Lecture 6: Sudden Illness PDF

Lecture 6 Sudden Illness First Aid Course-PHMU 702 Prof. Dr. Nabila Hamdi MD, PhD  ILOs a. Knowledge & Understanding a.1. Recognize the principles for basic life support measures a.4. Recognize important and common medical emergencies...

Lecture 6 Sudden Illness First Aid Course-PHMU 702 Prof. Dr. Nabila Hamdi MD, PhD  ILOs a. Knowledge & Understanding a.1. Recognize the principles for basic life support measures a.4. Recognize important and common medical emergencies b. Professional and practical skills b.1. Assess and perform the appropriate first aid measures for acutely ill victims. c. Intellectual skills c.1. Demonstrate the rapid and correct assessment of the situation and casualty at the scene of an Incident. c.2. Analyze the common conditions of medical emergencies. c.4. Select the appropriate first aid measures for sudden illness. d. General and transferable skills d.1. Work effectively in a team d.2. Communicate effectively with emergency care providers d.3. Act in a reliable and responsible manner 2  Diabetic Emergencies  Hypoglycemia It is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when a person with diabetes does one of the following: 1. Takes too much insulin 2. Does not eat 3. Overexerts self or exercises 4. Vomits 3  Diabetic Emergencies Hypoglycemia What to look for? What to do? Responsive, alert, can swallow The person may be able to tell you what Medical identification tag to do. Sudden onset of symptoms (no sugar 1. If blood glucose monitor available, is reaching the brain) allow the person to check blood Staggering, poor coordination, glucose. clumsiness 2. Use the rule of 15 when: Anger, bad temper Testing is not possible Cold, pale, moist, clammy skin Testing shows a low blood glucose Confusion, disorientation level Sudden hunger Profuse sweating or shaking occurs in Excessive sweating a patient with diabetes Trembling, shakiness 3. If no improvement, call emergency number as soon as possible. 4  Diabetic Emergencies Hypoglycemia The rule of 15: Have the person eat 15 grams of sugar:  3 to 5 glucose tablets  3 to 5 teaspoons table sugar  ½ cup (118 ml) orange juice or regular soft drink (not diet) Wait 15 minutes for the sugar to get into the blood Recheck blood glucose level. If it is still low or no testing is available, give the person 15 more grams of sugar to consume. 5  Diabetic Emergencies Hypoglycemia What to look for? What to do? Unresponsive 1. Call emergency number immediately Unable to follow simple instructions 2. Monitor breathing Has seizures 3. Look for a medical identification tag Unable to swallow 4. DO NOT give any food or drink 5. Place the person on the side to keep the airway open and to drain fluids or vomit from the mouth. 6  Diabetic Emergencies  Hyperglycemia Several conditions can cause hyperglycemia: 1. Insufficient insulin 2. Overeating 3. Illness 4. Inactivity 5. Stress If not treated within 24 hours, hyperglycemia can be fatal (diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state) 7  Diabetic Emergencies Hyperglycemia What to look for? What to do? Medical identification tag 1. Give small sips of water if the person Gradual onset (hours to days) because can swallow some sugar is still reaching the brains 2. If uncertain whether the person has a Drowsiness hypo- or hyperglycemia, and if he or Extreme thirst she is responsive and able to swallow, Very frequent urination use the rule of 15. The extra sugar will Warm, red, dry skin not cause significant harm in a person Vomiting experiencing hyperglycemia. Fruity breath odor 3. DO NOT give insulin unless the Heavy breathing person can self-administer it Eventual unresponsiveness 4. Call emergency number as soon as possible. 8  Seizures Seizures result from a disturbance of the electrical activity in the brain, causing uncontrolled muscle movements. Causes include: 1. Epilepsy 2. Head injury 3. Brain tumor 4. Stroke 5. Heat stroke 6. Poisoning (alcohol or drugs) 7. Diabetic emergency 8. High fever 9  Seizures What to look for? What to do? A sudden cry or a scream 1. Move nearby objects to avoid injury A sudden loss of responsiveness 2. Place something soft under the head Rigid body followed by jerky such as a rolled towel. movement with arching of the back 3. DO NOT hold the person down (convulsions) 4. DO NOT put anything between the Foaming at mouth person’s teeth or give anything by Drooling from mouth mouth. Grinding from teeth 5. Time the seizure from start to finish Blue lips and face 6. Most seizures do not require medical Eyes rolling upward care and end in 1 to 2 minutes. Loss of bladder or bowel control 7. Keep bystanders away 10  Seizures What to do? Call emergency if: Seizure lasting longer than 5 minutes Series of seizures following one another Breathing difficulties after the seizure The person has diabetes or is pregnant Seizure happened in water This is the person’s first known seizure The seizure is injury-related Slow recovery 11  Seizures What to do? After the seizure: Keep the airway open by placing the person on his or her side and head on a rolled towel. Monitor breathing and if stops, give CPR. Allow the person to sleep. Stay with the person until he or she is alert. Recovery position 12  Stroke What to look for? What to do? FAST: Call emergency number and while Face: ask the person to smile waiting for the EMS: Arms: ask the person to close the eyes 1. Monitor breathing and begin CPR if and raise both arms with palms up breathing stops. Speech: ask the person to repeat a 2. Position the person on his/her back simple sentence with head and shoulders slightly Time: seek medical help if any of these raised. signs occurs. 3. Loosen tight or constricting clothing The presence of one of these signs is 4. Be prepared to turn the person onto associated with a high risk of stroke his/her side to allow drool or vomit to (72%) drain. If all 3 signs are present, the risk is 5. If the person is unresponsive but 85%. breathing, place on his/her side. 13 Stroke 14  Fainting What to look for? What to do? 1. Check breathing A person that has 2. If breathing has stopped, call emergency and start suddenly collapsed CPR Pale skin, lips and nail 3. If the person is breathing: bed Keep the person flat on the back. Feet can be raised Clammy, sweaty skin (15 to 30 cm) if it does not cause pain. Monitor breathing Loosen tight clothing If the person fell, check and treat any injuries. Wipe the person’s forehead with a cool, wet cloth. 4. Seek medical care if: Repeated episodes Fainting for no apparent reason The person does not regain responsiveness quickly The person has diabetes, has seizures, is pregnant, has a loss of bowel or bladder control, or is over age 15 50.  Fainting Do NOT: Use ammonia inhalants Give the person anything to drink or eat until he or she is fully recovered and can swallow. Splash or pour water on the person’s face. Slap the person’s face in an attempt to revive him or her. 16  References ECSI Emergency Care & Safety Institute. First Aid seventh edition, 2017. American College of Emergency Physicians. 17