First aid

What is it about ?

First aid refers to all the actions that anyone, including people with no medical training, can take while waiting for professional rescue services when medical assistance is required.

Here is a list of conditions and a brief description of what you can do to help those in need.

Heart attack

• Make yourself, the victim and those present – safe.
• Check whether the victim is still reacting or whether he is unconscious. Ask a few questions, speaking loudly and intelligibly, and see if the victim is responding or trying to do so:
  • ‘What’s wrong ?’
  • ‘Are you in pain somewhere?’
  • ‘What happened ?’
• If the victim does not respond, pinch them. If the pinch does not trigger a reaction, the victim is unconscious and the situation may be serious. Call 112 immediately or have someone else do it. Don’t leave the victim alone. You can already start resuscitation while waiting for the arrival of emergency services. Ask one of the people present to help you.
• Check breathing and pulse.
  • If the victim is breathing, you can see their chest rise and fall. You can also feel the air coming out of the mouth. You can feel the pulse at the wrist or neck.
  • Insert a finger into their mouth to check that the airway access is clear and that there are no obstacles, such as a denture that has come loose or the tongue tilting back. If necessary, remove these obstacles.
  • If there is no breathing and no pulse, immediately start resuscitation, namely cardiac massage and mouth-to-mouth (breathing assistance).
• Start with cardiac massage with 30 compressions:
  • Place both hands on the center of the chest, crossing your fingers.
  • Push in the chest about 2 inches, at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute and with as few interruptions as possible.
  • Let the chest rise after each compression.
  • Do not lean on the chest.
• After the cardiac massage, clear the airways by tilting the victim’s head back and lifting his chin. Pinch his nose between your thumb and forefinger and blow into his mouth. If you do it right, you see his chest rise.
  • Give 2 breaths one after the other, then restart a series of 30 cardiac massages. If you are not trained in mouth to mouth or if it is not possible, simply continue with cardiac massage.
  • If there are 2 or more of you assisting the victim, one can do the cardiac massage and the other can do the mouth-to-mouth massage. You can also take turns every 2 minutes.
• Continue resuscitation until help arrives, until the victim regains consciousness or until exhaustion.

Bleeding

• Make yourself, the victim and those present – safe.
• If possible, have the victim exert pressure on the injury themselves. Put on disposable gloves if you can. This is because you cannot tell if the victim is suffering from a contagious disease, such as hepatitis.
• Help the victim lie down on the ground as they continue to compress the wound.
• If necessary, take charge of compressing the wound yourself. If available, use a bandage or towel as a compression bandage.
• If the bleeding continues, increase the pressure.
• Make sure the victim does not pass out. The best way to do this is to keep talking to him. If she passes out, check her breathing and pulse. If you do not feel either of the two, start resuscitation (see first paragraph).
• Always notify specialist emergency services: ask someone to call 112 or dial the number yourself if you are alone.
• Continue to compress the wound until emergency services arrive.

Burns

• Make yourself, the victim and those present – safe.
• Make sure you do not come into contact with the victim’s blood or other bodily fluids. Put on disposable gloves if you can.
• Examine the burns to assess their extent and severity.
  • Contact the doctor if it is a:
    • first or second degree burn affecting at least 5-10% of the body surface;
    • third degree burn;
    • burn in a child under 5 years old;
    • burn in a person over 60 years of age.
  • Notify the emergency services by dialing 112 if it is a:
    • first or second degree burn affecting more than 10% of the body surface;
    • third degree burn affecting more than 5% of the body surface;
    • burn in a child under 1 year;
    • burn in a person over 75 years old;
    • burning in the mouth, throat, face, eyes, hands, feet, joints or genitals;
    • circular burn (which goes all around a limb);
    • burn caused by electricity;
    • burn caused by a chemical, for example acid.
• First, water to save your skin!
  • Cool each burn as quickly as possible with cool or lukewarm running water, for example by putting it under the tap or the shower. Direct the stream of water a few inches above the burn and let the water run over the burn.
  • Avoid hypothermia of the victim. Prolonged cooling over large areas may lower the victim’s body temperature. So do not use ice water and protect the victim from the cold.
  • Never apply ice to a burn.
  • Cool the burn for at least 10 minutes and continue to cool it until the pain subsides.
• Remove the victim’s clothing and jewelry if they do not stick to the skin.
• Do not pierce the blisters, you will increase the risk of infection.
• If it is a small burn of the first or second degree and you have the correct material, cover it with a sterile bandage. This will decrease the risk of infection.

