First aid. Part II

In the second part of my presentation I would show you how you should give first aid. By performing simple procedures and following certain guidelines, it may be possible to save someone’s life by giving basic treatment until professional medical help arrives. First aid is a comprehensive knowledge and I hope you know I can’t present it all but only most important things.
In an emergency you have no time to read or watch this instructions but if you have memorized basic procedures, it allows you to react quickly and efficiently.

BASIC LIFE SUPPORT FOR ADULTS

The task of the person providing first aid is to keep the victim alive and not to permit the creation of further complications until the arrival of professional medical care.

1. Make sure the victim and witnesses are safe.
2. Check the victim's reaction. Gently shake his shoulders and ask loudly: "Are you all right?"
3. a) If there is the response:
   
   • leave the victim in his position if it’s safe and try to get information about him and call for help if needed.
   b) If there is no response:
   
   • shout for help.
   • turn the victim onto his back and clear airway, using the head tilt and chin lift
4. Keeping clear airway, try to find a breath:
   
   • The chest should work.
   • Listen to breath around the mouth.
   • Try to sense the air movement on your cheek.
     
   Rate if the breath is normal. If you have any doubt, act as if it was invalid.
5. a) If breathing is correct:
   
   • Place the victim in the safe position
   • send someone or yourself to go for help (call an ambulance)
   b) If breathing is not correct:
   
   • send someone to call help, and if you're alone, leave the victim and call an ambulance, go back and start chest compressions, as described below:
     Kneel beside the victim,
   • Place the heel of your hand in the middle of the chest above the breasts. The heel of your hand should now be positioned on the middle of the lower half of the breastbone (not over the ribs or stomach).
   • Now place the heel of your other hand on top of the first. Keep your fingers off the chest, by locking them together. Your pressure should be applied through the heels of the hands only.
   • Keep your elbows straight, and bring your body weight over your hands to make it easier to press down.
   • Press down firmly and quickly to achieve a downwards movement of 4 to 5cm, then relax and repeat the compression.
   • Do this at a rate of about 100 times a minute (which is fast and hard work – you can help your timing and counting by saying out loud “one and two and three and four” etc)
   • Do this 30 times.
   • Now open the airway by positioning the head with the chin pointing upward.
   • Pinch the nostrils shut with two fingers to prevent leakage of air.
   • Take a normal breath, and seal your own mouth over the person's mouth, making sure there's a good seal.
   • Breathe slowly into the person's mouth – it should take about two seconds to adequately inflate the chest.
   • Do this twice.
   • Check to see if the chest rises as you breathe into the patient's mouth.
   • If it does, enough air is being blown in.
   • If there's resistance, try to hold the head back further and lift the chin again.
   • Continue with 30 chest compression, then two rescue breaths – and only stop if the victim starts to breath.
   Do not stop for any other reason, until someone else can take you over . This should happen every couple of minutes, without any interruption to compressions. If there are two rescuers: one can do breaths and the other compressions.

http://www.republika.pl/ssr/galeria/pomoc

CPR Training Video

Questions:

• Have you ever performed first aid ?
• Where did you learn the rules of first aid?
• Do you know the story where first aid wasn’t performed?