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| First Aid
Posted: 11/1/2009 3:35:17 PM | Be careful with tourniquets, if you are using one to stop bleeding.
A tourniquet is anything that is used to wrap around a limb or body part to stop bleeding by using pressure. It is often a strip of cloth, but can be a rope, an electrical cord, ect... A wider piece of material is used now, to minimize skin damage.
It is better to apply firm pressure directly to the wound if possible, to stop bleeding, than to use a tourniquet if you can. A tourniquet should only be used when there is no other way to stop the bleeding. Tighten it only as much as needed to stop the bleeding and check them frequently. Remove as soon as possible, when you are able to get better medical help, or to stitch the wound up yourself if you can't get to a hospital. The reason is that if the tourniquet is on too tight, you can cut off all circulation to the limb and cause the limb to die. It only takes five minutes or less without blood for the tissue to start to die.
For this reason, it is helpful to fold a piece of cloth or some other material to the same size as the open wound, and put that on the wound first, underneath the tourniquet, so that the tourniquet is putting more pressure on the open wound than on the rest of the limb.
Be careful if you are doing this to a limb that is broken, so that you don't cause more damage, particularly you can cause internal bleeding from the ragged edges of bone inside the limb. Immobilize the limb so that further injury doesn't occur from it being moved.
Whatever you do, don't use a tourniquet unless you have to, and take it off immediately as soon as it isn't needed to stop bleeding. This is only a very temporary measure to use to prevent massive blood loss that would result in death if the tourniquet was not used. In that case, when bleeding is intense, use the tourniquet immediately. It is important to make the decision right away.
Of course, never apply a tourniquet around the neck....you want your patient to be able to breathe. Never use one to compress the chest in such a way that the person cannot breathe. Ask the person if they can breathe adequately. People can only live five minutes or less without air, unless they are specially trained to do so, and even then the longest is about 9 minutes.
With blood loss, shock is possible. Make sure the person is warm enough. Cover them with a blanket. Raise the bleeding limb above the level of the heart. | |
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HO2
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Joined: 10/11/2008
Msg: 27 | |
| First Aid
Posted: 11/1/2009 6:56:46 PM | Lets KILL a myth on these pages - Boiling water for one minute is overkill.
In survival situations and areas where fuel is difficult or expensive to obtain (emergencies)
it is vitally important that fuel is not wasted.
Once the water has reached the boiling point it has been hot enough
to destroy organisms for quite some time.
"According to the Wilderness Medical Society, water temperatures above 160° F (70° C)
kill all pathogens within 30 minutes and above 185° F (85° C) within a few minutes.
So in the time it takes for the water to reach the boiling point (212° F or 100° C)
from 160° F (70° C), all pathogens will be killed, even at high altitude."
Source: http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/water.shtml
"What is not well known is that contaminated water can be pasteurized at temperatures
well below boiling, as can milk, which is commonly pasteurized at 71°C (160°F)...".
Source: http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Water_pasteurization.
The fact is, with a water temperature of 160 to 165 degrees F (74 C) it takes just
half an hour for all disease causing organisms to be inactivated.
At 185 degrees this is cut to just a few minutes.
By the time water hits its boiling point of 212 F (100 C) - plus or minus depending
upon pressure or altitude - the water is safe.
Even at high altitudes the time it takes for the water to reach a rolling boil
and then cool means you can safely drink it.
Lacking a thermometer to measure water temperature,
you only need to get your water to a rolling boil.
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| First Aid
Posted: 11/1/2009 7:56:12 PM | One of the times a tourniquet is useful is for snake bites. In this case, do NOT raise the limb above the heart.
Keep the limb below the heart, because you don't want the snake venom to reach the heart at all. You are trying to slow down the movement of the venom from the extremity toward the vital organs.
First aid:
Get away from the snake so nobody gets bit again.
In all cases of emergency, I am assuming you all know to call 911 immediately.
In the case of snake bites, waiting until the pain may lead to permanent tissue damage.
Remember that calling 911 on a cell phone is different than a regular phone.
Wash the area with warm water and soap.
It is important to remove rings, bracelets, and restrictive clothing the arm or leg that has the bite because it may swell and these items might not be easily removed later on...and cause the tissue to die.
If the snake is an elapid species (coral snakes and cobras), wrap the extremity with an elastic pressure bandage. Start from the point closest to the heart and wrap towards the fingers or toes. Continue to keep the bite lower than the heart.
Watch out for shock.
If the snake is dead, bringing it to the hospital is appropriate. But careful!
Dead snakes can reflexively bite for up to an hour after death.
If you can, take a picture of the snake - even with a cell phone - it will help medical crews identify the animal.
Rattlesnakes are pit vipers, identified by dents in the side of their heads that look like ears. Coral snakes are small with bands of red bordered by pale yellow or white. Cobras have hoods that spread behind their heads.
