First Aid

Fateh Ahmed
Year 7N
Task 2
Basic First Aid Principles (1)

Basic first aid is to provide to a person who is

injured or ill. It can be in the form of insect
stings,cuts or burns.It may also consist someone in
a medical emergency. It is important to keep calm
in these scenarios and try to stabilize the person.
DRSABCD Acronym’s (2)
● D = DANGER (Check for any danger in the immediate vicinity)
● R =RESPONSE (Check if the casualty is responsive)
● S =SEND (Call 000 for an ambulance or ask someone else to
make the call.)
● A = AIRWAY Clear any obstruction of the airways and place
casualty in the recovery position.
● B = BREATHING
Check for breathing. If they are not breathing normally (less than 2
breaths in 10 seconds), start CPR
● C = CPR 30 chest compressions followed by 2 breaths. Continue
this until help arrives or the casualty recovers.
● D = DEFIBRILLATION Attach an AED as soon as possible if there
is one available.
D = DANGER (2)
● This is first and foremost. Danger needs to be dealt with before anything else.
● There is often a physical threat present at first aid situations that involve injuries or illnesses. The
potential danger can be a threat to you, to bystanders, as well as to the person already in need of
attention.
● This danger can be present in many forms, including live wires, overflowing liquids, gases, moving
vehicles, dangerous animals and people, sharp objects, falling objects, and more.
● The first step in DRSABCD is to make sure you are not at risk from such a hazard. Then try to ensure
that no one else is.
● If more victims were to be added, first aid quickly becomes unmanageable.
R =RESPONSE (2)
● Seek a response to find out if the person needing attention is conscious or not.
● The C.O.W.S. method is an effective way to assess whether the casualty is responsive.
It’s easy to remember and involves, talking to, touching the casualty, and using both
questions and commands.
● Can you hear me?
Ask, can you hear me? Are you hurt or sick? Also, ask if you can help the casualty.
This has the added advantage of gaining consent, or not, as well as eliciting a response.
● Open your eyes.
Instructing the casualty to open their eyes is the most instinctive action the casualty will
take, if they are able to. If their eyes are open, are they able to 'look left', 'look right'
etc.
● What is your name?
Asking their name is also instinctive. It does not matter if they give the correct name, so long
as they respond to your question.
● Squeeze my hands.
Squeeze the casualty's hand to see if they squeeze you back. A casualty that cannot hear
you, may feel your squeeze and respond accordingly. There’s no need to aggressively
shake a casualty to gain a response. Definitely don’t shake a child or infant.
S = SEND (2)
● First aid treatment is not a substitute for professional
medical care. In a medical emergency, you should waste no
time calling for an ambulance or emergency services.
● In order to stay focused on the casualty, have someone else
in your vicinity make the call for help on your behalf.
● It’s important to send for help as early as possible.
A = AIRWAY (2)
● The casualty’s airway should be checked. This takes priority over any
injuries.
● Obstructions to the pathway to the lungs will restrict breathing. If possible,
check the airway without moving the casualty.
● If it appears there are obstructions in the casualty’s mouth, you may need
to roll the person onto their side — carefully, with their spine, neck and
head aligned. This is known as the Recovery Position.
● See our guide to placing a person in the Recovery Position.
● Open the casualty’s airway by lifting the chin and tilting their head back.
Look into the back of the throat to check obstructions, especially:
• The casualty’s own tongue, as it can fall back into the airway
• Regurgitation – stomach content rising into the esophagus but not
being vomited
• Foodstuffs
• Loose dentures, mouth-guards
• Fluids, such as saliva, blood, mucus
• Foreign items
B = BREATHING (2)
● Check that the person is breathing.
○ Look to see if the chest rises and falls
○ Listen at the mouth for sounds of normal breath
○ Feel for air against your cheek
● Look, listen and feel for no more than 10 seconds to assess whether breathing is ‘normal’.
● In the first few minutes following a cardiac arrest, the casualty may be taking infrequent, slow and noisy
gasps, gurgles or sighs. This type of breathing is ineffective and should be treated as ‘not breathing’.
● When the casualty is deemed as not breathing, you should immediately move to the next step C and
send someone to find and fetch an AED.
● If the casualty is breathing, place them in the Recovery Position and continue to monitor respirations until
paramedics arrive.
● Having made sure an ambulance has been called, continue to check the casualty’s condition. Observe
and re-assess the casualty for continued breathing every 60 seconds.
● While waiting for medical help to arrive, assess for injuries and treat accordingly.
C = CPR (2)
● CPR should be performed straight away when a person is unconscious and not
breathing.
● With the person face-up, laying on their back, place the heel of your hand on the
