The initial minutes after an injury or medical crisis frequently are the most important. They key is knowing what to do, remaining calm and making a decision to act.
Keep a list of emergency phone numbers by the phone. Include numbers for: police, fire, poison control, local hospital, ambulance service, and your family physician.
Keep and maintain a well-stocked first-aid kit at home, at work and in your vehicle. This will help you handle medical situations.
Keep a list of all your medications in your wallet, including drug names, strength, dosage form and regimen. Also list all allergies, especially to medications.
Also keep a list of emergency contacts such as family members.
Take a first-aid class. This will not only help you stay calm and focused, but will also help you to help yourself and those around you in the event of an emergency.
The American College of Emergency Physicians(ACEP) suggests that these items be in your Home First Aid Kit: * Acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin tablets (Aspirin should not be used to relieve flu symptoms or be taken by children.)
* Cough Suppressant
* Antihistamine
* Decongestant tablets * Oral medicine syringe (for children)
* Bandages of assorted sizes
* Bandage closures; safety pins
* Triangular bandage
* Elastic wraps
* Gauze and adhesive tapes
* Sharp scissors with rounded tips
* Antiseptic wipes
* Antibiotic ointment
* Hydrogen peroxide
* Disposable, instant-activating cold packs
* Tweezers
It is a rare but severe allergic reaction that occurs suddenly and can be life threatening. Anaphylaxis can happen moments, or even seconds, after being exposed to a triggering substance. For example, you may experience anaphylaxis directly following an insect sting or a penicillin shot. Because an anaphylactic episode can progress quickly, it is important to know the warning signs and prepare for an emergency episode if you have had an episode in the past.
SYMPTOMS The symptoms and course of anaphylaxis can vary. Initial signs of an anaphylactic episode can be deceptively mild, such as a runny nose, a skin rash all over the body, or a nondescript "strange feeling." These symptoms can quickly become more serious, including difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat or other parts of the body, rapid drop in blood pressure, and dizziness or unconsciousness.
Other symptoms of anaphylaxis include:
* Sense of impending doom
* Hives
* Tightness of the throat
* Hoarse voice
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Abdominal pain
* Diarrhea
* Lightheadedness
* Cardiac effects, including a rapid drop in blood pressure and irregular heart beat
WHAT TO DO IN ANAPHYLAXIS
It is important to seek immediate emergency medical care if you or someone you know begins to go into anaphylactic shock.
If the person loses consciousness, raise their feet while waiting for medical assistance.
Keep them warm and make sure their airway remains open.
If they seem to be having trouble breathing, lay them on the ground and tilt their head back. This helps get the tongue out of the way of air flow.
Epinephrine is the most commonly used emergency treatment for anaphylaxis. Epinephrine constricts blood vessels in the digestive tract and skin and raises blood pressure. It also widens the air passages to make breathing easier. If epinephrine doesn't ease breathing, your doctor may insert a breathing tube to keep the airway open.
It is important to know that the earlier epinephrine is given, the more effective it is at stopping the reaction. Symptoms usually improve quickly after epinephrine is administered. Although epinephrine acts fast, its effects are short-lived. If you are having an anaphylactic episode, your doctor may give you second and third doses of epinephrine over several hours to control symptoms. Epinephrine is usually administered as an injection, but it can also be inhaled with a special device.
Epinephrine is sometimes given with other drugs, such as corticosteroids and antihistamines. These medications can't stop an anaphylactic episode, but they are useful in treating some of the symptoms associated with anaphylaxis, such as swelling of body parts and itching.
Choking occurs when a foreign object becomes lodged in the throat or windpipe, blocking the flow of air. In adults, a piece of food often is the culprit. Young children often swallow small objects. Because choking cuts off oxygen to the brain, administer first aid as quickly as possible.
SYMPTOMS The universal sign for choking is hands clutched to the throat. If the person doesn't give the signal, look for these indications:
* Inability to talk
* Difficulty breathing or noisy breathing
* Inability to cough forcefully
* Skin, lips and nails turning blue or dusky
* Loss of consciousness
If choking is occurring, begin to perform the Heimlich maneuver. If you're the only rescuer, perform the Heimlich maneuver before calling your local emergency number for help.
If another person is available, have that person call for help while you perform the Heimlich maneuver.
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To perform the Heimlich maneuver on someone else:
* Stand behind the person. Wrap your arms around the waist. Tip the person forward slightly.
