IES Élaios 4th ESO - PE Department

FIRST AID

INTRODUCTION
Accidents are unpredictable
emergency situations that can be attended
to with basic knowledge of first aid.
The absence of a person able to
provide first aid results in many victims of
accidents being seriously injured or even
dying before they reach the hospital.
It is not uncommon to injure
yourself or have an accident that requires
special attention while doing sport, playing
or participating in physical activity. It is at times like these that knowledge of first aid can be
extremely useful.
In this unit, you will learn basic lifesaving techniques, identify the most common
situations in which sport accidents occur and get some advice about what to do in emergencies.

1. CONCEPT AND GOAL

Lifesaving techniques consist of giving
first aid at the site of the incident to the victim
of an accident or a sudden illness until
specialised help arrives. The success of the
patient's subsequent recovery depends on this
first aid. The main goals of giving first aid are to
ensure that the vital signs remain stable and
that the victim's general condition does not
worsen.

2. FIRST AID BASICS

When faced with an emergency situation of any type, you always have to follow three
steps, always in the same order:

1. Protect the victim in the location where the accident happened.

2. Alert the emergency services by phoning 112.
3. Give first aid to the victims of the accident or illness. However, if you are not sure
what to do, it is better not to do anything.

(In Spanish is known as PAS (Proteger, Avisar, Socorrer)

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When practising lifesaving techniques or providing first aid, you must follow a simple
plan of action:

a) Establish priorities. To determine the extent of injury, you must first do a preliminary
examination, during which you will check the victim's vital signs and assess whether he or she is
in immediate danger. You have to check these things, in this order:

1. The victim's state of consciousness (by talking, stimulating the victim, or pinching him
or her if necessary);
2. The victim's breathing (by checking the degree of obstruction of the airways and
mouth);
3. The victim's pulse (by placing your fingers on the carotid artery on his or her neck).

b) Take measures based on what your examination tells you about the victim's condition
until medical assistance arrive. This is called basic life support (BLS).

c) Make sure the victim is taken to a medical facility.

3. BASIC CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR)

This is the set of actions to be taken when faced with a victim in cardio-respiratory arrest
(CRA). Its purpose is to mitigate the insufficient operation of the vital function affected or to
stabilise it, thereby helping the victim's subsequent recovery.
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It consists of a cardiac massage and mouth-to-mouth, as follows:

• Apply 30 chest compressions.

• With the airway open, blow into the victim's mouth twice.

• Repeat the sequence and do not stop until the patient begins breathing on his or her
own, specialised help arrives or you are too exhausted to continue.

4. SIDE RECOVERY POSITION.

When trying to make an accident victim comfortable, it is important that you place him
or her in a position that does not cause injury and that keeps him or her as safe as possible. The
most common recovery position is the side recovery position:
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5. Most common incidents during physical activity

A lot of different types of accidents can occur in a Physical education class or while doing
some kind of physical activity. The following are some of the most common accidents and those
that have a degree of seriousness that you can deal with.

Wounds
Description: alteration to the skin. The skin protects the body from the exterior, regulates body
temperature and contains sensory receptors.
Symptoms: the seriousness of a flesh wound depends on its depth, its location, its size, the
appearance of bruising and how dirty it is.
Procedure:
Procedure for minor wounds:
 Clean with soap and water.
 Use gauze to cleanse the wound, never cotton balls.
 Clean from inside to out.
 Apply antiseptic.
Procedure for major wounds:
 Control bleeding.
 Do not remove any foreign bodies that may be in the wound.
 Do not poke the wound.

Contusions
Description: an injury caused by the impact of an object without breaking the skin.
Symptoms: causes pain and varying degrees of swelling. If the victim cannot use the contused
part of the body, he or she has suffered a major contusion.
Procedure:
For minor or moderate contusions you should:
 Apply cold.
 Raise the extremity.
 Do not press on, puncture or burst bruises.
For major contusions you should:
 Immobilize the victim..
 Help the victim get to a medical facility.

Sprains
Description: this is an injury that affects the ligaments in a joint and is caused by excessive
stretching or elongation.
Symptoms: sprains cause varying degrees of localized pain and inflammation. Moving is very
painful and it can inhibit the victim's ability to use the sprained joint.
Procedure:
 Raise the extremity.
 Immobilize the victim.
 Apply cold.
 Help the victim get to a medical facility.
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Strains
Description: this is a twist, pull or tear of a muscle or tendon.
Symptoms: include pain and inflammation, and los of strength.
Procedure:
 Apply cold
 Raise the extremity
 Immobilize
 Help the victim get to a medical facility.

Fractures
Description: this is partial or complete breakage of a bone.
Symptoms: intense pain, swelling, obvious deformation and loss of the abili- ty to move the
affected part.
Procedure:
 Immobilize the victim.
 Do not press on the affected area.
 Apply ice.
 Help the victim get to a medical facility.

Fainting
Description: this is a brief and incomplete loss of consciousness, which may be caused by a drop
in the blood flow to the brain due to strong emotions, overheating, remaining standing for too
long, a change in blood pressure, insufficient diet or excessive exercise.
Symptoms: feeling of dizziness, weakness in the legs, pale skin that is cold and sweaty.
Procedure:
 Place the victim lying flat on the back, with the feet elevated.
 Make sure the victim gets fresh air and has enough space to breathe, without crowds of
people surrounding him or her.
 Loosen the victim's clothing (belt, collar, shoes, etc.).

Asthma attack
Description: a medical condition that makes breathing difficult by causing the air passages to
become narrow or blocked.
Symptoms: difficult breathing, wheezing on the exhale, difficulty speaking, coughing, anxiety.
Procedure:
 Keep calm. Encourage slow, deep breaths.
 Help him or her to sitting down, and encourage him or her to use an inhaler if they have
one.
 Call an ambulance if the inhaler has no effect.
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6. What is PRICE?
Protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation (PRICE) is a treatment for minor muscle
strains, sprains, bruises and other injuries. It is used for the first several days after an injury.
Protection
After an injury, it is important to protect the area from more injury. Depending on where your
injury is, you may need to use a sling, splint or crutches.
Rest
After an injury, you need to take time off from your activities to allow your body to heal. For
example, if you sprained your ankle, you may need to avoid walking or putting weight on your
ankle. If you were hurt while playing sports, it´s important not to return to play until your injury
has healed. Returning to play too early may make the injury worse.
Ice
Ice helps control pain and swelling. Try to put ice on an injury as soon as possible. Put an ice
pack, gel pack, or package of frozen vegetables, wrapped in a cloth, on the injured area every 3
to 4 hours for up to 20 minutes at a time. Never put ice directly on the skin.
Compression
Compression helps limit swelling of the injured area. It also gives some additional support to the
injured area. You may use an elastic bandage, trainer’s tape, or even a piece of clothing to wrap
around the injured area. Be sure not to wrap it too tightly. If it´s too tight, it can cut off the
blood supply to the injured area.
Elevation
Raising the injured part of your body up on a pillow is another way to help decrease swelling. It
works best if you keep the body part above the level of your heart. This helps to keep fluid from
building up in the injured area. If you cannot raise the injured body part above the level of your
heart, try to keep it from hanging down by resting it on pillows or a chair.