1.03 Recognizing & Responding to Emergencies PDF

1.03 RECOGNIZING & RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES HU40 Health Science I  ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What are the initial steps in responding to an emergency? Which emergencies should be recognized by a first responder? What are the reasons to activate the Emergency Management...

1.03 RECOGNIZING & RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES HU40 Health Science I  ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What are the initial steps in responding to an emergency? Which emergencies should be recognized by a first responder? What are the reasons to activate the Emergency Management System? DO YOU HAVE WH AT IT TAKES TO B E A FIRST RESPO NDER?  WHY IS EARLY RECOGNITION & RESPONSE Saves lives IMPORTANT? Helps shorten recovery time Helps prevent long term disabilities Allows you to provide for the victim’s comfort Helps to prevent the situation from worsening  SCENE SAFETY Before attempting to render any first aid you MUST ensure the scene is safe Always look around and check for safety—safety for yourself and safety for the victim! You cannot help anyone if you become a victim yourself NEVER put yourself in danger when trying to help others  ASSESS THE SCENE Observe for possible dangers to you and the victim: Traffic Fire/Smoke Hazardous liquids or gases Wires: Loose wires or dangling power lines Drugs: Are drugs or alcohol involved? Used needles? Glass: Broken glass around the victim? Violent situations: Are any angry or aggressive people involved?  INITIAL ASSESSMENT Purpose: To detect life threats which must be dealt with first Assess general condition and level of consciousness: Is the victim alert, responsive, responsive to verbal or painful stimuli, or unresponsive oAirway: Is airway open? If any liquid or debris in airway, roll onto side and clear airway, Use head-tilt, chin-lift to keep airway open unless a spinal injury is suspected oBreathing: Place ear next to victim’s nose and mouth; Look for chest rise; Listen for breaths; Feel for breaths on your cheek oCirculation: Check pulse—carotid if not breathing, radial if  GOOD SAMARITAN LAW Provides legal protection to people who give reasonable assistance to those who are injured, ill, in danger, or incapacitated Written to encourage bystanders to get involved in emergency situations without fear that they will be sued if their actions inadvertently contribute to a person’s injury or death If someone is conscious you should always ask permission to help If someone is unconscious or cannot respond,  RECOGNIZING DIFFERENT TYPES OF EMERGENCIES You will need to be able to recognize certain types of emergencies: 1. Anaphylaxis 2. Burns 3. Choking 4. Drowning 5. Fainting 6. Hemorrhage 7. Poisoning 8. Seizures  ANAPHYLAXIS Anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock is an extreme, life-threatening allergic reaction that causes airway constriction and low blood pressure Common causes: insect bites or stings, medications, foods (nuts, spices and shellfish), chemicals, etc. Symptoms include: Hives or skin rash, breathing difficulty, restlessness and anxiety, rapid and weak pulse, altered mental status,  ANAPHYLAXIS EVALUATION AND TREATMENT If an allergic reaction is suspected, ask if the patient is allergic to anything and if they have been in contact with that substance If patient is unresponsive check for medical identification jewelry People with known allergies may carry an epi-pen Be prepared to assist the patient  BURNS Caused by radiation, sun, boiling water, chemicals, fire or electricity RULE OF NINES – Measures percent of body burned. Body divided into 11 area, each is 9% of body surface  CLASSIFICATION OF BURNS 1st degree: Skin is pink to red, no blisters and moderately painful 2nd degree: involves lower layers of skin, redness with blisters 3rd degree: Involves epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous layers, loss of skin, blackened skin and may be life threatening  FIRST AID FOR BURNS Minor Burns Cool the burn under cool Major Burns running water Call 911 Remove rings and other Protect from further injury— tight items from burned area make sure power source is off Do not break blisters! before approach if electrical If skin is blistered, apply burn loose gauze dressing to Make sure person is breathing protect blisters Do not place large burns in water as may cause hypothermia  CHOKING Choking occurs when an object lodges in the throat blocking air flow Universal sign for choking is hands grasping throat BUT not all people will do this! Ask if the person is choking. They may only be able to shake their head Yes (or no). If the person is able to speak or is coughing forcefully stay with them until they clear their airway or become worse. Encourage coughing. Other indications: Inability to talk; Difficulty breathing or noisy breathing; Skin, lips and nails turning blue or dusky; Skin that is flushed and then turns pale or bluish in color; Loss of consciousness If the person is choked assist with the Heimlich maneuver AKA Abdominal Thrust! HEIMLICH MANEUVER AKA ABDOMINAL THRUST  DROWNING “Near drowning” means someone almost died from not being able to breathe due to submersion under water Thousands of people drown in the U.S. each year Quick medical attention is necessary Look for signs of a swimmer struggling—they may not shout out Most drownings in children under 1 year old occur in the bathtub It may be possible to revive a drowning person, even after a long time under water, especially if the person is young and was in very cold water.  