It's not that important to identify the snake; medical crews in areas prone to snake bites can often identify the animal just from the wound. Pit vipers have two fangs and the bite often has two small holes. Coral snakes have small mouths full of teeth with rows of small puncture wounds. | |
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| First Aid
Posted: 11/2/2009 6:40:58 AM | As important as CPR is, don't expect to actually get somebody back doing it. The heart most often stops beating because of electrical issues surrounding its contractions. Because the heart stops beating, fresh oxygenated blood doesn't circulate and body tissue begins to die. CPR is simply causing the heart to manually pump blood to keep the tissues alive and functioning. Early defibrillation is the important thing as the heart needs an electrical shock. This shock temporarily stops the heart so it can start beating properly again. In a sense this is hitting the reset button.
You won't revive somebody who has stopped breathing and has no pulse simply with CPR. 99.5% of the times that somebody does come back with CPR, they were never vital signs abset in the first place. CPR is important because it keeps the heart alive until a defibrillation can "restart" the heart.
Keep in mind that there is no medical evidence whatsoever to conclude that CPR can hurt somebody who is not vital signs absent. In fact CPR is now the approved method for assisting somebody with a pulse who is not breathing. If you are ever beside somebody and are not sure if they have a pulse and are sure they are not breathing, do CPR. You're not going to hurt them. | |
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HO2
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Joined: 10/11/2008
Msg: 30 | |
| First Aid
Posted: 11/2/2009 11:05:22 AM | CPR is basically beating on a dead body.
It's not glamorous, it's not pleasant, --in fact it's difficult, stressful, and people die anyways.
If you have the mental fortitude to confront airways filled with vomit, blue lips,
and the possibility all your efforts may still not save the victim, PLEASE do it !
You may be successful and enable someone to recover and live a bit longer.
The reality of blood, guts and gore accompanies First Responders and Samaritan alike.
A lot depends on the where, what, how of the idiosyncratic circumstances of each situation.
The world always needs people who step up and help others.  | |
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| First Aid
Posted: 11/2/2009 3:37:58 PM | In defense of CPR, CPR does help some people to live through a terrible life-threatening event.
I understand that for some who have had heart attacks, their heart has died before the rest of them... but particularly in young people, CPR can be lifesaving because the health crisis is different to begin with. And in the case of a loved one who might be dying, simply having something to do that might work, lessens the possibility of guilt forming around a situation you seem to have little control over.
If a loved one is dying, blue lips won't stop someone from wanting to help in any way they can, if they know something they can at least try to do.
For both you and the loved one, sharing the moment of death can be a moment in time that can be precious, as you are there to comfort them as they pass on. I have been a part of many grief support groups, and the one thing that causes people to keep coming back again and again for support is regrets. These are people who often weren't there to do anything at the time of an accident, or other issue that led to the death, and over and over some say that they wish they had been there so they could say goodbye, or get closure, or see the reality of the end of their loved ones life. Sometimes it seems that it is worse to not know what happened, particularly if there is no body to bury, and it seems as if they are still alive, but just "missing."
Of course, these are grieving people who are grasping at anything that might lessen their grief, and they might find that the reality of being present at a loved ones death isn't the moment they imagine it would or could have been. | |
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| First Aid
Posted: 11/2/2009 9:14:19 PM | | Before giving CPR... always check the person's air passage and remove false teeth and plates... | |
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HO2
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Joined: 10/11/2008
Msg: 33 | |
| First Aid
Posted: 11/3/2009 10:07:33 AM | Home defibrilator units do exist for the public at large.
Since 1995, the American Heart Association (AHA) has promoted the development
of ordinary rescuer ; automated external defibrillator (AED) programs
to improve survival from out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest .
Many are completely automated with Voice Commands to guide the operator.
In most communities, the time interval from collapse to the arrival of EMS personnel
is 7 to 8 minutes or longer.............
http://www.aedsuperstore.com/ | |
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| First Aid
Posted: 11/6/2009 7:57:33 PM | | There are cases where duct tape was used to perform surgery....its uses are vast and endless | |
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| First Aid
Posted: 11/11/2009 5:52:49 PM | Emergency Preparedness
In the case where a person living with you already has health problems this can be extremely useful.
I have a binder that has sections for everyone in my family.
I keep it on a computer file and update it about twice a year, or oftener if things change.
I print out more than one copy of the following basic information, and then I can hand it to a medical staff person and not have to worry about letting them keep it. This helps everyone keep their medical facts straight. Minimising problems with copying, and remembering everything in a tense situation.
I keep a copy of the basic information in the glove compartment of my van.
Ambulance crews will need this basic information to provide the best care for emergency victims.
* Name, address, phone number
* Birthdate
* ALLERGIES to any Medications or foods
* Prescription medications, type of medications, doses and schedules
* Chronic conditions (diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc)
* Any reasons for hospitalizations (heart attacks, strokes, major surgeries, etc)
* Doctor's name(s)
* Your hospital preference
* Medical insurance information, card number, address, phone number
Don't put a social security number on the sheet if you are going to give it out.