center of their chest, your other hand across the top of it.
● Press down firmly to about a third the depth of their chest — about 5cm, or 4cm
in the case of an infant.
● Following 30 chest compressions, give 2 rescue breaths if you’re comfortable
with mouth-to-mouth. To administer, tilt the person’s head back and lift their chin,
pinch their nose and place your mouth over theirs.
● The compression ratio is 30:2 (30 compressions to 2 rescue breaths), which is
approximately 100-120 compressions per minute.
● Adults receive full breaths, shallow breaths for children, and just 2 puffs for
infants.
● Breaths are optional. If you’re not comfortable with mouth-to-mouth, stick to
compressions.
● Continue CPR until the casualty responds or until paramedics arrive to take over.
D = DEFIBRILLATION (2)
● A defibrillator or AED (automated external defibrillator) is the
next step if the person is still unconscious and not
breathing.
● This portable, compact, lightweight machine can ‘jump start’
the heart. When appropriate, it will automatically deliver an
electrical shock aimed at restoring muscle contractions and
returning the heart its normal rhythms.
● AED units come with pad electrodes, a battery and adapter,
if applicable. Verbal instructions are inbuilt with most
modern AEDs, making it straightforward to use the device
correctly.
● Often an AED will be located close by. They are to be found
not just in hospitals, clinics, and ambulances, but also in
many public places, including schools, shopping malls,
libraries, airports and offices.
● At the scene of the emergency, you would probably need to
ask a bystander to try to locate and fetch the AED.
 ● Causes
Bleeding is the loss of blood from the circulatory. It ranges from small cuts to
deep cuts and amputations. injuries to the body can also result in internal
bleeding range from minor (seen as superficial bruising to massive bleeds.
Bleeding (3) ● Signs and Symptoms
○ pain at the injured site.
○ swollen, tight abdomen.
○ nausea and vomiting.
○ pale, clammy, sweaty skin.
○ breathlessness.
○ extreme thirst.
○ unconsciousness.
● Treatment
○ Apply direct pressure to the bleeding wound. Apply firm pressure over
the wound.
○ Raise the injured area.
○ If a foreign body is embedded in the wound.
○ Keep the patient at total rest.
○ Seek medical assistance.
○ If blood leaks through the pressure pad and bandage.
 ● Causes
○ scalds from hot drinks such as cups of tea or coffee, hot
water or steam from kettles or pots, or hot water taps in the
Burns (4) kitchen or bathroom
○ contact with hot objects such as stoves, irons, hair
straighteners and hot coals
● Signs and symptoms
○ Blisters.
○ Pain.
○ Swelling.
○ White or charred (black) skin.
○ Peeling skin.
● Treatment
○ rinse the affected area continuously with clean water as soon
as possible.
○ try to make sure the water can run off the affected area
without pooling on the skin.
○ only use water – do not rub or wipe the area.
 ● Causes
○ Shock is a critical condition brought on by the sudden drop in
blood flow through the body. Shock may result from trauma,
heatstroke, blood loss, an allergic reaction, severe infection,
Shock (5) poisoning, severe burns or other causes.
● Signs and symptoms
○ Low blood pressure.
○ Altered mental state, including reduced alertness and
awareness, confusion, and sleepiness.
○ Cold, moist skin. Hands and feet may be blue or pale.
○ Weak or rapid pulse.
○ Rapid breathing and hyperventilation.
○ Decreased urine output.
● Treatment
○ passing a carefully controlled electric current through the
brain, which affects the brain's activity and aims to relieve
severe depressive and psychotic symptoms.
 ● Causes
○ The most common asthma triggers include allergies, air pollution
and other airborne irritants, other health conditions including
Asthma (6) respiratory infections, exercise or physical activity, weather and air
temperature, strong emotions, and some medicines.
● Signs and symptoms
○ Shortness of breath.
○ Chest tightness or pain.
○ Wheezing when exhaling, which is a common sign of asthma in
children.
○ Trouble sleeping caused by shortness of breath, coughing or
wheezing.
○ Coughing or wheezing attacks that are worsened by a respiratory
virus, such as a cold or the flu.
● Treatment
○ Iinhalers, which are devices that let you breathe in medicine, are
the main treatment. Tablets and other treatments may also be
needed if your asthma is severe.
References

1. Basic First Aid Accessed March 10, 2023. https://learn.servicesanitation.com/basic-first-aid

2. DRSABCD Accessed March 10, 2023.
https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com.au/resources/what-is-drsabcd#:~:text=D%20is%20for%20Danger&text
=The%20potential%20danger%20can%20be,%2C%20falling%20objects%2C%20and%20more.
3. Bleeding Accessed March 12, 2023.
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/bleeding
4. Burns Accessed March 14, 2023.
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/burns-and-scalds
5. Shock Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/electric-shock
6. Asthama Accessed March 24, 2023. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/conditionsandtreatments/asthma