First Aid Notes Emergency First Aid & CPR
First Responder
 Anyone who offers to assistance in a variety of ways to help someone in need.
 They are the people who are first on the scene and initiate calling 911 or a parent/guardian
Goals of First Aid – 3 P’s
Prevent – prevent further injury
Preserve – life – CPR/Choking Procedures/Epi Pen
Promote – healing and recovery, education and safety
Legal Implication – Legislative Bill 20 – Good Samaritan Act protects First responders from being sued if
They do what is reasonable and what you have been taught.
Bystanders – people around the emergency site who may or may not have witnessed the injury. They
Could be asked to assist you with helping the victim eg…get first aid kit/AED/ ice/ call 911
Self-Protection – using sterile gloves/pocket mask/ plastic bag to offer assistance where there is blood
Saliva, urine, or feces.
Primary Scene Assessment – must be in this order
A Airway
B Breathing
C circulation
Scene Survey – Primary
A Area check looking for potential hazards to you or the victim
A Awake – tap and touch, clamp and call to the victim…..checking for LOC
A Ambulance – call 911(location/ victim-adult/child/infant, what you need-ambulance/fire/police, your
Emergency)
A Airway – open using a head tilt chin lift – moving the tongue out of the way
B Breathing – watch the chest for 5secs assessing for movement
C Circulation – landmark on chest and begin CPR technique for the correct age of victim
Artificial Respiration - Adaptations
*Stoma – a victim may have a stoma to assist them with breathing – if artificial respiration is required
for a victim who has a stoma, you do mouth to stoma rather than mouth to mouth to deliver the air to
the victim
Infant 0-1yrs of age – because the baby’s nose and mouth are so close together, and the neck is very
delicate
Secondary Check – Warts is used for the treatment of more minor injuries after the primary
Emergency check has been done and breathing is present.
Treatment for Shock
W Warm the victim with a blanket/towel/ coat
A Assess and monitor ABC’s
R Rest and Reassure the victim – calm the victim
T Treatment any minor injuries
S Semi prone or semi-sit the victim to improve circulation of blood and oxygen!
Treatment for Sprains
R Rest the injured area
I Ice the area to reduce swelling and bruising
C Compression – some pressure to the area to support it – tensor bandage
E Elevate if possible to limit how much blood rushes to the area creating more swelling/damage
CPR – stands for Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation
LOC – Level of consciousness
CPR Compression Rate: 5 sets of 30:2 ( 30 compressions to 2 Breaths)
Victims Assessment and signs and symptoms
Heart Attack – when the vessels carrying blood and oxygen to the heart is blocked. The severity of the
heart attack and the damage to the heart muscle depends on the duration of the interruption in blood
flow to the heart and the extent of the muscle affected.
Signs and symptoms – victims may show some of these symptoms
 Shortness of breath – Primary Emergency –call 911
 Flushed and sweating face
 Pain or tightness in the chest or shoulder/arm
 Anxiety, fear, confusion
 Weakness/dizziness/fatigue
 Denial of symptoms
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*Don’t forget to ask the victim is they have ever experienced these symptoms before and if so, what
was it and did they have any medication that needs to be taking?
Stroke- stroke occurs when the brain does not receive enough blood and oxygen due to internal
bleeding or blockage in a blood artery. Without blood, brain damage occurs and shows up in the victim
in various sudden impairments.
Signs and symptoms – may show some or many of these
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Weakness, numbness or tingling in the face, arm or leg
Facial droop
Sudden trouble speaking or understanding speech
Double vision, dim vision or loss of vision – especially in one eye
Sudden and unusual headache
Dizziness or loss of balance
Shock – shock is a depression (slowing down) of the body’s circulatory system ( heart and lungs) When
there is not enough blood to circulate to the body’s vital tissues( in the brain, heart and lungs) cells
begin to die- and ultimately, so can the victim
Signs and symptoms – varying degrees of intensity of shock
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Shallow rapid breathing
Weak rapid pulse
Skin: pale, cool, clammy
Restlessness
Fear or anxiety
Confusion
Nauseas or vomiting
Unconsciousness
Treatment
W –Warm the victim to assist in circulation; make the victim feel more comfortable, safer
A – Assess Airway, Breathing and Circulation – even if conscious
R –Rest and reassure – calm the victim down with will slow heart rate down….less panicky
T-Treat any secondary, less essential injuries
S-Semi-prone or semi sitting – a safer position to help treat the victim that will improve circulation and
Assist in calming the victim down and keeping them from falling. If the victim does
Vomit, it also assists in moving the vomit away from the body and from going back down into
the lungs.
