FIRST AID

– is an immediate care given to a person who has been injured or suddenly ill.
It includes self-help and home care if medical assistance is not available or
delayed.
Roles and Responsibilities of First Aider:
 Bridge that fill the gap between the victim and the physician

 Is not intended to compete with nor take the place of the doctor’s services

 Ends the service when the service of the physician begins

Objectives of First Aid:

 To alleviate suffering
 To prevent added/further injury or danger

 To prolong life
Desirable attitudes:
 Have a sense of personal responsibility for the conservation of
human life.
 Regards accident as evitable, but controllable
 Appreciate that safety contributes to better living
 Appreciate that skills are essential to safe living
 Keep cool in an emergency
 Appreciate the effect of your conduct on the safety of others
 Feel that courtesy is a factor in reducing accidents
Desirable attitudes:

 Respect rules, regulations laws, and practices related to safety.

 Be willing to offer services when injury or emergency occurs

 Be willing to develop personal habits, skills, attitudes and

knowledge needed in relation to safety and first aid
Desirable Practices:
 Acquire an understanding of the causes of accidents and how they may be
prevented
 Observe safety precautions
 Exercise good personal judgment in safety matters
 Take calculated risks wisely
 Acquire a respect for the understanding of safety rules, regulations, laws
and practices
 Take an active interest in the protection of life health and property and
community
Desirable Practices:
 Cooperate in the solution of various safety problems at home
and play
 Acquire and maintain the knowledge and skills needed to apply
aid for various accident problems such as wounds, suffocation,
poisoning, fractures and burns
GENERAL DIRECTIONS

A. Essentials in giving first aid:

 Quickly assess the situation/ victim

 Plan the action efficiently

 Gather needed materials

 Instruct helpers

 Carry out orders

Lists of situations when calling for help:
Severe bleeding Drowning
Electrocution Possible heart attack
Choking cardiac arrest
Suspected spinal injury Unconsciousness
Imminent childbirth Poisoning
Attempted suicide Critical burns
No breathing or with breathing difficulties
Paralysis
Sequence in giving first aid:

1. Call or send someone to call for help the physician with

the following information
 Exact location of the accident ( landmarks)

 Your phone number and name

 Nature and extent of the injury (ex. Heart attack,

drowning)
 Number of persons needing help or any special
conditions
 Victim’s condition (i.e. conscious breathing) and what is
being done for the victim ( i.e. rescue breathing, CPR
etc)
2. Keep the injured person in lying down position his head
should be in level with his/her feet
3. Check for and give first aid to “ HURRY CASES”
 Airway maintenance

 Breathing and ventilation

 Circulation with hemorrhage control

 Disability: neurological status

 Exposure

4. Keep the injured person warm and guard against chilling

SOME DO’S

 Be calm and deliberate – take your time

 Keep away the onlookers away from the site

 Make the patient comfortable

 Tactfully encourage the victim

 Keep the handling of the victim to a minimum

SOME DON’T”S

 Do not give any liquid to an unconscious person

 Do not let the victim see his own injury
Factors Affecting First Aid Treatment

A. Unfavorable surroundings
 Night time

 Crowded city

 Busy highways

 Cold of rainy weather

B. The Presence of Crowds
 Crowds curiously watch, sometimes offer incorrect
advice
 They may demand haste in transportation or attempt to
do other improper procedure
 A good examination is difficult while a crowd looks on
C. Pressure from victimor relatives
 The victim usually welcomes help but if he is drunk, he
is often hard to examine and handle and is often
misleading in his response
 The hysteria of the relative and/ or the victim, the
evidence of the patient’s blood and possible death gives
greater pressure on the first aider to do something
immediately
 The first aider may fail to examine carefully in calm
moments and may be persuaded to do things quickly
First Aid Equipments and Supplies:
 Basic equipment – spine board, short board, sets of splints, blankets
 Suggested First Aid kit contents: alcohol, iodine, cotton, gauze pads,
tongue depressors, penlight, band aid, gloves, scissors, forceps,
bandage, elastic roller bandage. Occlusive dressing, plaster
 Clothe materials used to cover the wound

 Dressing or compress

 Any sterile clothes material used to cover the wound

Other uses:
 Control bleeding – protect the wound from infection, absorb liquid
from the wound such as blood, plasma, water and
Application:
 Completely cover the wound

