First aid (lifeguard prep)

Who is a first aider?

A first aider is someone at the scene of an emergency who has the knowledge to provide care to illnesses and injuries.

First aider protocol

1) Gain permission if the victim is conscious

2)Act reasonably within the scope of your training

3) Continue first aid until someone more qualified takes over or you are at risk of exhaaustion

What is the first thing you should do when arriving on a emergency scene?

Check for hazards and clear them if you can

LOC

Level of consciousness

ABC

Airway, Breathing, Circulation

Vital signs

LOC, Breathing, circulation, skin, pupils

If the victim is unresponsive?

Call EMS immediately

Adults

8 years and over

Child

1 to 8 years

Infant

Birth to 1 year

To open an airway

Use one of your hands on the victims forehead and the other on the bottom of their chin and tilt their head back

Jaw thrusts

When a spinal injury is suspected, place your hands over their ears so you can grab their jaw. use your hands to move the jaw foreword without tilting the head

Foreign matter obstruction

Use your gloved fingers to remove it by a sweep of your hands

Recovery position

Only use when a spinal injury is not suspected. Have the victim lay on their side, with one laying out above them to rest their head, place their other arm on the underside of their nec/ face, bend the leg on the top to a 90 degree angle and out.

CPR on a pregnant victim

Place a pillow or object underneath the right side of the woman abdomen to help bring blood to the heart

Victim vomits during CPR/ rescue breathing

Roll them on their side, let vomit drain, sweep with your fingers to clear the mouth and continue

Airway obstruction sign and symptoms - conscious

Coughing, can speak, wheezing, flushed skin

Airway obstruction sign and symptoms - severe

weak cough, cannot speak, holding throat, grey/blue lips,

First thing you should do with a conscious coughing victim

Identify yourself, and ask if you can help

Asthma signs and symptoms

Difficulty breathing, anxiety, wheezing

Asthma treatment

assist them into a comfortable position, help them take their medication if they have any, Loosen tight fitting clothes, if asthma attack continues contact EMS

Hyperventilation signs and symptoms

Panting, gasping, lightheadedness, weakness,

Hyperventilation treatment

Call EMS, reassure victim and try to calm them, keep them comfortable

Drowning signs and symptoms

Reduced level of consciousness, coughing, anxiety, shock

Drowning treatment

Remove from water, call EMS, perform CPR and any other first aid, treat for shock

Angina and heart attack signs and symptoms

Trouble breathing, flushed skin, pain pressure or tightness in the chest, shock, weak rapid pulse, pain in the neck arms back or jaw, nausea, fatigue

Angina and heart attack treatment

Call EMS, help victim into comfortable position, loosen tight clothing, help victim take any prescribed angina medication, if victim does not have angina help them take ASA

Stroke signs and symptoms

Weakness, numbness, or tingling in the face arms or legs, facial droop, sudden trouble speaking, double vision, sudden severe headache,

What causes stroke

1. Blockage in a brain artery

2. an artery in the brain bursts and bleeds

treatment for a stroke

Call EMS, Maintain an open airway, keeping assessing breathing and circulation, assist victims into comfortable postion

Shock

A depression of the bodies systems. not enough blood to circulate the bodies vitals

what are some of the causes of shock

Weak heart action (heart attack)

Expansion of blood vessels

Loss of blood and body fluids

Spinal cord or nerve injuries

Treatment for shock

WARTS (warmth, ABC’s, Rest and reassurance, treatment, semi-prone) Call EMS,

Signs and symptoms of major bleeding

Blood, pain, distress, shock

treatment for major bleeding

Call EMS, Rest and reassure the victim, apply direct pressure. apply a sterile dressing as soon as possible

What are secondary emergencies?

Emergencies that are not life threatening at that moment

Secondary assessment

Check vital signs, head to toe examination, record relevant history of the victim and the incident.

Severe allergies (Anaphylaxis) signs and sypmtoms

confusion, unconsciousness, difficulty breathing, tight airways, itchiness, hives, rash, swelling of face

Allergies treatment

Call EMS, ask victim if they carry epi pen or other medication, monitor victim till EMS arrrives

Diabetes signs and sypmtoms

confusions, weak rapid pulse, sweating, restlessness, confusion, nausea

Diabetes treatment

Phone EMS, if unconscious place victim in the recovery position, help conscious victim administer medication or sugar, help them eat something sugary, NEVER administer insulin

seizures signs and symptoms

loss of consciousness, arching of the back and rigidity of the body, extra saliva, jerking and flailing, teeth clenching or grinding, loss of control over the bowel or bladder

Seizure treatment

Call EMS, clear object from the surrounding area, do not restrict the victims movements, do not place anything in the victims teeth, try to record the number and duration of seizures

Seizure in water

Keep the victims head above water, once seizure is over remove from the water and treat

Fevers in infants and children signs and symptoms

high temperature, 38 c or higher in an infant, 40 c or higher in a child

high fever in infants and children treatment

Call EMS, Advise giving acetaminophen, Encourage child to drink fluids, sponge child with lukewarm water, monitor temperature until help arrives

Abrasion

Scraped skin

Wound signs and symptoms

Skin layer is broken, pain, blood, anxiety, shock

Wound treatment

Clean the area with soap and water, apply a sterile dressing and apply pressure,

Embedded object wound signs and symptoms,

Bleeding, pain, swelling, shock,

Embedded object wound treatment

Leave the object in place, control the bleeding, apply pressure around the object, bandage the wound around the object. Consult a doctor