Breathing Emergencies
Asthma- is a breathing disorder in which airway sensitivity is increased. The sensitivity results in spasms
of the airway muscles and increased production of mucus which narrows the airway and blocks air
exchange. Common triggers are: allergies and extreme temperatures
Signs and symptoms
Difficulty breathing
Anxiety
Wheezing
Treatment for asthma
Assist victim into comfortable position
Help victim to take their medication
Loosen tight clothing
Contact EMS if symptoms worsen
Hyperventilation- is when someone begins to breathe faster or deeper than necessary, it looks like
“over-breathing” and is called hyperventilation. It reduces the level of carbon dioxide in the blood,
which depresses (slows) the brains breathing center and results in unconsciousness.
Signs and symptoms
Treatment
High rate of respiration or panting, gasping
Reassure the victim to try and calm them down
and slow their breathing
Light headedness, weakness, headache
Call 911 is the victim cannot be settled back into
normal breathing rhythm or if they go unconscious
Tingling of hands, feet and area around the mouth
Confusion, unconsciousness
Head Injuries – a head injury is cause in three general ways:
1. The victims head hits an object (eg. Falling from a height or diving into water)
2. An object hit the head of the victim ( eg. Hockey puck, baseball bat, door)
3. Vigorous shaking – car accident, other
The Injury may be of two types, which may occur separately or together:
1. Surface injury affecting skin and bones
2. Brain injury such as bleeding with in the brain or under the skull.
The more serious the head injury is the more likely there is a neck or spinal injury as well.
Signs and symptoms
 LOC –level of consciousness may be affected – confusion, disorientation, loss of consciousness,
seizure
 Pupils may be unequal in size or do not get smaller when exposed to light
 Head pain, nausea or vomiting
 Bleeding/swelling/hot to touch
 Anxiety, agitation
 Shock
 Blood or clear liquid coming from eyes, mouth, ears, nose or mouth
Treatment of head injury
 Call 911 immediately
 Immobilize spine
 Assess ABC
 Check LOC – what’s your name/what happened/where are you?
 Send bystander for first aid kit/AED
 Treat for shock – but if neck or back injury is suspected, do not place in semi prone
Secondary Check
1. Check vital signs
 Level of consciousness- alert/confused/ difficult to keep awake
 Breathing- rate, rhythm, depth, strength
 Pulse- neck or wrist
 Skin colour and temp, cap refill
 Pupils – reactivity or lack thereof!
2. Head to toe examination for any other injuries
 Swelling, deformity
 Heat
 Pain Response to touch
 Wetness
 Medic alert bracelet?
3. Relevant History – both victims and the incidents events
Incident – what happened?
What happened and how
Any pain? –where on your body
Victim’s med history – prior health issues?
Victims name – tell them yours!
Has this ever happened before? Circumstances
Injuries – how many victims – priority based
on severity of injury
Vital signs –Primary and secondary check
Medication – do you have any for this
condition, or what else are you taking?
Allergies – are you allergic to anything?
In regards to medication- if they have any medication (asthma inhaler/ nitroglycerin tablets etc)
You are not to ever give any medication to anyone!
You are only allowed to:
 Get the medication
 Help by opening the container
 Physically support the victim while they take the medication
Exception: Epi Pens – a first aider may help administer an Epi-Pen Injector
 Check that the epi pen is for this person
 Use according to instructions
 “ Blue to the sky, Orange to the thigh”
 Place used epi pen back into tube to protect others for contamination of the needle
Wounds- Wounds range from minor scrapes and bruises to severe cuts and internal bleeding. Minor
wounds occur in everyday life; where as severe wounds usually occur as a result of an external force
such as an automobile accident/bike accident/ major fall from a height.
Not all wounds bleed. Head and facial injuries bleed more because of the number of blood vessels in
the area of the injury.
