First Aid Basics

It is essential that each individual knows and understands information directly related to first aid. No one is immune from accidents, injuries, and various types of illnesses. When it comes to first aid, it is important to focus on universal based precautions and practices.

When providing care to others, it is important to ensure that you work to not only protect their well-being, but the individuals directly near the victim that you are assisting as well as yourself.

In order to ensure that you are successful in this endeavor, you should create a personal first aid kit that includes protective equipment and items that will reduce the possibility of becoming infected with a contagious illness.

Safety First

If you are in a position in which you are administering first aid to one or more individuals, safety should always remain a priority. This particular focus is one that should never be placed to the side when assisting others.

Naturally, it is common for those that observe others in an emergency situation to want to immediately assist them. Be it primal instinct or simply compassion, it is essential that we each take the time to stop and consider our own safety when tending to the needs of others.

You must be aware of the situation that you are directly involved in, your surroundings, and you should also allow a healthy based fear to help in guiding your reactions so that you may make sound choices that consider your lives, and those involved in an emergency situation.

The ABCs of First Aid

Whether you are a professional, such as a First Responder, Paramedic, EMT, or Law Enforcement Officer or a lay person, it is important that you gain an understanding of the ABCs of First Aid. ABC is actually considered "Initialisms" through the means of mnemonics for the purpose and intent of allowing an individual to remember core and essential based strategies for delivering first aid in the sequence of importance as it related to the life of the victim.

The "A", "B" and "C" stands for "Airway", "Breathing", and "Circulation" respectively. As you can see, each of these components are those that are considered to be vital when it comes to life. In addition to this, each of these components are outlined in the order of importance when it comes to life.

Airway

When administering first aid to a victim, you must quickly assess the situation in order to determine if the individual is conscious or unconscious. Naturally, while doing this, you will want to ensure that you are working to protect yourself and that others in close proximity of the individual are protected.

You should also ensure that professional assistance is being sought by calling 911 or by assigning another person at the scene to do so. Then, you will want to check the airway of the victim that requires assistance.

If you find that the person needing assistance is conscious, you may successfully check the airway by requesting that they speak to you. If the victim is unable to speak, it is a good indication that the airway is blocked by a foreign matter.

If you are attempting to determine if the airway is obstructed in an individual that is unconscious, you will first need to place your ear in close proximity to the mouth and listen intently to determine if there is being air emitted from the mouth. If there is, you are likely to both hear it and feel the warmth of the breathing on your skin.

While your ear is close to the victim's mouth, you will want to focus your attention on the chest as well as the abdominal area of the person's body. If the airway is not obstructed, you will notice that these two areas rise and fall respectively as the victim breathes in and breathes out.

Breathing

Once you make your initial observation of the patient by taking the steps to determine whether or not the airway is obstructed, you will be able to determine if the individual is breathing. If you discover that patient is not breathing, CPR or "Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation" will need to be initiated immediately.

In order to do this successfully, you must tilt the head back with the method that is identified as the "Chin-Lift". You will then close the nostrils of the individual and place a safety breathing device over the mouth of the victim and press air into the mouth.

You should then initiate compressions of the chest. Simply place the palm of your hand in the middle section of the chest. Take the other hand and interlock the fingers and then press down about one and a half inches.

Allow the chest to rise fully prior to starting the next compression. You should do this approximately thirty times and then revert to pressing the air into the mouth. This should be performed continuously until the victim is breathing or until medical assistance arrives.

If you find during your assessment that the victim is, in fact, breathing, you will want to move them to a position that is referred to by First Responders as "Recovery".

Basically, this involves gently placing the person on their side in a manner where the top leg is bent at an angle of 90°, and the head is tilted back so that the airway is completely free of obstructions. If you have a blanket or another type of protective covering to place on the victim, do so as this retains the body heat of the individual.

Circulation

Once you have tended to the airway and the breathing of the victim, it is important to focus on the circulation of the individual that requires first aid. One of the main means to determining whether the blood is properly circulating is by evaluating the color associated with the skin.

In many cases, the skin will be pale or have a tint of blue, gray, or white. Additionally, you may place your hand on the skin of the victim. If you discover that it is cold, there is likely an issue with the circulation of the body. If you determine there is an issue, the best first aid option that you have is to start CPR.

The exception to this is if you find that the victim is bleeding. In this instance, you should take steps that will help to restrict the flow of blood from the body, such as direct pressure, and never removing items used to control bleeding, but simply adding more on top.

Remembering to layer cloth, gauze, and bandages is an essential first aid step for stopping bleeding successfully. While attempting to stop the blood from freely flowing from the body, it is important to ensure that you continuously observe the victim for signs that their body may be going into a state of shock.

This occurs when reduced amounts of blood are reaching organs throughout the body as well as the brain. Symptoms may include skin discoloration, confusion, breathing rapidly, moist skin that is cool to the touch, and unconsciousness. By following these basic measures on first aid, you will be able to protect yourself and others, and successfully tend to the needs of others.