* Make a fist with one hand. Position it slightly above the person's navel.
* Grasp the fist with the other hand. Press hard into the abdomen with a quick, upward thrust as if trying to lift the person up.
* Repeat until the blockage is dislodged.
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To perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself: * Place a fist slightly above your navel.
* Grasp your fist with the other hand and bend over a hard surface a countertop or chair will do.
* Shove your fist inward and upward.
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Clearing the airway of a pregnant woman or obese person:
* Position your hands a little bit higher than with a normal Heimlich maneuver, at the base of the breastbone, just above the joining of the lowest ribs.
* Proceed as with the Heimlich maneuver, pressing hard into the chest, with a quick thrust.
* Repeat until the food or other blockage is dislodged or the person becomes unconscious.
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Clearing the airway of an unconscious person:
* Lower the person on his or her back onto the floor.
* Clear the airway. If there is a visible blockage at the back of the throat or high in the throat, reach a finger into the mouth and sweep out the cause of the blockage. Be careful not to push the food or object deeper into the airway, which can happen easily in young children.
* If the object remains lodged and the person doesn't respond after you take the above measures, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The chest compressions used in CPR may dislodge the object. Remember to recheck the mouth periodically.
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Clearing the airway of a choking infant younger than age 1:
* Assume a seated position and hold the infant facedown on your forearm, which is resting on your thigh.
* Thump the infant gently but firmly five times on the middle of the back using the heel of your hand. The combination of gravity and the back blows should release the blocking object.
* If this doesn't work, hold the infant faceup on your forearm with the head lower than the trunk. Using two fingers placed at the center of the infant's breastbone, give five quick chest compressions.
* If breathing doesn't resume, repeat the back blows and chest thrusts. Call for emergency medical help.
* If one of these techniques opens the airway but the infant doesn't resume breathing, begin infant CPR.
If the child is older than age 1, give abdominal thrusts only.
To prepare yourself for these situations, learn the Heimlich maneuver and CPR in a certified first-aid training course.
CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION(CPR)
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique useful in many emergencies, including heart attack or near drowning, in which someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped.
CPR involves a combination of mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing and chest compression that keeps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs until more definitive medical treatment can restore a normal heart rhythm.
When the heart stops, the absence of oxygenated blood can cause irreparable brain damage in only a few minutes. Death will occur within eight to 10 minutes. Time is critical when you're helping an unconscious person who isn't breathing.
To learn CPR properly, take an accredited first-aid training course.
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Before you begin Assess the situation before starting CPR:
* Is the person conscious or unconscious?
* If the person appears unconscious, tap or shake his or her shoulder and ask loudly, "Are you OK?"
* If the person doesn't respond, call your local emergency number, or have someone else do it. But if you're alone and the victim is an infant or a child age 1 to 8 who needs CPR, perform two minutes of CPR before calling for help.
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Remember the ABCs
Airway, Breathing and Circulation to remember the steps explained below.
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AIRWAY: Clear the airway 1. Put the person on his or her back on a firm surface.
2. Kneel next to the person's neck and shoulders.
3. Open the person's airway using the head tilt-chin lift. Put your palm on the person's forehead and gently push down. Then with the other hand, gently lift the chin forward to open the airway.
4. Check for normal breathing, taking no more than 10 seconds: Look for chest motion, listen for breath sounds, and feel for the person's breath on your cheek and ear. Do not consider gasping to be normal breathing. If the person isn't breathing normally or you aren't sure, begin mouth-to-mouth breathing.
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BREATHING: Breathe for the person
Rescue breathing can be mouth-to-mouth breathing or mouth-to-nose breathing if the mouth is seriously injured or can't be opened.
1. With the airway open (using the head tilt-chin lift), pinch the nostrils shut for mouth-to-mouth breathing and cover the person's mouth with yours, making a seal.
2. Prepare to give two rescue breaths. Give the first rescue breath lasting one second and watch to see if the chest rises. If it does rise, give the second breath. If the chest doesn't rise, repeat the head tilt-chin lift and then give the second breath.
3. Begin chest compressions go to "CIRCULATION" below.
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CIRCULATION: Restore blood circulation 1. Place the heel of one hand over the center of the person's chest, between the pages
. Place your other hand on top of the first hand. Keep your elbows straight and position your shoulders directly above your hands.
2. Use your upper body weight (not just your arms) as you push straight down on (compress) the chest 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Push hard and push fast give two compressions per second, or about 100 compressions per minute.
