PCL 1- what kind of first aid to use

What Kind of First Aid to Use in Different Situations?
1. Hyperventilation
- Manifestation of acute anxiety and may accompany a panic attack
- May occur in susceptible individuals who have recently experienced emotionl or psychological shock
- Causes an abnormal loss of CO2 from the blood
- Symptoms : unnaturally fast breathing, dizziness and trembling and tingling in the hands
First Aid :
- When speaking to the casualty, be firm but kind and reassuring
- If possible, lead the casualty to a quiet place where she may be able to regain control of her breathing more easily and quickly. If this is not possible, ask any bystanders to leave.
- If the casualty is not able to regain control of her breathing, ask her to rebreathe her own exhaled air from a paper bag. She should breath in and out slowly, using the bag, about ten times and then breathe without the bag for 15 seconds. The cycle should be continued until the need to breath rapidly has passed.

2. Asthma
- The muscles of the air passages in the lungs go into spasm and the linings of the airways swell. As a result, the airways become narrowed, which makes breathing difficult.
First Aid :
- Keep calm and reassure the casualty. Get her to take a puff of her reliever inhaler. Ask her to breath slowly and deeply.
- Let her adopt the position that she finds most comfortable – often sitting down. Do not make the casualty lie down.
- A mild asthma attack should ease within 3 minutes. If it does not, ask the casualty to take another dose from the same inhaler.

3. Shock
- Occurs when the circulatory system fails and as a result, vital organs such as the heart and brain are deprived of oxygen.
- Can be made worst by fear and pain
- Can caused by severe blood loss (exceeding 1.2L), loss of other body fluids (eg in conditions like diarrhoea, vomiting, blockage in the intestine, and severe burns), heart is unable to pump the blood, overwhelming infection, lack of certain hormones, hypoglycaemia, hypothermia, severe allergic reaction ( anaphylactic shock), drug overdose and spinal cord injury.
First Aid :
- Treat any possible source of shock that can be detected such as severe bleeding
- Lay the casualty down on a blanket to insulate her from the cold ground. Constsntly reassure her.
- Raise and support her legs to improve the blood supply to the vital organs. Take care if fracture is suspected.
- Loosen tight clothing at the neck, chest and waist to reduce constrictions in these areas.
- Keep the casualty warm by covering her body and legs with coats or blankets.
- Monitor and record vital signs-level of response, pulse and breathing. If the person becomes unconscious, open the airway and check breathing; be prepared to give chest compressions and rescue breaths if necessary.

4. Fainting
- Brief loss of consciousness caused by a temporary reduction of the blood flow to the brain
- May be reaction due to pain, exhaustion, lack of food, emotional stress and long periods of physical inactivity.
First Aid :
- When a casualty feels faint, advise her to lie down. Kneel down, raise her legs and support her ankles on your shoulders to improve the blood flow to the brain.
- Make sure that the casualty has plenty of fresh air.
- As she recovers, reassure her and help her to sit up gradually. If she starts to feel faint again, advise her to lie down again and raise and support her legs until she recovers fully.

5. Severe bleeding
First Aid:
No object is embedded in wound :
- Put on disposable gloves if available. Remove or cut clothing as necessary to expose the wound.
- Apply direct pressure over the wound with your fingers or palm, preferably over a sterile dressing or non-fluffy clean pad
- Raise and support the injured limb above the level of the casualty’s heart to reduce blood loss. Handle the limb very gently if you suspect that there is fracture.
- Help the casualty lie down on a blanket if available to protect her from cold. If you suspect that shock may develop, raise and support her legs so that they are above the level of her heart.
- Secure the dressing with a bandage that is tight enough to maintain pressure, but not so tight that it impairs the circulation.
- If the bleeding does not stop, apply a second dressing on top of the first one
- Support the injured part in a raised position with a sling or bandaging.
Object is embedded in wound :
- Put on disposable gloves if available. Press firmly on either side of the embedded object to push the edges of the wound together.
- Raise and support the injured limb above the level of the casualty’s heart to reduce blood loss.
- Help the casualty lie down on a blanket if available to protect her from cold. If you suspect that shock may develop, raise and support her legs so that they are above the level of her heart.
- Build up padding on either side of the object. Carefully bandage over the object without pressing on it.
- Support the injured part in a raised position with a sling or bandaging to minimise swelling.

6. Muscle and tendon injury
- Strains and sprains should be treated initially by the ‘RICE’ procedure :
• R – Rest the injured part
• I – Apply ice or a cold compress
• C – Compress the injury
• E – Elevate the injured part
- This treatment should be sufficient to relieve the symptoms, but if you are in any doubt as to the severity of the injury, treat it as a fracture.

7. Ligament injury
- Advise the casualty to sit or lie down. Support the injured part in a comfortable position.
- If the injury has just happened, cool the area by applying an ice pack or cold compress to help reduce swelling, bruising and pain.
- Apply gentle, even pressure to the injured part by surrounding the area with a thick layer of soft padding, such as cotton wool or plastic foam, and securing this layer of padding with a bandage. Check the circulation beyond the bandaging every 10 minutes.
- Raise and support the injured part to reduce the flow of blood to the injury. This action will help to minimise bruising in the area.

8. Hypothermia
- Take the casualty to a sheltered place as quickly as possible.
- Remove wet clothing. Shield the casualty from the wind. Insulate him with extra clothing or blankets and cover his head. Do not give him your clothes.
- To help rewarm casualty who is conscious, give him warm drinks, and high-energy foods such as chocolate.

9. Insect sting
- If the sting is visible, brush or scrape it off sideways with your fingernail or the blunt edge of a knife. Do not use tweezers because more poison may be injected into the casualty.
- Raise the affected part if possible, and apply and ice pack or cold compress for at least 10 minutes.

10. Snake bite
- Help the casualty to lie down. Reassure her and tell her to keep calm and still.
- Gently wash the wound and pat dry with clean swabs.
- Lightly compress the limb above the wound with a roller bandage. Use triangular bandages to immobilise the affected area.