Basic First-Aid Knowledge

I wrote this a month or two ago to educate some friends of mine who wanted to know about first-aid. Since I'm trained and certified in First-Aid and CPR/AED, I knew what I was talking about. I also referred to my first-aid training manuals for somethings I couldn't recall at the moment.
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We live in a VERY dangerous world. It's been said before, but I'll say it again: everything can harm you. When simply crossing the street can get you hit by a car, when walking into a bank someone could shoot you, when walking down the wrong street can get you attacked, when driving a car can lead to an accident, and with other unimaginable consequences, we walk on a tight rope of sickness and health. Sometimes, you'll find someone injured with emergency responders already there, sometimes they'll be on their way, and other times, they won't be coming at all. I, Logan Smith, am professionally certified by the American Red Cross in Waterfront Life Guarding, CPR for the Professional Rescuer, and First Aid. I will be sharing what I know from my training, my research, and my Red Cross training manual. This blog is to tell you how to respond to and treat a number of injuries. Just as a WARNING: this blog will have some graphicly discussed material and body parts mentioned occasionally that MAY be offensive to some, but are entirely necessary to understanding the material.
First off, I must explain the risks of all of this: bloodborne pathogens and disease-causing agents. Below are a list of "common" bloodborne pathogens that you may come across while performing first-aid.
Hepatitis B: signs and symptoms are fatigue, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomitting, and joint pain. It can be transmitted through direct and indirect contact. It is usually transmittied through blood and semen.
Hepatitis C: signs and symptoms are fatigue, dark urine, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and nausea. It is transmitted through direct and indirect contact. It is usually transmitted through blood and semen.
HIV: There may or may not be signs and symptoms in early stages. In late stages, signs and symptoms include fever, fatigue, diarrhea, skin rashes, night sweats, loss of appetite, swollen lymph glands, significant weight loss, white spots in mouth, yeast infection (you don't even want to know how you can tell if you have one) and memory or movement problems. It is transmitted through direct and possibly indirect contact. It is usually carried in blood, semen, vaginal fluid, and breast milk.
Those are just the most common bloodborne pathogens. Below are a list of disease-causing agents.
Viruses - hepatitis, measels, mumps, chicken pox, meningitis, rubella, influenza, warts, colds, herpes, HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), genital warts, smallpox, and avian flu.
Bacteria - tetanus, meningitis, scarlet fever, strep throat, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, toxic shock syndrome, Leggionaires' disease, diphtheria, food poisoning, Lyme disease, anthrax.
Fungi - athelete's foot, ringworm, histoplasmosis.
Protozoa - malaria, dysentery, cyclospora, giardiasis.
Rickettsia - typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Parasitic Worms - abdominal pain, anemia, lymphatic vessel blockage, lowered antibody response, respiratory and circulatory complications.
Prions - Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), kuru.
Yeasts - candidiasis. (for more information regarding these diseases, visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/ )
Now, here is why I told you all of this: when performing any type of first-aid on a person, you are vulnerable to becoming infected by something that person may have if precautions are not taken. Precauitions would be wearing gloves when performing first-aid, minimizing contact with exposed skin with that person, and using a CPR mask when giving CPR. Sometimes, you may not have any of these things. That is when you would have to make a judgement call: do you want to risk your life saving this person, or wait for more help (that may never come) and risk this person dieing. Either choice can work, just the outcomes are different. If you a pregnant, you may not want to perform first-aid without the necessary precautions, as you and your unborn child or more vulnerable.
Now, let's get into the first-aid.
Initial Assessment
When you come upon a victim, there are a few things you can do before rushing in to save them. First, look at your surroundings. Why is the person hurt or unconscious? Is it do to electrical shock? If so, use a dry wooden stick or other non-conductive material to move the victim away from the source. Did they slip and fall down? If so, be careful coming to them, as you may slip also. Is there a poisonous gas in the room? If so, cover your mouth, grab the victim by the back of their shirt and pull them out of there as carefully as possible, (if the person is too large, grab them by the ankles and drag themout this way). Or, you could open windows to let the place ventilate before coming back. The main point is to be aware. Don't take unnecessary risks, as this may just make yourself a victim, making the next person having to rescue two people.
