leading causes of injury-related to death
• Motor vehicle crashes
• Falls
• Poisonings
• Drownings
• Choking
– Two basic types of injury
• Soft tissue
• Musculoskeletal (muscles, bones, joints)
Types of Wounds
1. Soft tissues include layers of skin, fat, &
muscle
2. Damage may be at the skin level or deeper in
the body
3. A physical injury that damages the layers of
skin is called a wound.
4. Wounds are typically classified as either
opened or closed.
• Care for a closed wound:
– Apply direct pressure
– Elevate the injured body part if it does not
cause more pain
– Apply ice or a cold pack
• Never put ice directly on the skin
• Leave ice or cold pack on 20 minutes, remove for 20
minutes, then ice 20 minutes
• Types of open wounds:
– Abrasions
– Lacerations
• Types of open wounds:
– Avulsions or amputations
– Punctures
• Care for an open wound
– Use a barrier between your hand and the wound
– Apply pressure to control bleeding
– Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water. If
possible irrigate the wound for 5 minutes with clean
running water.
– Apply Neosporin or triple antibiotic to minor wound.
– Cover the wound with a sterile or clean dressing and a
bandage.

If a person has a closed or open wound and
complains of severe pain or cannot move a body part
without pain or if you think the force that caused the
injury was great enough to cause serious damage, seek
advanced medical care stat.
Controlling Bleeding
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Shock can develop from a serious injury
that results from severe external or
internal bleeding
Signs of internal bleeding:
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Tender, swollen, bruised or hard areas of the
body. Example: abdomen
Rapid, weak pulse
Skin that feels cool or moist or looks pale or
bluish
– Excessive thirst
– Becoming confused, faint, drowsy or unconscious
– Vomiting or coughing up blood
Controlling Open Wound
Bleeding
• Elevate & Apply
pressure with a gauze
dressing
– If bleeds through
dressing, apply another
dressing over
previous… NEVER
remove a dressing.
Controlling Open Wound
Bleeding
• Apply a roller bandage
– Tie knot over the
wound – tape dressing
• Check fingers / toes
for circulation
• Elevation
• Pressure Points
– Rt. and Lt. Brachial Artery
– Rt. and Lt. Femoral Artery
Pressure on Brachial Artery
• Put Thumb on outside
of arm, fingers on
inside of middle upper
arm and Squeeze….
Pressure on Femoral Artery
• Place heel of hand
directly over femoral
artery (located
between upper leg and
pubic area), lean
forward keeping arm
straight and apply
pressure.
Tourniquet
• USE ONLY AS A
LAST RESORT
!!!!!!!!!
• Once applied Never
loosen
• Get Help at Once!!
Burns
• Cause:
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Thermal (heat)
Chemicals
Electricity
Radiation
• Classifications: by depth
– 1st degree
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sunburn
epidermis only
never blisters
not calculated in burn extent
– 2nd degree
• through the epidermis into the dermis
• pink, moist, painful
• white, dry, less sensation
– 3rd degree
• All three layers burned
• May be tissue damage to the bone
• May or may not be painful
Caring for a Minor Burn
• Do:
– Check scene for safety
– Remove source of burn
– Cool 1st and 2nd degree
burns with cool
running water
– Cover wound loosely
with a sterile dressing
• DO NOT!!!!
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Use ice
Break blisters
Remove pieces of clothing stuck to burn
Use any type of ointment on a severe burns
Do not immerse 3rd degree burns in water
Do not touch the area of a burn with anything but a
clean covering
Chemical Burns
• Remove contaminated
clothing if possible
• Brush off dry
chemicals
• Flush burn with water
for 15 to 20 minutes
• Flush eye, if chemical
in eye, for 15 – 20
min.
Electrical Burns
• Look First, Do Not Touch
– DO NOT go near person until he/she is not in
contact with power source
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High-voltage: call 911
Turn off power source
Observe for cardiac arrest
Care for shock, thermal burns
All need advanced medical care
When to Call 911
• Trouble breathing
• Burns covers more than one body part or a
large surface area
• Suspected burns to the airway
• Burns to the head, neck, hands, feet or
genitals
• 3rd degree burns in victims under 5, adults
over 60 years
• Burns from chemicals, explosions, or
electricity
Lesson 10
Injuries to Muscles, Bones and Joints
Types of Muscle, Bone and
Joint Injuries
• Fractures: break in bone
– Open Fracture: skin over
fracture broken
– Closed Fracture: skin over
fracture intact
• Dislocation: displacement of a
bone at the joint
• Sprain: partial or complete tearing or
stretching of a ligament
• Strain: stretching or tearing of muscles or
tendon fibers
Care for Musculoskeletal
System
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R
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C
E
est
ce
ompress
levate
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R
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E
est
mmobilize
old
levate
Splinting
• Definition: method of immobilizing
• Splint injury in position in which you find it
• Splint the injured area and the joints or
bones above and below the injury site
• Check for circulation
– Feeling, warmth, and color
Types of Splints
• Soft Splint
– Use of pillows, folded blankets, towels, & a sling
• Rigid Splint
– Includes boards, metal strips & folded magazines or
newspapers
– Use a triangular bandage
• Anatomical Splints
– Use uninjured body part as a splint to immobilize an
injured area
Head, Neck or Back Injuries
• Key Points:
– These injuries may cause unintentional death
or life-long neurological damage
– The goal in caring for a person with a head,
neck or back injury is to minimize movement
Care for Injuries to the Head,
Neck, or Back
• Call 911
• Minimize movement of the head, neck or
back
• Leave victim in the position found in
If the head is turned sharply to one side, DO
NOT try to align it. Support the head in the
position you found it in.
