First Aid Basics Quiz

First Aid Principles: Bandaging and CPR

• First aid involves helping behaviors and initial care for acute illnesses or injuries.
• The purpose of first aid is to preserve life, prevent suffering, prevent further complications, promote speedy recovery, assess the situation, call for help, provide appropriate care and report.
• Common injury causes include mechanical (impact, cuts), thermal (extreme temperatures), electrical (lightning, workplace), and radiation injuries.
• Common injury situations include cardiac arrest and choking.

Learning Objectives

• Understand general first aid principles.
• Understand the criteria and steps involved in quality CPR practices.
• Understand the basic concept of bandaging.

Emergency Action Steps

• Check for scene safety.
• Check the victim for responsiveness, pulse, and breathing.
• Call for help (999).
• Care for the victim and/or their relatives/friends.

Checking Responsiveness

• Unresponsive or unconscious person lying on the ground: silent, motionless.
• Tap on shoulder and ask (shout at both sides of ears.) check for response.
• Shout victim's name if known.
• Infant: check for response by flicking bottom of foot.
• If conscious, provide reassurance.
• If unconscious, check pulse and breathing.
• Perform a head-to-toe assessment to check for injury or bleeding.

Conscious Person Care

• Monitor any deterioration until ambulance arrives.
• Continue assessment.
• Provide necessary care according to general first aid principles.
• Help the victim rest in a safe and comfortable position.
• Avoid chilling or overheating the victim.
• Reassure the victim and their relatives/friends.
• Provide any needed care like bandaging.
• Maintain careful observation for any changes.

Recovery Position

• Lay the person down on their back with legs out straight.
• Kneel down beside them.
• Place the nearest arm on the floor next to their head, bent with palm facing up.
• Using the hand further away from you, pull the far arm across their chest, Guide the back of the hand towards their face resting on the cheek closest to you.
• The leg you pulled up will be straightened out in front of the person with the thigh at a right angle.
• Gently tilt their head back a little and open their mouth slightly to make it easier for them to breathe
• Rest their hand on their cheek, between their chin and the ground to stabilize.
• The procedure must be followed to help increase total airway volume and decrease stridor severity.

Checking Pulse and Breathing

• Adults: Locate and feel the carotid pulse.
• Infants: Feel for brachial pulse.
• Look for chest rising and falling with breathing, or gasping (ineffective breathing)
• Confirm pulse and breathing for 5-10 seconds.
• Breathing & pulse present = Maintain airway and recovery position.
• Pulse +ve, no breathing (or gasping) = Airway management and/or rescue breathing.

Unconsciousness

• Unconsciousness is a life-threatening emergency.
• If someone doesn't respond, assume they're unconscious.

Airway Management

• Assess the airway to ensure it is open and unobstructed.
• Unconscious person lying on back, tongue may block airway.
• Unconscious Person Airway - Use head-tilt/chin-lift or jaw thrust to open airway.
• Oropharyngeal airway (OPA) — inserted into mouth, used with unconscious patients — may stimulate gag reflex and induce vomiting, and might cause mouth or teeth trauma.
• Nasopharyngeal airway (NPA) – inserted into the nose.

Clear Airway

• Suctioning is used to clear the airway.
• Yankauer sucker tool is used in these procedures.

Maintaining Airway

• Procedures like oropharyngeal suctioning are crucial in clearing the airway.

OPA Insertion

• Measure the OPA, mouth opening using crossfinger technique
• Insert OPA with the curved end along roof of mouth, rotate half turn.
• Slide OPA into the throat and ensure correct placement and secure the flange on the lips.
• Make sure that the edge of the bandage by the elbow is secured by twisting the fabric and tucking it in, or using a safety pin.

NPA Insertion

• Inserting the NPA into the nose is necessary for semi-conscious clients.
• The NPA should be lubricated for comfort and to prevent nose bleeding.
• Proper size is measured from the tip of the nose to the tip of the ear.

Open/Clear/Maintain Airway

• Open: Head tilt/chin lift or jaw thrust.
• Clear: Suctioning.
• Maintain: Oropharyngeal airway OR nasopharyngeal airway or advanced airway.

Rescue Breathing

• Keep airway open. Watch for chest rise as air goes in.

Ventilation

• Proper ventilation technique like bag-valve-mask (BVM).
• Use three fingers to lift the jaw toward the mask, opening airway — E-C technique.
• Hold the mask firmly on the face, applying a tight seal.
• Use other hand to squeeze the bag (around 1/3) for 10-12 breaths per minute for adults.
• Observe chest rise for adequate ventilation.
• For adults use 30:2 compression-ventilation ratio.

Bag-Valve-Mask (BVM)

• The components of a BVM include an expiratory valve, PEEP valve, self-inflating bag, air-inlet one-way valve, and oxygen reservoir socket.
• A firm seal must be maintained between the bag and the victim's face.
• The bag should be squeezed around 1/3 of its full capacity.

CPR for Adults

• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) comprises chest compressions and rescue breaths when no pulse or breathing is detected (e.g., gasping).
• AED is necessary for defibrillation, when possible.
• Early CPR and Rapid Defibrillation are crucial and often work best.
• Chest compressions on a firm, flat surface or a backboard in the hospital are advised.

CPR for Adults: Chest Compression

• Kneel next to the person's upper chest.
• Place hands on the lower half of the sternum (breastbone).
• Center the hands over the heart.
• Keep arms straight and shoulders aligned directly over hands.
• Push hard straight down on the chest to the necessary depth (e.g., 5-6 cm for adults).
• Allow the chest to recoils completely after every push.
• Change compressors every 2 minutes (or sooner if fatigued).
• Maintain a 30:2 compression-ventilation ratio.

CPR for Adults: Ventilation

• Maintain the airway using the head-tilt/chin-lift or jaw-thrust technique.
• Provide rescue breaths.
• Watch for chest rise as air enters the lungs.
• Avoid excessive ventilation.

Defibrillation (AED)

• Automated External Defibrillator: Identify shockable rhythms (e.g., ventricular fibrillation (VF), pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT)).
• Use appropriate pads, considering patient's age and size.
• Ensure no one is touching the person.
• Deliver shock when advised by AED.
• Resume CPR if advised not to give a shock.
• Follow AED instructions.
• Important to minimize interruptions in chest compression when administering CPR.

When to Stop CPR

• Life-signs are present and observed, such as breathing.
• An AED is available, ready to analyze the rhythm.
• A trained responder is taking over or ready to take over
• If you are too exhausted or the scene becomes unsafe.

Bandaging

• Bandages (strips, patches, cloth bands) are used to secure dressings or splints, maintain pressure on wounds to stop bleeding, support injured limbs, prevent further injuries, and assist in victim transport.
• Triangular bandages can be used for large dressings, slings to support limbs, and securing dressings.
• Roller bandages allow ventilation while providing support for injuries like sprains and to help secure dressings.

Simple Spiral and Figure-of-8 Bandages

• Show how to bandage a hand/leg using different techniques (e.g., spiral, figure-of-8 etc.).