Signs and Symptoms
 Skin layer(or deeper) is broken by a scrape/cut/tear/stab/flap/bite etc
 Pain in the area affected
 May be some bleeding
 Distress, anxiety
 Possible signs of shock
Treatment
 Direct pressure if the area is bleeding
 Gently clean the affected area with soap and water
 Apply a sterile dressing/bandage to the area to keep it clean
 Ice if available to reduce or limit swelling
Bleeding – Two types: Major and Minor
Self protection: wear gloves when at all possible or have the victim hold the area affected to limit the
risk of infection. If no gloves are available, look for a plastic bag or something to use as a barrier
between you and the wound site to stop the bleeding.
Minor Bleeding – cut, scrape, nose bleed
Signs and symptoms
 Redness in the area
 Slow seeping of blood
 Slight swelling or tenderness
Treatment:
 Direct pressure on the injury site to limit how much blood is lost
 Semi sit or semi prone the victim – victim may become dizzy and fall
 Once bleeding has slowed, clean and cover the injury site with bandage
 If bleeding seeps through bandages, do not remove but add additional bandages on top of
previous bandages
 If bleeding continues for a prolonged time, get check at clinic in case the injury requires stitches.
 Inform a parent or guardian if a minor
Major bleeding- blood is flowing freely, or gushing
Signs and symptoms
 Large volume of blood escaping rapidly
 Victim may be conscious or unconscious
 Victim will go unconscious quickly
 Victim will be pale and in shock
Treatment
 Call 911 immediately
 Quickly get Direct pressure to the injury site
 Get victim down to the ground before they go unconscious
 Ask bystander to get first aid kit and AED
 Try your best to stay calm
Embedded Object
With embedded objects, pressure cannot be applied directly to the wound. Pack/stack bulky dressings
around the embedded object to keep it from moving while controlling the bleeding. Secure dressing in
place with a narrow bandage to ensure no pressure is placed on the embedded object.
A use of a donut bandage would be beneficial.
Facial Injuries- injuries to the facial area, including mouth, nose, ears and eyes require specialized
treatment to protect the victims vital sense organs…these injuries include:
 Dental and mouth
 Ears
 Nosebleeds and nose
 Eyes
Signs and symptoms
 Breathing: airway may be blocked by blood, vomit or dentures
 Scrape, cut, tear, stab, flap, bite, crushed
 Pain
 Distress and anxiety
 Bleeding
Treatment
 Get victim medical attention as soon as possible
 If neck or spine is suspected – immobilize and ensure an open airway
 If victim is unconscious or has severe facial injuries, assume there is a neck injury and immobilize
to protect the spine
 Control any bleeding with a gentle direct pressure incase bones are broken
Sprains and strains – both injuries refer to stretching or tearing the tissue associate with bones and
muscles. A sprain is an injury to an overstretched ligament, which bolds bones together at a joint,
whereas a strain involves over stretching a muscle or a tendon.
Signs and symptoms
 Pain, could be mild or severe
 Swelling
 Discoloration and bruising
 Difficulty moving the affected area
Treatment of Sprains and Strains
RICE
R – Rest the affected area
I – Immobilize the area to protect it
C – Cold – ice the area for 10-15mins every hour until the swelling subsides.
E – Elevate the area if possible
Burns – are tissues injuries caused by excess heat or cold or by chemicals, electricity, or radiation. Burns
can affect more than just the body tissue: severe burns can affect all major body systems. Seek medical
attention promptly to assess burn damage and watch for complications;
 Shock
 Infection
 Breathing problems
 Swelling
The severity of the burn is determined by:
 Depth or degree of burn 1st/2nd/3rd
 The amount of burned body on the surface
 Which part or parts are burned
 The age and condition of the victim
Intensity of Burn
1st degree
Signs and symptoms
Redness, pain, mild swelling,
anxiety, shock
2nd degree
Same as above plus blisters
3rd degree
Same as above plus:
Red/black and grey tissue
Waxy tight tissue
Underlying tissue and organs
exposed(muscle/nerve/bones)
In severe pain.
Treatment
Flush with cold water, repeat as
needed, take to Hospital if burn
area is large with the face and
neck affected or if small infant
Flush the burned area with cool
clean water, do not break blisters,
cover with sterile, dry dressing.
Follow up with doctor
If large area is affected or infant
or small child, seek medical
attention
Phone EMS
Treatment same as above.
If fingers or toes are affected,
separate with sterile dressing