 Avoid contamination when handling and applying

Bandages:
 Any clean clothe materials sterile or not used you hold.
Any clean clothe materials sterile or not used to hold the
dressing in place.
Other uses:
 Control bleeding

 Tie splints in place

 Immobilize body part

 Forearm support- use as sling

EXTERNAL BLEEDING
 Is when blood can be seen coming from n open wound
3 types:
 Arterial bleeding – blood spurts from an artery, often pulsating
as heart beat, bright blood , usually profuse bleeding, given
highest priority
 Venous bleeding – blood flows steadily from vein, dark red or
deep maroon-colored blood, may also be profuse, given lesser
priority
 Capillary bleeding – blood is oozing from a bed of capillaries,
red in color but usually less bright than an arterial blood, flow
is slow, given the least priority
MAJOR PROCEDURES TO CONTROL BLEEDING

A. DIRECT PRESSURE
 Profuse bleeding - a) use your gloved hand, if necessary, do not
waste time in hunting for a dressing, b) place a gloved hand
directly over the wound and apply pressure, c) keep applying
steady firm pressure
 Do not use direct pressure on an eye injury, wound with an
embedded object, skull fracture, or open fracture
 Application of a pressure dressing – place several gauze dressing
pads directly on the wound and maintain pressure with gloved
hand, wrap with bandage to control bleeding, check the distal
pulse to be certain that the pressure has not restricted below
 Do not apply pressure bandage so tight that it cuts off circulation
 B. elevation – the effect of gravity will help reduce blood
pressure and slow the bleeding, elevate the injured part
 C. Pressure Points – refer to sites where an artery, close to the
skin surface, lies directly over a bone.
 D. Tourniquet (last resort) – a partial amputation of the arm
or leg may leave you with no other choice but to use the
tourniquet, used if there is profuse bleeding from a arm or leg
wound
DROWNING

 Is a type of asphyxia related to either aspiration of fluids

or obstruction of the airway caused by spasm of the
larynx while in the water
Causes of drowning:
 Heart attack loss of consciousness
 Stroke accidentally struck by lightening
 Overexertion head injury
 Fainting cramps
 Epileptic attacks
Warning Signs:

 1. As the victim gets more tired, the body sinks until it is

vertical and only the head snows
 2. The victims strokes become erratic and the movement
through the water appears jerky and simply
 3. The victim’s face particularly the lips and ears may
turn bluish purple
Treatment:
 Act quickly. Remove seaweed and mud from the nose and
throat. Start artificial respiration immediately.
 Turn the victim down with the head to one side and arms
stretched beyond the head. Infants or children could be hold
upside down for a short period
 Raise the middle part of the body with your hands around the
belly – this is to cause the water to drain out the lungs
 Give artificial respiration until breathing comes back to
normal. This may go on for as long as two hours.
 Remove wet clothing

 Keep the body of the victim warm

 Do not allow him to sit up

 After the above mentioned procedure, move quickly to hospital

as a stretcher case
POISONING

 A poison is any substance – solid, liquid or gas – that

tends to impair health or cause death when introduced
into the body or unto the skin
 Poisons can enter the body in our ways:

 Ingestion – by mouth

 Inhalation – you breathe in

 Absorption – it enters through the skin

 Injection – it is physically forced into the tissue or blood

stream
Classification of poisons:
A. IRRITANTS
 Detergents, diluted ammonia, chlorine bleach can produce
irritation. Let the patient to spit the product out and rinse the
mouth repeatedly with water. Spit out the rinse water too. Do
not administer anything other than water.
 Contaminated foods

 Give an emetic or induce vomiting

B. CORROSIVES
 Any substance that burns the part of the body that comes in
contact with it
 TREATMENT:

 Do not induce vomiting

 First aid consists of diluting the corrosive and keeping alert for
airway patency and shock. If spontaneous vomiting occurs,
administer ANTI-EMETIC
 Gastric lavage is used when vomiting is contraindicated.
BURN

 Is an injury that results from heat, chemical agents,

electricity or radiation. It may vary in depth, size and
severity and may damage cells in the affected area
CAUSES:
 Thermal – hot objects or substances