• Monitor the ABC’s
– Airway
– Breathing
– Circulation
Lesson 11
Sudden Illness
Sudden Illness
• General Guidelines
– Do no further harm
– Monitor breathing and consciousness
– Help the person rest in the most comfortable
position
– Keep the person from getting chilled or
overhead
– Reassure the person
– Give any specific care needed
Fainting
• Temporary loss of consciousness
• Caused by a temporary reduction of blood
flow to the brain
• Usually self-correcting
• Victim recovers quickly with no lasting
effects
• Place victim on back: elevate legs 8 – 12
inches
Diabetic Emergency
• Body does not produce enough insulin or
does not use insulin effectively
• If victim conscious and able to swallow:
– Give sugar
• If victim unable to swallow or sugar not
available call 911
Seizures
• Disruption of normal electrical activity of
the brain causing a loss of body control
• Protect from injury
• Remove objects that could cause injury
• Protect the victims head
• When to call 911
– Seizure lasts more than 5 minutes
– Person has repeated seizures, without regaining
consciousness
– Person is injured
– Person has diabetes or pregnant
– Person fails to regain consciousness after a
seizure
Stroke
• Definition:
– Brain Attack: blockage of blood flow to part of
the brain causing death of brain tissue
• Signals of a Stroke:
– Weakness or numbness on one side of face or
arm or leg
– Difficulty speaking or slurred speech
– Sudden dizziness
– Blurred vision or sudden severe headache
• THINK
–F
–A
–S
weakness on one side of the face
–T
time to call 911 if you see any of
these signals
weakness or numbness in one arm
slurred speech or trouble getting
words out
Stay with the person and monitor his/her breathing
and other signs of life.
Poisoning
• Definition:
– Any substance that can cause injury, illness or
death when introduced into the body
• How introduced into the body:
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Inhalation
Swallowed
Absorption
Injection
• Treatment
– If life threatening call 911
– Call Poison Control Center and follow their directions
1-800-222-1222
– DO NOT give anything by mouth
Allergic Reaction
• Cause:
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Drugs
Medications
Foods
Chemicals
• Treatment:
– Check
– Call
– Care
• Give care for any life-threatening condition
– Epinephrine auto-injector
• RECOVERY POSITION
• Insect Stings
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Scrape away the stinger
Wash site with soap and water
Cold pack to reduce pain
Watch for signs of an allergic reaction
• Tick Bites
– Remove tick with tweezers as close to skin as
possible and pull slowly
– DO NOT
• Burn tick off
• Apply petroleum jelly
• If rash, flu-like sx, or joint pain seek medical care
Lesson 12
Heat and Cold Related Emergencies
Heat Related Emergencies
• Causes:
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Strenuous outdoor activity on a hot day
Working in a hot room with little air circulation
Not drinking enough water
Working in a building where the cooling
system has failed
• Types of Heat Related Emergencies
– Heat Cramps
• Painful muscle spasms
Care:
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Move to cool place
Cool body
Give cool fluids to drink
Lightly stretch muscles
– Heat Exhaustion (Early stage)
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Cool, moist, pale, ashen or flushed skin
Headache
Nausea
Dizziness and weakness
Exhaustion
Care:
– Move to cool area
– Loosen or remove clothing
– Cool body
• Wet towel
– Give cool fluids
– Heat Stroke (Late stage)
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Most severe…..
Red skin
Usually dry
Change in consciousness
Rapid, weak pulse
Rapid, shallow breathing
Care:
– Move to cool area
– Loosen or remove clothing
– Cool body
• Wet towels, spray body with water, fan body
– Call 911
Cold Related Illness
• Frostbite:
– When body tissue freezes
• Hypothermia:
– Entire body cools because body’s ability to
regulate temperature fails
– Victim may die
• Signals of frostbite
– Lack of feeling in affected area
– Skin that appears waxy, cold to touch
– Discoloration of skin (flushed, white, yellow,
blue)
• Care for Frostbite
– Handle area gently
– Never rub affected area – may damage soft
tissues
– DO NOT rewarm if chance of freezing again
– If rewarming:
• Soak frostbite area in lukewarm water
• Loosely bandage in a dry sterile dressing
• DO NOT break blisters
• Signals of hypothermia
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Shivering
Numbness
Glassy stare
Shivering that stops without rewarming
• Care for Hypothermia
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Call 911
Be sure victim is comfortable
Remove wet clothing and dry person
Warm body gradually by wrapping the person
in blankets or moving victim to warm place
– DO NOT warm the person to quickly
Lesson 13
Asthma
Asthma
• Tiggers
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Dust,smoke, air pollution
Fear / anxiety
Exercise
Allergies
Colds
Infections
• Signals of Asthma
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Coughing / wheezing
Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
Sweating
Tightness in the chest
Inability to talk without stopping for breath
Feeling of fear or confussion
• Care of person with asthma
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Remain calm
Reassure victim
Assist with use of inhaler
Call 911 if appropriate
Lesson 3
Breathing Emergencies and
Conscious Choking – Adult, Child,
or Infant