Allergic Reactions
About 2 million people in the United States are at risk from anaphylaxis, and 400-800 people die from it each year. It can be caused by insect stings, penicillin, asprin, food additives such as sulfites, certain foods such as shellfish and nuts. These can all triger a reaction in susceptible people. Signs and symptoms are: swelling of the face, neck, hands, throat, tongue or other body parts; ithching of the tongue, armpits, groin, or other body parts; dizziness; redness or welts on the skin; red, watery eyes; nausea, abdominal pain or vomitting; rapid heart rate; difficulty breathing or swallowing; feelings of contriction in the throat or chest. Most people who are prone to this carry an epinephrine auto-injector with them. It is a type of syringe full of a drug used to temporarily stop the attack. If someone is having an attack, immediatly call emergency services. Then, take their auto injector, locate the middle of the thigh as an injection spot, hold the injector at a 90-degree angle to the thigh, grasp it firmly and remove the safety cap, firmly jab it into the victim's thigh and hold it there for about 10 seconds (you will hear a click), remove it from the thigh and massage the injection site for several seconds. Always bring them to the hospital, as this is not a cure, it just stops the attack for a short while; the victim will need additional medicine that can only be administered at a hospital.
Choking
If someone is choking on an object, this can lead to death. If a child or adult is choking, but is able to cough, incourage them to keep coughing. If they cannot cough, summon EMS personnel. Lean the victim forward and give 5 back blows with the heel of your hand between their shoulder blades (provide suport by placing one arm diagnally across the chest). Then, stand behind the victim with your arms around them, make a fist with one hand and cover it with the other hand, thumb on top. Place the fists on the abdominen just above the naval. Give 5 upward thrusts. (If thet victim is to large to wrap your arms around or pregnant, give chest thrusts).
Rescue Breathing
If a victim is unconscious, stopped breathing, but still has a heart-beat, rescue breathing is needed. Adult - tilt the head back and lift the chin to open the airway. Give one breath just enough to make the chest rise (it should last about one second). Do this every 5 second for about 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, check for a pulse for no longer than 10 seconds, if there is a pulse, monitor the victim until EMS personnel arrive. If no pulse and no breathing, move on to CPR (will be discussed later). Child - same steps as above but this time give one breath ever 3 seconds.
CPR
If someone has no pulse and no breathing, CPR is needed.
Adult CPR - to compress the chest, place two hands on the center of the chest; compress it about 1 1/2 - 2 inches. Breathe into their mouth for about 1 second (until chest clearly rises). A cycle of this would be 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths; repeated. The rate of compressions would be about 100 per minute. (Here is a tip: the song "Another One Bites the Dust, found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMenB9Ywh2Q ; it has a beat that goes dun dun dun, this is the perfect rate for giving chest compressions to an adult.)
Child CPR - to compress the chest, place two or one hands on center of chest.; compress about 1 - 1 1/12 inches. Breathe into their mouth for about 1 second (until chest clearly rises). A cycle would be 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths, repeated. The rate is the same as the rate for an adult.
Infant CPR - to compress chest, place 2 or 3 fingers on the center of the chest, just below the nipple line. Push about 1/2 - 1 inch. Breathe into their mouth for about 1 second, or until chest clearly rises (WARNING: it is possible to burst an infant's lungs by blowing too hard! Simply give a puff of air, usually a mouth full.) Give them a cycle of 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths at a cycle the same as an adult and child. If you do not feel comfortable with giving the breaths, still give chest compressions, this can do wonders for a person until EMS personnel arrive.