 Chemical – strong acids, alkali

 Electrical – electrical appliances and sources

 Radiation – excessive exposure to sunlight

RULE of NINE

 Method to estimate extent of burn injury

 Head, face, neck 9 %

 Anterior trunk 18 %

 Posterior trunk 18 %

 Upper extremities/Arms (9%) 18 %

 Lower extremities / Legs (18%)36 %

 Perineum/ Genital 1 %
CLASSIFICATION
 First degree burns – are redness, pinkish discoloration,
mild swelling or slightly edematous and pain. Epidermis
is affected. Healing occurs rapidly. They result from
overexposure to the sun, light contact with hot objects
and scalding by hot water or steam.
 Second degree burns – they are deeper than first degree
burns and are red with blister formation and blanches
appropriately. They are more painful than deeper ones.
Since the nerve endings in the skin are destroyed.
Epidermis and dermis are injured.
 Third degree burns – involve deeper destruction. May
look white or charred or t first may resemble second
degree burns. Causes destruction of the epidermis,
dermis, and subcutaneous tissues. In worst cases, it may
involve fat, fascia, tendons and bones.

58
TREATMENT:
Objectives:
 To relive pain

 Prevent contamination

 Treat shock

First degree burns: Medical treatment is not required. To relive

pain, apply cold compress to affected areas or submerge area in
cold water
 Second degree (Small) : Immersed burned area parts in
cold water, not ice water. Immediate cooling can reduce
the burning effect of heat in deeper layers of the skin.
Never add salt to ice water, it lowers the temperature and
produces injury. Gently blot the area with dry sterile
gauze, clean cloth. Do not break blister or remove shreds
of tissue.
 Second degree (Extensive): same as third degree burns
 Third degree: Do not remove adhered particles or
charred clothing. Cover the area with sterile gauze, a
freshly ironed or laundered sheet or other household
linen.
ANTIMICROBIALS:

 Silver NO3 .5%

 Silver sulfadiazine 1 % ( Silvadene)

 Gentamycin SO4 .1 % (Garamycin)

 Mafenide acetate 10% (Sulfamylon)

 Drug of choice because it can penetrate eschar

 Administer analgesics 15 to 30 minutes before

application because it is irritating
WOUNDS

 It is a break in the continuity of a tissue in the body

either internal or external
TYPES:
 Closed – it involves the underlying tissue without a
breakage/damaged in the skin or mucous membrane
 Open – a break in the skin or protective skin layer is
damage, bleeding can be seen
 Classification of Open Wounds:
 Abrasion (scrape)– scraped skin resulting in partial loss
of skin surface. It has little bleeding but can be very
painful and serious if it covers a large area or if a foreign
matter embedded in it. It is also known as “road rash” or
‘rug burn”
 Laceration (tearing) – a skin wound with ragged edges

 Incision ( cut)– a skin wound with smooth edges

 Puncture (stab)– a stab wound from a pointed object.
The entrance is usually small but the risk of infection is
high. The object causing the injury may remain impaled
in the wound.
 Avulsion (tearing off)– a partial tearing of a patch of
skin or other tissue. A loose, hanging flap is left.
Avulsions most often involve ears, fingers or hands
 Amputation – involves the cutting or tearing on of a
body part such as finger, toes, hands, feet, arms or legs.
Types Cause(s) What to look for What to do

Abrasion (scrape) Rubbing or scraping Only skin affected Remove all debris
Little bleeding Wash away from
wound with soap
and water

Incision ( cut) Sharp objects Smooth edges of Control bleeding

wounds Wash wound
Severe bleeding

Laceration (tearing) Blunt object tearing Veins and arteries Control bleeding
in the skin can be affected Wash wound
Severe bleeding
Danger of infection
types Cause(s) What to look for What to do

Puncture (stab) Sharp pointed Wound is narrow Do not remove

object piercing the and deep into veins impaled objects
skin and arteries
Embedded objects
Danger of infection

Avulsion( tearing Machinery and Tissue torn or left Control bleeding

off) explosives hanging Take avulsed part to
Severe bleeding medical facility
Cleaning Wounds:

 A victim’s wound should be cleaned to help prevent

infection. Bleeding may restart during the wound cleaning.
For severe bleeding, leave the pressure bandage in place
until you are certain that bleeding has stopped.
 Do not clean a life threatening wounds, let the physician do
it!
 1. Wash the hands with soap and water using a vigorous
scrubbing motion, then wear disposable latex gloves if is
available.
 2. Clean the wound

For shallow wound:

 Wash the wound with soap and water

 Irrigate the wound with water that is clean enough to drink.

