Member Article

St John Ambulance practical first aid tips

Continuing our series on first aid with St John Ambulance, Jay Allen Service Delivery Coordinator with St John Ambulance Commercial Training Division, gives us some further first aid tips for common emergency scenarios.

Jay’s first column for bdaily covered correct first aid procedures for: choking, severe bleeding, unconsciousness, recovery position, and casualty not breathing.

This second column will cover first aid for asthma; swallowed poisons, nose bleed; seizures or fits; and minor burns and scalds.

Two out of three people in the UK wouldn’t know what to do in a first aid emergency, yet alarmingly 150,000 people die needlessly in this country every year in circumstances where first aid could have saved them. *

St John Ambulance teaches people first aid so they’re equipped to be the difference between lives lost and lives saved.

Remember these tips are no substitute for thorough knowledge of first aid! St John Ambulance holds first aid courses throughout the North East. Go to www.sja.org.uk for more information.

*Using death registration data from the Office of National Statistics, April 2010.

1 Asthma

An asthma attack could be triggered by an allergy, a cold, or a certain drug. But some attacks may be caused by no trigger. Asthma suffers will usually use a reliever inhaler during an attack to help them.

What to do to help:

-Keep calm and reassure the casualty. Get them to take a puff of their reliever inhaler. Ask them to breathe slowly and deeply

-Sit them down in a comfortable position, but not lying down

-A mild attack should ease within a few minutes. If it doesn’t, ask the casualty to take another dose from their inhaler

-If the attack is severe call for emergency help

-Monitor their vital signs until help arrives. If the casualty’s condition gets worse and breathing doesn’t ease with the inhaler then call 999/112.

2 Swallowed poisons

-If the casualty is conscious, ask them what they have swallowed. If you can, ask them when and how much they swallowed

-If they have swallowed a corrosive poison then offer the casualty some ice or sips of cold water to try to cool the airway and relieve pain

-Reassure the casualty and if they can’t tell you look out for clues of what they might have taken. There may be containers, medicine bottles or berries nearby

-Call for emergency help and give ambulance control as much information as possible about the poison

-Keep a watch of the person’s vital signs while you wait for medical help. If the casualty has vomited, keep samples of the vomit and give them to the ambulance crew along with any other clues once they arrive.

3 Nosebleed

-Reassure the casualty, tell them to sit down and tilt their head forward. They should breathe through the mouth and ask them to pinch the soft part of their nose for 10 minutes

-Give the casualty a tissue to wipe up any dribbling. Advise them not to speak or cough or sniff - doing so may damage any blood clots that may have formed

-After 10 minutes, the casualty should release pressure from the nose and if the bleeding hasn’t stopped then tell them to re-apply the pressure for a further 2 periods of 10 minutes

-If the nosebleed lasts longer than 30 minutes then arrange for the casualty to go to hospital.

4 Seizure

Epilepsy is the most common cause of seizures but it can be caused by a head injury and some damaging diseases or shortage of oxygen.

You can recognise when someone is suffering from a seizure if they suddenly become unconscious, have rigidity and arching of the back and convulsive moments.

What you should do to help:

-Give the casualty space, ask bystanders to move away. Remove items that could be dangerous, such as hot drinks and sharp items

-Protect the person’s head; place something soft underneath or around the neck. Loosen any tight clothing if possible, especially around the neck if it is safe to do so

-Once the convulsive movements stop, open the airway and check the casualty’s breathing. If they’re breathing, place the person into the recovery position

-Monitor the vital signs as well as the duration of the seizure.

5 Minor burns and scalds

Most minor burns can be treated successfully by first aid and will heal naturally.

Sometimes small blisters can form after a burn. You should never break a blister caused by a burn because that may introduce infection into the wound.

Keep the injured part under cold water for at least 10 minutes or until the pain has eased

Gently remove any jewellery, watches, belts or tight clothing from the injured area before it begins to swell

Cover the burn with clean, non-fluffy material to protect from infection. Cloth, a clean plastic bag or kitchen film all make good dressings. Apply lengthways over the burn, not around the limb because the tissue may swell

Seek medical advice if the casualty is a child, or if you are in doubt about the person’s condition.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jay Allen .