Also, if there is an AED in your location, use it immediatly. An AED (automated external defibulator) gives an electric shock to re-start a heart. Simply turn it on and follow the directions, it gives easy to follow instructions that anyone could do. Make sure you are not touching the victim or the victim is not in water or wet when it gives off the charge.

First Aid
This is a very important thing to learn, as it will be most often applied. Below are a variety of injuries and how to treat them.
Spider Bites/Scorpion Stings - Summon EMS PersonnelWash the woundApply a cold pack to the siteIf available, give the victim anti-venomCare for life-threatening condtionsMonitor the victim's air-way, breathing, and circulation (ABC's)Keep the victim comfotable
Snake Bites
Pit Viper - rattlesnake, cotton mouth, or copperhead.Summon EMS personnel Wash the wound.Keep the injured area still and below the heart.
Elapid Snake - coral snake - Summon EMS personnelWash the woundApply elastic roller bandage (make sure it's not too tight! A finger should easily, but not loosely, fit beneath the bandage. Monitor skin above and below it for color and warmth.)Keep injured area still and lower than the heart.
For all Snake Bites, DONOT apply ice, DO NOT cut the wound, DO NOT apply suction, DO NOT apply a tourniquet, DO NOT use electric shock
Stings
Insect Sting If the stinger is still in, carefully scrape it away with a plastic card. Wash the wound with soap and water. Cover the site and keep it cleanApply a cold pack to reduce pain and swellingWatch for allergic reactions
Marine Life Sting - Summon EMS personnel if the victim does not know what stung him or her, was stung on face or neck, known to be allergic to marine life, or starts to have trouble breathing. Wash the wound with soap and water. If it is a jellyfish, sea anome, or Porteguese man-of-war sting, soak the area with household vinegar, baking soda mixed in water, or rubbing alcohol as soon as possible.For a stingray, sea urchin, or spiny fish sting, flush the wound with water. Soak the area in hot water for about 30 minutes. If hot water is not available, hot sand may have a similar effect. Then carefully clean the wound and bandage it.
Wounds
Closed wounds (internal bleeding)-Summon EMS personnel immeditatly if the vicitm complains of severe pain or cannot move the area without pain; the force that caused it was enough to cause serious damage; an injured extremity is blue or very pale; the victim has excessive thirst, becomes faint, drowsy, or unconscious; the victim is vomitting blood or coughing up blood; the vicitm has a rapid or weak pulse; the victim has swollen, bruised, or hard areas of the body, such as the abdomen.While waiting for EMS, care for any life-threating conditionsKeep the victim calm and re-assuredKeep them from getting too hot or too cold.
Open Wounds - There are different types of open wounds. There are: Abrasion(scraped away skin) Laceration(cuts bleed freely), and deep cuts (bleed severely). Avulsiona cut in which large amounts of tissue or even an entire body part a ripped away or torn loose. Puncture do not bleed too much, but easily become infected. To care for these you should: cover the wound with dressings, such as sterile gauze padapply direct pressure firmly against the wound, wash the wound, apply anti-biotic ointment, cover the wound.
Shock
If a victim has suffered serious injury they may go into shock. Signs and symptoms are:Restlessness or irratabilityAltered level of consciousnessPale, ashed, cool, or moist skin, Nausea and vomitting, Rapid breathing and pulse, Excessive thirst To treat shock or minimize effects of it, you should:Summon EMS personnel. Control external bleeding. Keep victim from getting chilled or over heated. Have the victim lie down and elevate legs slightlyComfort and reassure victim.
Eye Injury - If there is an eye injury, you should: Summon EMS personnel, Help victim into comfortable position, Do not remove object from eye, Bandage loosely and do not put pressure on it. Stabalize object if possible
Mouth or Teeth Injury - If this occurs, you should:Rinse mouth out with cold tap water, Have victim lean slightly forward or place the victim on their side, Apply a dressing (for inside cheek: place folded sterile bandages inside mouth against wound. for outside cheek: apply direct pressure with sterile dressing. for tongue or lips: apply direct pressure with sterile dressing ; apply cold to reduce swelling and pain) If tooth is knocked out: rinse out mouth with cold tap water; have victim bite down on roll of sterile gauze in place where tooth was; save any displace teeth (rinse it carefully and place it in milk or water).