Run water directly into the wound and allow it to run out.
Irrigation with water needs water pressure for adequate wound
cleansing. Water from the faucet provides pressure and the
amount needed.
 For a wound with a high risk for infection (i.e. animal
bites, dirty ragged and punctured wound) seek medical
care for wound cleaning.
 Do not irrigate a wound with full strength iodine preparations.
They will produce tissue damage and affect wound healing
 Do not soak a wound to clean it. No evidence supports its
effectiveness
 Do not scrub a wound. It can bruise the tissue

 Do not breathe or blow on a wound or dressing

 3. Small objects not flushed out by irrigation can be removed

with sterile tweezers.
 4. Cover the wound with sterile dressing. Keep the dressing
clean and dry
 5. Change the dressing daily and more often if it gets wet or
dirty.
FRACTURES

 A fracture is a break or disruption of normal bone

continuity. It occurs when the bone is subjected to stress
greater than it can absorb
 CAUSES:

 Direct violence

 Bending or twisting

 Force transmitted along a bone

 Excessive stress from the muscle pull

 Disease that weaken bone

SIGNS and SYMPTOMS:

 Pain and tenderness to touch

 Swelling and bruising (ecchymosis)

 Deformity such as shortening of the affected extremity

 Abnormal movement and instability

 A grating sensation on attempts to movement (crepitus)

 Impaired sensation

 There may be signs of shock

 TYPES OF FRACTURE:
 1. Complete fracture – bone is broken with a disruption
of both sides of the periosteum.
 Involves a break across the entire cross section of the
bone and is frequently displaced from the normal
position
 2. Incomplete fracture – the break occurs through only
part of the cross section of the bone
 3. Closed or simple fracture – skin remain intact, does
not produce a break in the skin
 Chances are greatly decreased for infection
 4. Open or Compound fracture – bone is exposed in the air
through a break in the skin
 Can be associated with soft tissue injury as well

 Infection is common complication due to the exposure to

bacterial invasion
 Is graded; grade 1 is a clean wound less than 1 cm long;
grade 2 is a larger wound without extensive soft tissue
damage, and grade 3 is the most severe with extensive soft
tissue damage.
Types of bone fracture
COMPOUND/ OPEN
 5. Greenstick fracture – a crack, the bending of a bone with
incomplete fracture and affect only one side of the
periosteum
 Common in skull fracture or in children when bones are
pliable
GREENSTICK
 6. Comminuted fracture - bone is completely
broken/fragmented in a transverse, spiral, or oblique
direction
 Bone is broken into several fragments

 7. Compression fracture – frequently seen in vertebral

fractures
 Fractured bone has been compressed by other bones
COMMINUTED
COMPRESSION
 8. Depressed fracture – usually seen in skull or facial
fractures
 Bone or fragments of bone are driven inward

 9. Impacted fracture – one part of the fractured bone is driven

into another
 10. Pathological fracture – break caused by disease process
DEPRESSED
BANDAGING
 A bandage is a piece of material used either to support a
medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own
to provide support to the body; it can also be used to
restrict a part of the body. During heavy bleeding or
following a poisonous bite, it is important to slow the
flow of blood; tight bandages accomplish this task very
well. Bandages are available in a wide range of types,
from generic cloth strips to specialized shaped bandages
designed for a specific limb or part of the body, although
bandages can often be improvised as the situation
demands, using clothing, blankets or other material.
Types of bandages
1.Gauze bandage (common gauze roller bandage)
The most common type of bandage is the gauze bandage, a
simple woven strip of material, or a woven strip of
material with a Telfa absorbent barrier to prevent
adhering to wounds. A gauze bandage can come in any
number of widths and lengths, and can be used for
almost any bandage application, including holding a
dressing in place.
2.Compression bandage (Elastic bandage)
3Triangular bandage
 Also known as a cravat bandage, a triangular bandage is
a piece of cloth put into a right-angled triangle, and often
provided with safety pins to secure it in place. It can be
used fully unrolled as a sling, folded as a normal
bandage, or for specialized applications, as on the head.
One advantage of this type of bandage is that it can be
makeshift and made from a fabric scrap or a piece of
clothing. 
4.Tube bandage[edit]
 A tube bandage is applied using an applicator, and is
woven in a continuous circle. It is used to hold dressings
or splints on to limbs, or to provide support to sprains
and strains, and it stops bleeding.