PHE 202_4 Circulatory Disorders and First Aid Treatment PDF

4. CIRCULATORY DISORDERS AND FIRST AID TREATMENT  The circulatory disorder results from loss of blood which may arise from wounds. The coverage of the topic are:  i. Wound  ii. Bleeding  iii. Shock  iv. Electric shock 1 ...

4. CIRCULATORY DISORDERS AND FIRST AID TREATMENT  The circulatory disorder results from loss of blood which may arise from wounds. The coverage of the topic are:  i. Wound  ii. Bleeding  iii. Shock  iv. Electric shock 1  i. WOUNDS  Wound is a break in continuity of the body surface or the skin with or without injury to the deeper tissues.  It is usually characterised with the lost of blood and other body fluids in varying quantities depending on the extent of the wound.  In almost all cases, the skin is either slightly or largely opened and germs may enter and may also result in loss of large volume of blood. Hence the need for First Aid treatment 2 i. WOUNDS 3  TYPES OF WOUND  A wound may be of the following types:  Contusion/Bruise: this is a wound sustained from a blow or punch received from a blunt instrument such as hammer which ruptured the capillaries beneath the skin. ruptured, blood leaks into the tissue  Abrasion: this is a wound in which the top layers of the skin are scrapped off, therefore it is referred to as superficial wound. It is usually caused by sliding, falling or rubbing of skin against hard surface or friction burn.  Incised wound: this is caused by cut from sharp edged object such as razor, knife or broken glass.  Laceration: this is caused by crushing forces which lead to rough tearing of the skin. The wound may be sustained from machine, barbed wire or claws of animal.  Puncture/stabbed: this is caused by standing on sharp pointed object like nail or being stabbed with a sharp pointed object such as dagger. 4  TYPES OF WOUND Abrasion Bruise Incised Wound Laceration 5 FIRST AID TREATMENT OF MINOR WOUNDS  Wash hand  Clean and dry  Cover/dress  Avoid cough/sneeze 6  FIRST AID TREATMENT OF MAJOR WOUNDS  Control bleeding – direct pressure/part raised  Cover and hold  Treat for shock  Resuscitate if necessary 7  SPECIAL WOUNDS  Eye wound - There could be severe pain, bloodshot, leakage of blood/fluid or partial/total loss of vision - Lie on the back and head is held still, place pad/dressing on the eye, hospital. Cut throat – suicide attempt/murder, jugular vein/carotid artery - bend the head forward and hold edges together, clean and apply dressing, keep close watching and seek medical assistance as quickly as possible. Infected wound – septic, multiple germs, pus, swollen glands -treat like fresh wound 8  ii. BLEEDING Bleeding is the loss of blood which results from the opening of any blood vessel. Bleeding is also known as haemorrhage and it is usually taken serious because blood is important to life. Bleeding can be minor or severe bleeding. Forms of Bleeding  Arterial bleeding – bleeding resulting from a break in artery blood vessel. Because the artery carries blood away from the heart, the blood gushes out under high pressure and usually bright red in colour  Venous bleeding – this result from a break in venial blood vessel which carries blood away from the heart under low pressure  Capillary bleeding – Bleeding result from break in capillaries. The blood is under low pressure and easy to control 9  TYPES OF BLEEDING Internal Bleeding  This is a type of bleeding that occurs within the body cavities, organs or tissues. It may result from injury which occur spontaneously from ailment such as stomach ulcer.  It is dangerous and lead to death if proper attention is not given within a short time. External Bleeding  This is a type of bleeding that occurs outside the body, the blood escapes to the surface of the body and it is visible.  The blood may gush, flow or ooze from the site of the injury depending on the blood vessel that is broken 10 FIRST AID TREATEMENTOF BLEEDING  Keep the casualty at rest and the injured part still  Remove tight clothing around the neck, chest and waist  Raise and support the injured part if it involved the limb  Apply sterile dressing or any clean material and bandage in position  Take the casualty to the hospital if internal bleeding is suspected 11 FIRST AID TREATMENT SEVERE BLEEDING  Severe bleeding could lead to anaemia or death if not controlled immediately.  The signs of severe bleeding are cold and clammy skin, paleness or pallor, shallow breathing, weak but rapid pulse rate, mental confusion and irritability among others.  Control of Severe Bleeding  Put the casualty in a suitable position to lower blood pressure  Raise the affected part above other part of the body to reduce blood flow to the affect part  Dressing and bandage the affected part.  Do not force out any foreign body, apply pressure- direct or indirect.  Direct pressure over the part (dressing/pad)-10 minutes 12  INDIRECT PRESSURE  Use of pressure point – where main artery can be compressed against a bone/mass muscle  It involves feel of pulsation, use of fingers/palm, not more than 10 minutes  Common points are: Carotid pressure point – at the neck close to the chin Subclavian pressure point – under the clavicle bone close to the neck Brachial pressure point – inner side of the upper arm Femoral pressure point – inner side of the thigh 13 BLEEDING AT SPECIAL SITES IN THE BODY  EAR due to internal injury (skull). It requires recovery position, dressing/pad on the ear, hospital  NOSE may be due to strenuous physical activity, fall, blow, fracture of the skull or as sign of medical condition. It requires that head is held forward, tight clothing around the neck is loosen, pinch the nose {10 minutes), no speaking, coughing, spitting or blowing of nose,  Blood vomiting and coughing – alimentary tract, lung or any other part of respiratory tract. 14  iii. FAINTING  Fainting is momentary loss of consciousness that is caused by temporary reduction of blood to the brain  May be due to long period of standing still – stuffy/hot environment, emotional upset, fright, exhaustion/starvation, illness/injuries  There could be cold skin, unsteadiness, slow pulse, sudden fall  Raise the legs, avoid crowd, loose tight clothing, carry out resuscitation if necessary 15  iv. SHOCK  Certain organs (heart/brain) may fail –unconsciousness. May be due to severe bleeding, break of bad news etc.  Types of Shock  i. Circulatory/Oligaemic – inadequate circulation of blood in the body due to sharp drop in blood pressure, cardiac problem or severe infection leading to reduced activities of vital organs  ii. Psychogenic/Neurogenic – this is due to sudden deep emotional stress /upset arising from bad news, fear, etc.  iii. Anaphylactic – major allergic reaction takes place due to injection, sting or ingestion and drastic fall in blood pressure occurs.  Signs/Symptoms include, weak pulse, pale look, shallow breathing, thirst, loss of consciousness mental confusion, heart beat may stop.  Treatment requires quick recognition of a shock and pay attention to the obvious cause, etc. 16  ELECTRIC SHOCK  Contact with electric current and causing the body fluid to dry up instantly  Effect depends on voltage of the current contacted/absence of insulating material  Could occur at home, school, workplace/wherever there is electricity. May result in burns, heart disorder, convulsion, electrocution  Treatment – source of current, dry body/insulator, push, resuscitate, clean/dress, medical assistance. 17