3. After 30 compressions, tilt the head back and lift the chin up to open the airway. Prepare to give two rescue breaths. Pinch the nose shut and breathe into the mouth for one second. If the chest rises, give a second rescue breath. If the chest doesnt rise, repeat the head tilt-chin lift and then give the second rescue breath. That's one cycle. If someone else is available, ask that person to give two breaths after you do 30 compressions.
4. If the person has not begun moving after five cycles (about two minutes) and an automated external defibrillator (AED) is available, open the kit and follow the prompts. If you're not trained to use an AED, a 911 operator may be able to guide you in its use. Trained staff at many public places are also able to provide and use an AED. Use pediatric pads, if available, for children ages 1 to 8. If pediatric pads aren't available, use adult pads. Do not use an AED for infants younger than age 1. If an AED isn't available, go to Number 5 below.
5. Continue CPR until there are signs of movement or until emergency medical personnel take over.
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To perform CPR on a child:
The procedure for giving CPR to a child age 1 through 8 is essentially the same as that for an adult. The differences are as follows:
* Perform five cycles of compressions and breaths on the child this should take about two minutes before calling the local emergency number, unless someone else can call while you attend to the child.
* Use only one hand to perform heart compressions.
* Breathe more gently.
* Use the same compression/breath rate as is used for adults: 30 compressions followed by two breaths. This is one cycle. Following the two breaths, immediately begin the next cycle of compressions and breaths. Continue until the victim moves or help arrives.
Most cardiac arrests in infants occur from lack of oxygen, such as from drowning or choking. If you know the infant has an airway obstruction, perform first aid for choking. If you don't know why the infant isn't breathing, perform CPR.
To begin, assess the situation. Stroke the baby and watch for a response, such as movement, but don't shake the child.
If there's no response, follow the ABC procedures below and time the call for help as follows:
* If you're the only rescuer and CPR is needed, do CPR for two minutes about five cycles before calling your local emergency number.
* If another person is available, have that person call for help immediately while you attend to the baby. AIRWAY: Clear the airway 1. Place the baby on his or her back on firm, flat surface, such as a table. The floor or ground also will do.
2. Gently tip the head back by lifting the chin with one hand and pushing down on the forehead with the other hand.
3. In no more than 10 seconds, put your ear near the baby's mouth and check for breathing: Look for chest motion, listen for breath sounds, and feel for breath on your cheek and ear.
If the infant isn't breathing, begin mouth-to-mouth breathing immediately.
BREATHING: Breathe for the infant
1. Cover the baby's mouth and nose with your mouth.
2. Prepare to give two rescue breaths. Use the strength of your cheeks to deliver gentle puffs of air (instead of deep breaths from your lungs) to slowly breathe into the baby's mouth one time, taking one second for the breath. Watch to see if the baby's chest rises. If it does, give a second rescue breath. If the chest does not rise, repeat the head tilt-chin lift and then give the second breath.
3. If the chest still doesn't rise, examine the mouth to make sure no foreign material is inside. If the object is seen, sweep it out with your finger. If the airway seems blocked, perform first aid for a choking infant.
4. Begin chest compressions go to "CIRCULATION" below. CIRCULATION: Restore blood circulation
1. Imagine a horizontal line drawn between the baby's pages
. Place two fingers of one hand just below this line, in the center of the chest.
2. Gently compress the chest to about one-third to one-half the depth of the chest.
3. Count aloud as you pump in a fairly rapid rhythm. You should pump at a rate of about 100 times a minute.
4. Give two breaths after every 30 chest compressions.
5. Perform CPR for about two minutes before calling for help unless someone else can make the call while you attend to the baby.
6. Continue CPR until you see signs of life or until a professional relieves you.
true bgm the medical world needs a lot these such contributions , not all people know about this , i think it must be made compulsory to learn first aid at school and at college levels , though we have a few , i think they are not enough and more stress should be laid on this .
kindly continue with your public service , your contribution is great .
ids thread ko dekh kar lagta hai BGM bhai sacchi mein doctor ban gaya yeh dhoka hai bhai......khud chupke chupke padhai karte rahe...
aur aur aur....circuit ko short circuit kar diya koi baat nahi bhai
apun akela hi gandhigiri karega
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Keep a list of emergency phone numbers by the phone. Include numbers for: police, fire, poison control, local hospital, ambulance service, and your family physician.
Thanks Pearl, will add more soon.