As part of my binder, I have a copy of all my prescriptions,
medical cards (front and back)
package inserts for each medication (your pharmacist can give them to you if they aren't with the prescription.)
Results of lab tests. I have everyone's blood type here.
A detailed medical history. Dates and types of surgeries, admissions, tests.
Family medical history going back several generations.
A copy of each person's living will, which includes organ donation decisions.
A description of my wishes with regards to any other issues.
I have taken the most important information, printed it out two-sided in small type and laminated it, three-hole-punched it and keep that one in the binder.
Take this card with you when you go to Doctor's appointments.
Keep your medical binder in a place you can find it easily in case of a natural disaster, fire or other evacuation situation.
(I highly recommend this in cases where there is a possibility you might have to leave in a hurry due to abusive situations. In this case, it is also very helpful to have copies of everyone's birth certificates, social security cards, copies of credit card and checking account numbers, and emergency phone numbers, numbers of family and friends you can call. You can make an extra photocopy of this and keep it in your purse, or the trunk of your car. Don't carry it around all the time unless you need to, to prevent identity theft if your purse is stolen. You can also choose a trusted family member or very trustworthy friend who lives nearby to keep it for you. It might also be kept in a safety deposit box in a bank. In this case, a relatively recent photograph of each person with fingerprints is also a good idea.)
Put this idea onto your calendar and update it a minimum of once a year.
You can associate doing it to the same time you change your clocks and smoke detector batteries.
Other ideas for medical preparedness:
Purchase a medical ID tag or necklace if necessary.
Call or go to your local Police Department and Fire/Emergency Department and go over any special needs anyone in your family might have.
I did this for my Autistic son. I brought a photo of him and discussed how he reacts and how to calm him ahead of time, in case he wandered. This is also a good idea for anyone who wanders, like people with Dementia.
Another family member has a Latex (rubber) allergy. I purchased our own non-latex medical supplies like gloves and IV tubing and I keep it on hand in case of an emergency. Most emergency responders have latex-free supplies now, but if there is anything like this that you might need immediately in an emergency situation and you aren't sure EMTs will have it, call your local EMT and ask them, and if they don't, obtain the supplies in advance and keep them handy and up to date.
If you need an Epi-Pen for extreme allergic reactions, make sure to have at least three. Keep one at home, one at school or work, and one in your vehicle. And a fourth with a family member is best. (If you are divorced, the other parent should also have three of their own.) Train everyone in the family to be able to administer it.
Check your supplies and make sure the expiration date is current every year. Keep the old ones to use on grapefruit for training purposes, and for practice reviews. | |
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HO2
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Joined: 10/11/2008
Msg: 36 | |
| First Aid
Posted: 11/11/2009 8:20:55 PM | Good stuff - Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
I agree with being Pro-Active rather than Re-Active, especially when time is of the essence. | |
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| First Aid
Posted: 11/14/2009 1:12:49 PM | Thinking about and learning First Aid is a good time to also think about your own wishes.
1. Do you want to be an organ donor?
Tell someone close to you. Tell them more than once. Write it into your wishes as part of a living will document. You can be specific about what you want to donate. You can donate your entire body for research and for Doctors to learn from. You can donate certain parts, like only internal organs, or only eyes and skin...the Doctors usually have to decide what is capable of being donated at the time, but within that, you can be more specific if you want to.
2. Do you have a living will?
If you do, does anyone else know about it? Where is it kept, and is it up to date? A living will isn't necessary, but if you have certain wishes about how your end of life will be handled in certain situations, now is the time to say so.
3. If you need any of this soon, have you done what you need to do to be at peace with the world, with your family, with those you care about? If you are right with the world, it is easier to make any transition, of any kind.
4. Pre-planning is very helpful.
If you can, set aside some funds to do pre-planning for your funeral, burial and purchase a place for you. You don't have to purchase it all at once. You can do it a little at a time. The money you spend now can be "frozen" so that the things you have purchased in today's money will be available at the same cost when they are needed. It also takes the pressure of time off of you, because you aren't under any limitation about how long to decide what to buy and how much to spend. This can be a big cost savings, and it saves your loved ones from having to make so many decisions about things during a difficult time (usually they will have less than 5 days to make a zillion decisions.) This is one investment, in my opinion, that still makes sense if you have family.
I have a friend who was an only child. A few years ago, she had to pay for her father's funeral, her fathers debts, and to handle all of his things. Only to have to do all of that again when her mother died not long after that (they were divorced.) Neither had made any plans or had savings for this purpose. It left her with nothing but a huge pile of stuff to sort through that kept her busy for a year. On top of this, she has a serious illness herself, and needs the funds for her own care. | |
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