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Basic First Aid
What is First Aid?
What is First Aid?
 First
Aid is the immediate temporary care
given to an injured or ill person until he or
she can get professional help.
 In serious cases, providing the correct first
aid can make the difference between life
and death.
 Anytime first aid is needed, it’s important
to stay calm!
Universal Precautions
 People
infected with HIV or hepatitis B
carry the virus in their blood. Because
these diseases are communicable,
touching contaminated blood carries a
risk. For this reason, it is important to
protect yourself when giving First Aid.
 Universal Precautions: actions taken to
prevent the spread of disease by treating
all blood as if it were contaminated.
Universal Precautions
 Wearing
gloves when treating a victim.
 Use a face mask or shield when giving first
aid for breathing emergencies.
 Cover any open wounds on your body
with sterile dressings.
 Avoid touching any object that had
contact with the victim’s blood.
 Always wash your hands thoroughly after
giving first aid.
The First Steps
 The
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first steps of First Aid:
Recognize the signs of an emergency
Decide to act
Call for help
Provide care until help arrives
Recognize the signs
 Senses
of hearing, sight, and smell will
alert you to most emergencies.
 See an accident?
 Are you hearing people call out?
 Smell smoke? Any smell that makes your
eyes sting? Causes you to cough? Or
makes breathing difficult?
Decide to Act
 Evaluate
the situation an decide what
action is needed. Consider your strengths
and limitations-unless you are trained in
lifesaving, don’t dive into a lake to rescue
someone who is drowning.
 What should you do instead?
Decide to Act (cont.)
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Your first responsibility in any situation is to
protect your own safety. Never put your life in
danger to help someone else.
Some people hesitate to help others because
they are afraid of doing something wrong.
Good Samaritan laws- protect rescuers who
act responsibly from legal action.
Getting help is often the best and only action
for you to take, this alone can save a life.
Call for Help

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In most of the United States, the number to
call for all emergencies is 911. Dialing 0 for the
operator is also an option and may be
necessary in some small towns.
Stay calm, be ready to tell the operator the
nature of the emergency and the street
address or location.
The operator will inform the police, fire
department, or emergency medical services.
Stay on the phone until the operator has all
the necessary information.
Provide Care Until Help Arrives

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Once you have called for help, provide care
by staying with the injured person and
protecting him or her from further injury.
Help the person maintain normal body
temperature by providing a coat or blanket
for warmth.
Carefully loosen any tight clothing, and
provide shade if necessary.
Reassure the victim that help is on the way.
Moving a Victim
 In
general, you should not try to move a
victim. Moving the person could cause
pain or further injury.
 Wait for professional help to arrive.
 The only situation in which a victim should
be moved is if he or she is in danger, such
as in the path of oncoming traffic.
Discussion Questions
 Why
is it so important to know basic first
aid?
 Give three examples of ways you can
provide help to an injured person until
professional help arrives.
 What are four universal precautions to
take when giving first aid?
First Aid Kits
 On
a sheet of paper list equipment you
would want to have in a First Aid Kit.
Minimum of 5 pieces.
 Instruments
 Equipment
 Medications
 Dressings
 Miscellaneous
First Aid For Common
Emergencies