Amputation wound signs and symptoms

Jagged edges of soft skin, exposed and missing body parts

Amputation wound treatment

Call EMS, Control bleeding and apply pressure, recover amputated, keep victim comfortable until EMS arrives

Internal bleeding signs and symptoms

short of breath, sweating, bruising, decreased level of consciousness, abdominal muscle spasm, swelling, shock

Internal bleeding treatment

Phone EMS, Treat for shock

Head injuries signs and symptoms

Decreased level of consciousness, uneven pupils, head pain, bleeding, swelling, nausea and vomiting, shock, blood or fluid coming from the mouth or the ears

head injuries treatments

Call EMS, immobilize spine, treat area for bleeding, bruising, and swelling

Concussion signs and symptoms

Victims claims to “see stars”, loss of memory around the time of events

Concussion treatment

Call EMs, Treat the area for bleeding, treat for shock

Spinal injury signs and symptoms

pain at site of injury, loss of coordination, weakness, abnormal positioning, impaired breathing, loss of control over bladder and bowels, shock

Spinal injury treatment

Call EMS, immobilize in position victims was found in, ABC’s,

Dental and mouth injury signs and symptoms

Airway may be blocked by teeth fragments, broken of missing teeth, cut tongue

Dental and mouth injury treatment

Ensure airway is open, salvage missing teeth, keep blood and saliva drained away from the throat by tilting the head forward, advise victim to seek dentist or medical help as a follow-up

Nosebleeds treatment

Pinch nose firmly with thumb and forefinger just above the nostrils, hold for at least 20 min while using tissues to soak up blood. Tilt head foreword to drain blood away from the throat. Call EMS is nosebleed lasts more then 20 min

Eye injury signs and symptoms

Pain and swelling around the eye, redness, bleeding, increased eye movement, tearing, sensitive to light,

Eye injury treatment

Call EMS if there is an object in the eye or vision is affected, clean and bandage the wound as you would any other wound

Chemical spill in eyes treatment

Call EMS, flush the eyes out with running water for 15-20 min

Object embedded in the eyeball treatment

Call EMS, do not remove the object, do not apply pressure, bandage without putting pressure on the both the eye and the object, encourage to not move eyes

sucking chest wound signs and sypmtoms

puncture type wound in chest, a sucking sound when victim breathes in

sucking chest wound treatment

Call EMS, be sensitive to the victims privacy, help into comfortable position, Place a seal over the wound using any nearby material, leave one edge of the open to allow air to escape,

Broken ribs rigns and sypmtoms

Rapid breathing, pain at point of injury, moving or coughing causes pain

Broken ribs treatment

Call EMS, Help into comfortable position, do not wrap or bandage

RICE

Rest, immobilize, Cold, elevate

What is RICE used for

Sprains, strains, broken bones, fractures

Sprains and strains signs and symptoms

Mild or severe pain, swelling, bruising

Sprains and strains treatment

RICE, advise victims to go see medical follow-up

Dislocation signs and symptoms,

Pain, swelling, bruising, difficulty moving the area, joints affected may look deformed

Closed fracture signs and sypmtoms

Pain, swelling, bruising, deformity, victims hears or felt cracking

closed fracture treatment

RICE, Call EMS, Asses circulation

Open fracture signs and sypmtoms

Pain, swelling, bruising, bone protruding the skin, bleeding

open fracture treatment

do NOT move the victim, rest the affected part, place a clean bandage over exposed bone and wound, call EMS

Heat burns first degree signs and syptoms

Redness, pain, mild swelling, shock

First degree burns treatment

Flush he burned area with cool water, Repeat until victim says there is no more heat in the area, call EMS if the burn area is large or affects the face and neck

Second degree burns signs and symptoms

Redness, Pain, swelling, blisters

Second degree burns treatment

Flush the burned area with cool water, cover area with clean dressing, do not break blisters, advise victim to see a doctor, Call EMS if the burned area is larger then the palm of your hand

Third degree burns signs and symptoms

Red, black and grey tissue, waxy tight skin, tissue and organs exposed

Third degree burns treatment

Call EMS, flush area with cool water, cover burned area with dressing

Chemical burns signs and sypmtoms

Redness, swelling, pain, same as for heat burns

chemical burns treatment

Do not touch chemical products, wear gloves, flush with water for at least 15 min, Call EMS if the burned area is larger then the palm of your hand

Electrical burns signs and symptoms

Distress, breathing and circulation problems, burns similar to heat burns

Electrical burns treatment

Call EMS, Turn off current before touching the victim, make sure you are in a dry area, cover any wounds with dry clean dressings

Heat cramps signs and symptoms

Victim is in a hot environment, sweating, pain and spasms in muscles, fatigue, headache, dizziness, shock

Heat cramps treatment

Move to cool area, give victims cool water to drink, stretch the cramp, advise victim to eat salty foods

Heat exhaustion signs and symptoms

Hot, disoriented, nausea, restlessness, sweating, weak rapid pulse

Heat exhaustion treatment

Move to cool spot, cool the victim gradually, give them a drink of water, call EMS if the victim looses consciousness

Heatstroke signs and sypmtoms

Hot, nausea, sweating, body temperature rises quickly, vomiting, convulsions

Heatstroke treatment

Call EMS, this is life-threatening, move to cool area, cool victims as quick as possible

Hypothermia signs and symptoms

Shivering, loss of coordination, fatigue, shock, decreased consciousness

Hypothermia treatment

Move victims to dry place, do not rub the victim, warm the body, Call EMS if the victim looses consiuoness