Trauma to the skull

• Trauma to the skull can cause head injury, contusion, skull fracture, brain injury, or concussion. The victim may present with headache, drowsiness and confusion.
• Make yourself, the victim and those present – safe.
• If necessary, check his state of consciousness, his breathing and his pulse.
• Assess the severity of the head injury. A head injury is serious when:
  • the injury was caused by a strong blow;
  • the object is in the wound;
  • the bleeding does not stop;
  • the face is affected;
  • the wound is deeper than the skin.
• Seek specialist help in the following cases:
  • it is a serious injury, which probably needs to be stitched up;
  • the victim does not feel well;
  • his general condition deteriorates (nausea, drowsiness).
• Notify the emergency services by dialing 112 in the following cases:
  • the victim is unconscious;
  • the victim was severely hit on the head;
  • you suspect a skull fracture or injury to the vertebrae.
• If it is a minor head injury and you have the right equipment, cover it with a sterile bandage.
• Never rinse a serious head injury with water or disinfectant. Under the wound there may be an open fracture of the skull.
• If the victim has a lump, cool the area for up to 20 minutes by applying a water bag filled with ice cubes or a cold-pack to decrease swelling and pain. Interrupt cooling if it bothers the victim.
• Continue to observe the victim to verify that his condition is not deteriorating.

Injury to the vertebrae

• The victim may have sensory disturbances and symptoms of paralysis. She may also sometimes feel a decrease in sensations or tingling in the limbs. It may have pain in the neck, neck, back or back of the pelvis, these pains can be spontaneous or triggered by movement. Sometimes the sufferer may have severe persistent headaches and behave strangely. Injury to the vertebrae is not always accompanied by symptoms.
• Never leave the victim alone if you suspect injury to the vertebrae.
• If you have not received the proper training, avoid fitting a neck brace.
• Notify the emergency services by dialing 112. Specialized service providers have suitable devices to immobilize the spine.
• Pay attention to warning signs and, when in doubt, always consider the worst.
• Try to reassure the victim and persuade them not to move. Immobilize his neck by holding his head with your 2 hands.
• If the victim is unconscious but breathing normally, tilt their head back while lifting their chin to clear their airways.
• Check his breathing regularly.

Bone and muscle damage

• The bruised limb is painful and possibly swollen, and the victim can no longer use it (properly). The skin may turn bluish.
• Advise the victim to move the affected limb as little as possible.
• Notify the emergency services if:
  • the swelling is very marked;
  • the limb is in an abnormal position;
  • the limb is abnormally (im) mobile;
  • the victim has sensory disturbances;
  • you are in doubt as to the severity of the injury.
• If it is a contusion of the upper limbs, remove any bands from the victim.
• Cool the lesion for up to 20 minutes, applying a water bag filled with ice cubes or a cold-pack, to decrease swelling and pain. If you don’t have ice available, use cold water.
• Stop cooling if it bothers the victim. If the pain returns, you can cool the lesion again as long as the skin has returned to normal temperature.
• Apply a support bandage if pain permits.

Poisoning

• Depending on the product involved, the following symptoms may occur immediately or after a while:
  • vomiting;
  • nausea;
  • pupils very dilated or narrowed;
  • burns in the mouth or throat;
  • headache ;
  • disturbances of consciousness;
  • breathing problems;
  • heart rhythm disturbances;
  • cardiac arrest ;
  • shock;
  • abnormal skin color;
  • clammy skin;
  • sweats;
  • muscle spasms.
• Ask co-workers of the victim to find out if she has been in contact with toxic substances, and make a note of this.
• If the poisoning took place at home, walk around the house looking for any boxes (for example medicines), bottles, spray cans, etc. empty and keep them on hand.
• Open a window, but make sure the victim does not fall into hypothermia. If necessary, cover it with a blanket.
• Protect yourself against the toxic product, by putting on a mask for example.
• Check the victim’s state of consciousness and breathing.
• If unconscious, lay the victim on their left side in a stable position (lateral safety position or PLS).
• Notify the emergency services by dialing 112 in the following cases:
  • the victim has severe symptoms, such as difficulty in breathing or loss of consciousness;
  • the victim’s condition deteriorates.
• Call the Poison Control Center by dialing 070 245 245. Then, carefully follow the advice given to you.

Want to know more?

• Having to save a life, it can happen to anyone – Play and test your knowledge – Belgian Red Cross
• Putting a person in the lateral safety position (video) – SIKANA

Source

• Belgian practice guide ‘Help! Help! First aid for everyone ‘(11.12.2016) – Belgian Red Cross