Sprains, bruises, and broken bones are a few
of the common emergencies you may
experience.
Others include: insect bites, burns, poisoning,
foreign objects in the eye, nosebleed,
fainting, heat cramps, and heatstroke.
Recognize the difference between minor
conditions and more serious that needs
professional medical assistance.
Sprains
 Sprain:
a condition in which the ligaments
that hold the joints in position are
stretched or torn.
 Sprains usually result from a sudden force,
often a twisting movement.
 Swelling and bruising often accompany a
sprain.
How to Care for a Sprain
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Rest: Rest the affected joint for 24 to 48 hours.
Ice: Apply ice to reduce swelling and pain.
Place a cloth between the skin and the bag
of ice in order to reduce discomfort.
Compression: Compress the injured part by
wrapping it in an elastic bandage.
Elevation: elevate, or raise, the injured part
above the level of the heart to reduce
swelling.
Broken Bones
A
fracture is a break in a bone.
 An open fracture is a complete break
with one or both sides of the bone
piercing the skin.
 A closed fracture does not break the skin
and may be difficult to identify. Typical
signs include pain, swelling, and
misshapen appearance.
Insect Bites and Stings
 Often
cause pain and swelling at the site
of the bite or sting.
 Allergic reaction to bites and stings are
much more serious, possibly life
threatening.
 If a person develops a rash, has difficulty
breathing, shows signs of shock, or is
known to be allergic to stings, they need
professional help immediately!
First Aid for Bites and Stings
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First Aid for insect bites involves washing the
affected area and applying a special lotion
for bites.
Insect stings: remove the stinger by scraping
against it with your fingernail. Once the stinger
is out, apply ice or a cold pack to relieve pain
and prevent swelling.
Tick: the tick will burrow into the skin and
needs to be removed very carefully.
Burns
 First
aid for burns depends on the amount
of skin burned, the location of the burn,
and the depth of the burn.
 Burns to the eye or airway and burns
caused by chemicals or electricity require
special first-aid procedures-figure 19.9
Poisoning
A
poison is a substance that causes hard
when swallowed, breathed in, absorbed
by the skin, or injected into the body.
 About half of all poisonings involve
medicines or household products.
 Anyone who has been poisoned needs
immediate treatment.
 Call the nearest poison control center.
Foreign Object in the Eye
 If
you get a foreign object in your eye, DO
NOT rub the eye.
 Rubbing can cause injury. Try to flush the
object out of your eye with clean water.
Hold the rim of a small, clean glass filled
with water against the base of your eye
socket. Keeping your eye wide open,
gently pour the water into the eye. If the
object isn’t washed out, repeat the
process.
Foreign Object in Eye
 To
help somebody else who has a foreign
object in the eye, first locate the object.
Gently pull the lower lid downward while
the person looks up. If you do not see the
object, hold the upper lid open and
examine the eye while the person looks
down. If the object is floating on the
surface of the eye, lightly touch the
object with a moistened cotton swab or
the corner of a clean cloth.
Nosebleed
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Nosebleeds can be cause by an injury, by
being in a very dry place, or even by a cold.
Pinch your nose shut with your thumb and
index finger and breathe through your mouth.
Keep the nose pinched for 5-10 minutes. If
bleed lasts more than 15 minutes or if there is
a lot of blood, get medical assistance.
Fainting
 Fainting
occurs when the blood supply to
the brain is cut off for a short amount of
time.
 If you feel faint, lie down or sit down and
place your head between your knees.
 Leave the person lying down. Check the
airway. If the person is breathing, raise the
legs above the level of the head.
Fainting
 If
the person does not regain
consciousness in one to two minutes, call
for help. If the person is not breathing, call
for help and start CPR if you are trained.
(Lesson 6)
 Loosing consciousness after a head injury
is not fainting. Immediate CPR is needed if
there are no signs of life.
Heat Related Illnesses
 Heat
cramps: are painful, involuntary
muscle spasms that usually occur during
heavy exercise in hot weather.
 Heat exhaustion: a condition
characterized by faintness, nausea, rapid
heartbeat, and hot, red, dry, or sweaty
skin.
 Heat stroke: most serious form of heat
illness.
Heat Cramps
 Rest,
cool down, and drink water or a
sports drink that contains electrolytes.
 Gentle stretching exercise and gentle
massage may help relieve the cramps.
Heat Exhaustion
 Take
someone who shows signs of heat
exhaustion to a shady or airconditioned
place.
 Lie down and slightly elevate the feet.
 Loosen clothing.
 Have the person drink cold, but not iced,
water.
 Spray the person with cool water and fan
him or her.
Heatstroke
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Heatstroke is life-threatening because the
body’s normal process for dealing with heat,
including sweating, close down.
The main sign of heatstroke is a marked
increase in body temperature-generally
higher than 104 F. Rapid heart and rapid and
shallow breathing are other signs.
If heatstroke is a possibility, treat the person as
for heat exhaustion and call immediately for
emergency medical assistance.
Life-Threatening
Emergencies
 Choking
 Shock
 Severe
Bleeding
 Needing CPR
Choking
 More
than 3,000 people die from choking
every year in the United States.
 Abdominal Thrusts maneuver, which uses
quick, upward pulls into the diaphragm to
force out an obstruction blocking the
airway. (Fig. 19.10)
 If you are choking alone, give yourself the
abdominal thrust.
Shock
 Shock
is a life threatening condition in
which the circulatory system fails to
deliver enough blood to vital tissues and
organs.
 Cause of Shock: injury, burns, severe
infection, heat, poisoning, blood loss, and
heart attack.
 Signs of Shock: cool, clammy, pale or gray
skin; weak and rapid pulse; slow, shallow
breathing; pupils may be dilated, and the
eyes may have a dull look.
Shock (cont)….
 What
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to do?
Have the person lie on their back. Raise the
feet higher than the heat and try to keep
them from moving.
Loosen tight clothing.
Keep the person warm.
Do not give the person anything to drink.
If the person vomits or bleeds from the
mouth, roll the person to their side to
prevent choking.
Severe Bleeding
 To
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stop severe bleeding:
Have the person lie down.
Raise the site of the bleeding above the
level of the heart. (If possible)
Use protective gloves!
Apply direct pressure to the wound, using a
clean cloth.
Apply pressure to the artery that supplies
blood to the area of the wound. (Fig. 19.11)
CPR
 CPR:
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
 CPR is a first-aid procedure that combines
rescue breaths with chest compressions to
restore breathing and circulation.
 Only people who have received proper
training should perform CPR.
ABC’s of CPR
 A-Airway:
look inside the victims mouth. If
you see anything blocking the airway,
remove it. Lay the person flat on a firm
surface. Gently tilt the head back with
one hand and lift the chin with the other.
 C-Circulation
B-Breathing
 B-Breathing:
look, listen, and feel to find
out if the victim is breathing.
 Look for the chest movement.
 Listen at the victim’s mouth for breathing
sounds.
 Feel for exhaled air on your cheek.
 If the victim is not breathing, begin rescue
breathing.
Rescue Breathing
 Pinch
the person’s nostrils shut, take a
normal breath and place your mouth
over the victim’s, forming a seal.
 Give two slow breaths, each about two
seconds long. The victims chest should rise
with each breath.
C-Circulation
 Check
for circulation by watching for
some response to your rescue breaths,
such as breathing, coughing or
movement.
 If there are no signs of circulation, a
person trained in CPR should begin chest
compressions immediately. (Fig 19.13)
 If the victim responds but is not breathing
normally, give a rescue breath every five
seconds.