Basic First Aid Manual - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the Basic First Aid Manual covering essential emergency definitions, assessment protocols, and treatment methods.

First Aid

The emergency care and treatment given to a sick or injured person before more advanced medical assistance from the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrives.

Universal Precautions

A risk management strategy used to reduce contact with blood and other body substances to minimize infection from communicable diseases.

Primary Survey

An initial assessment in an emergency situation to identify conditions that pose an immediate threat to the victim's life by checking consciousness, airway, breathing, and circulation.

Secondary Survey

A systematic method of gathering additional information about injuries or medical conditions by interviewing the victim, checking vital signs, and performing a head-to-toe examination.

Aspiration

The passive regurgitation or movement of stomach contents and food particles up into the lungs.

Head-tilt, chin-lift

An airway clearing procedure where one hand tilts the forehead back while the fingers of the other hand lift the chin to open the mouth and pull soft tissues away from the throat.

Finger Sweep

A maneuver performed using a single gloved finger motion to remove visible foreign objects, vomit, blood, or debris from the side of an unresponsive victim's mouth.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

A repetitive emergency resuscitation cycle consisting of airway opening, chest compressions, and rescue breathing to artificially circulate oxygenated blood.

Ventricular Fibrillation (VF)

A disruption of the heart's electrical activation causing the heart muscle to rapidly and uncoordinatedly contract, preventing effective blood pumping.

Adult Chain of Survival

A sequence of critical steps required for surviving cardiac arrest, including early recognition, early emergency call ($108$), early CPR, early defibrillation, and early advanced medical care.

Foreign Body Airway Obstruction (Choking)

A common breathing emergency that occurs when a person's airway is partially or completely blocked by a foreign object, swelling, or fluids.

Arterial Bleeding

Profuse, rapid, and spurting bright red blood loss from an artery under high pressure.

Venous Bleeding

Dark red blood loss under lower pressure that flows steadily and is easier to control than arterial bleeding.

Capillary Bleeding

The most common and easily controlled type of bleeding where blood oozes slowly from superficial skin vessels.

Direct Pressure

The primary treatment used to manage bleeding by applying firm pressure directly onto and into the wound using a large sterile trauma dressing.

Fracture

Any break in the continuity of a bone.

Open Fracture

A bone fracture in which the bone ends have punctured or broken through the skin.

Closed Fracture

A fracture where the skin surrounding the broken bone remains intact.

Complicated Fracture

A fracture that causes additional injury to underlying internal structures, such as a punctured lung or severe arterial bleeding.

Strain

An injury specifically involving tendons.

Sprain

An injury specifically involving ligaments.

Dislocation

A joint injury that occurs when a bone is displaced or moved out of its normal anatomical position.

P.M.S. Assessment

A clinical check evaluating Pulse, Motor ability, and Sensation in extremities before and after applying a splint.

First-degree Burn

A superficial burn classification characterized by reddened skin.

Second-degree Burn

A burn classification characterized by blistering of the skin.

Third-degree Burn

A severe burn classification in which skin is cooked or charred and damage extends deep into underlying tissues.

The 3 C's of Burn Management

The key burn treatment principles: Cool (using tepid running water for at least $20\,min$), Clear (removing non-adherent burning items and jewelry), and Cover (preferable with a non-adherent dressing).

Rabies

A serious viral infection transmitted through the saliva of diseased domestic or wild animals via bites.

Poison

Any substance that causes injury, illness, or death when swallowed, inhaled, absorbed through skin, or injected into the body.

Pressure Immobilization Bandaging

A bandaging technique applied with overlapping turns moving upward from the point farthest from the heart to slow the spread of venom through the lymphatic system after a snakebite.