Injuries to Abdomen - You should: Summon EMS Carefully remove clothing around the wound. If organs are sticking out, do not attempt to push them back in, Cover organs with moist sterile dressing and cover dressing with plastic wrap, Place folded towel or cloth over dressing to keep organs warm, Care for shock
Nose Bleed There are many myths about what to do with a nose bleed, here are the facts: Have victim lean slightly forward, Pinch nostrils shut, Apply cold pack to bridge of the nose, Apply pressure above upper lip
Severed Body Part(s) - Summon EMS personnel, Control Bleeding, Wrap and bandage wound to prevent infection, Wrap the body part(s) in sterile gauze, Place body part(s) in plastic wrap, Place body part(s) on ice, but do not freeze it, Care for shock, Be sure the body part(s) are taken to hospital with the victim.
Animal and Human Bites - If the wound is severe, you should: Summon EMS personnel, Control the bleeding If it is minor:Wash wound with soap and water, Control bleeding, Cover with sterile bandage
Emergency Child Birth - This is a very dangerous situation. If this happens, you should:Summon EMS personnel. Tell the dispatcher the woman's name, age, and expected due date, how long she has been having labor pains, if this is her first child. You should also:Talk with her to help her remain calm, Place newspapers or abosrbant material on flat surface for her to lay on. Control the scene so she will have privacy. Position her on back, knees apart, feet flat, and legs spread. Remember, the woman delivers the baby, so be patient. The baby will be slippery, so be careful and do not drop it. Place baby in blanket or towel and lay next to woman. (Tips: do not let the woman get up and use bathroom. Do not hold the woman's knees together, this only complicates things and does not slow the process. Do not place fingers in the vagina for any reason. Do not pull on the baby.)
Scalp Injuries - Scalp injuries bleed heavily. Here is what to do:Apply gentle pressure at first because there may be a skull fracture. If spongy area or bone fragments are felt, do not put direct pressure on the wound. Summon EMS if seriousness of injury is not known. If no sign of fracture, control bleeding with several layers or dressings.
Embdedded Objects - These are objects that remain in open wounds. You should: Summon EMS personnel, Place several dressings around it to keep it from moving., Do not remove object
Burns - Burns are very dangerous and can be from a variety of sources, but here is general information: Remove person from source, Cool the burning with cool running water, Cover area with loose dressing, Minimize shock, Prevent infection.
Electrical Burns - Summon EMS, Check the scene for safety (if power line is down, wait for fire department or power company to disconnect the power)Do not cool the burn, Be prepared to perform CPR, Cover burn with dry guaze loosely
Chemical Burns - Summon EMS, Brush chemicals off with gloved hand, Flush with water for a long time
Sun Burns - Care is the same from any other burn, Keep it out of sunlight
Broken Bones and Muscle Injuries
The best thing to do here is to summon EMS and keep the joint imobolized. Whether this is making a splint or tieing it to another limb, be careful to not move it much and wait for EMS.

Well, there is a basic on all injuries you may come across. Although you can learn a great deal or information, the best training is from an institute where you can be certified. I reccomend the American Red Cross ( http://www.redcross.org/ ). Study and prepare yourself, you may never know when someone's life depends on you. Whats worse is that if an apoalyptic scenario took place, EMS would be out of the question. Then, you would have to care for this person yourself. Serving Faithfully, Logan Smith.
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When faced with an emergency situation, it is always best to allow the most trained/certified person to administer the first-aid/care. If no one else is around, it will be up to you to save and protect your fellow man. I reccomend taking first-aid classes to everyone, they may just save you or a loved ones' life some day.