FAINTING Fainting (OR syncope) occurs due to temporary loss of blood flow to brain Should be an emergency until symptoms are relieved and the cause is determined (fainting often occurs with heart problems) Position the person on their back—if there are no injuries and the person is breathing, raise feet above heart level Trendelenlburg!! Loosen any constrictive clothing To reduce chance of fainting again avoid getting person up too quickly  HEMORRHAGE A person who is bleeding heavily can die from blood loss within 5 minutes It is important to stop the bleeding Put on gloves and apply firm direct pressure with both hands Use bandages, towels or other absorbent material to apply pressure If blood soaks through apply more on top— do not remove the dressing!! You will remove any clot that may be forming If bleeding does not stop, apply a tourniquet. Document time!  ACCIDENTAL POISONING Poisoning: injury or death due to swallowing, inhaling, touching or injecting various drugs, chemicals, venoms or gases Symptoms of possible poisoning: burns around mouth; chemical odor to breath; vomiting; difficulty breathing; drowsiness; confusion Call 911 when: person is drowsy or unconscious; having trouble breathing; having seizures; or has taken medications or other substances intentionally or accidentally overdosed Call Poison Control (800-222-1222) if the  SEIZURE S Generalized seizure symptoms include: unconsciousness, muscle contractions and jerking motions First aid: Stay calm Do not restrain the person Do not put anything in the person’s mouth Clear the area of any objects that could injure them Place something flat and soft under the person’s head When the seizure ends, place the person on their side Call 911 if person has never had a seizure before or if it lasts more  ACTIVATING THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM Reasons to call 911: The person’s condition seems to be life- threatening The person’s condition could worsen and become life-threatening on the way to the hospital Moving the person could cause further harm The person needs early access to the skills, treatment and equipment provided by paramedics Driving would cause a significant delay in getting to the hospital  CALL GUIDELINES Call 911. Keep calm and speak clearly. Be prepared to: Provide the name of the person and nature of the problem Share location (address if possible) Tell the location of the victim (such as downstairs or in the back yard) Provide the phone number you are calling from Stay on the phone with the dispatcher until they tell you that you may hang up  RESOURCES Sung, Y H. “Ambulance.” Creative Commons, Flickr, 18 June 2008, https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/04e78d93-2191-437d-89ba-9593cc2b3758. File:September 26, 2007 accident, highway 9, CT.jpg. (2017, February 6). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 18:23, May 29, 2020 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:September_26,_2007_accident,_highway_9,_CT.jpg&oldid=232630012. File:Downed Power Lines Pole (7516108670).jpg. (2017, December 15). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 18:26, May 29, 2020 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Downed_Power_Lines_Pole_(7516108670).jpg&oldid=272205166. File:Checking respiration.png. (2016, December 10). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 18:33, May 29, 2020 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Checking_respiration.png&oldid=225718676. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/588142032562350089/ File:Apis mellifera Western honey bee.jpg. (2020, February 18). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 18:58, May 29, 2020 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Apis_mellifera_Western_honey_bee.jpg&oldid=395758151. File:Epi-Pen 2016.jpg. (2017, April 11). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 19:01, May 29, 2020 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Epi-Pen_2016.jpg&oldid=240471747. File:Lund-Browder chart-burn injury area.PNG. (2016, November 25). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 23:56, October 28, 2019 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Lund-Browder_chart-burn_injury_area.PNG&oldid=219083274. "File:Burn Degree Diagram.svg." Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. 22 Jan 2016, 22:04 UTC. 29 Oct 2019, 00:13 < https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Burn_Degree_Diagram.svg&oldid=185358114>. "File:Heimlich Adult & Child.png." Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. 16 Mar 2018, 07:23 UTC. 29 Oct 2019, 00:54 < https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Heimlich_Adult_%26_Child.png&oldid=292362854>. “Other images taken from Creative Commons with CCO license. No attribution required.” HU40 Health Science I ADDITIONAL RESOURCES https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid https://www.healthline.com/health/first-aid#definition https://medlineplus.gov/firstaid.html https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/first-aid/performing-first-aid/fi rst-aid-steps https://www.itrauma.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Development -of-the-2015-ILCOR-Treatment-Recommendations-Jonathan-Epstein. pdf