What acronym is used to remember the 7 key steps of first aid, when attending to an unresponsive victim?
DRS ABCD
- D for Danger: Assess the situation
- R for Response: Check consciousness and vital signs
- S for Send help: Call triple zero (000).
- A for Airway: Open airway
- B for Breathing: Check respiration rates
- C for Circulation: Give chest compressions if necessary
- D for Defibrillator: Apply an automated external defibrillator (AED) if one is available.
What three actions should be taken on a fresh wound to prevent infection and to best promote recovery?
- Wash the area around the wound
- Disinfect the wound
- Bandage the wound
Why should you never give pain medication to someone with a bleeding laceration right away?
Pain medication can cause wounds to bleed profusely and heal more slowly.
Pain medication, especially aspirin, can have an anticoagulant effect.
These medications can pose a risk to the patient, especially if the pain medications have an anticoagulant effect or the patient is allergic.
Always consult a medical expert before administering medicine.
True or false:
If you think a victim lying on the ground may have injured their spine, you should immediately move them to a bed or soft surface to prevent further damage.
FALSE
Important: never move a victim from their location unless their current position provides an immediate risk to their life. If the victim’s neck or spinal column is broken, then moving them may lacerate their spinal cord and lead to permanent paralyzation. Stop traffic if you have to!
The first-aid procedure of reviving a stopped heartbeat using breath and chest compressions is called ____.
CPR
(Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)
Cardio = Heart and Pulmonary = Lungs. CPR helps save a person’s life if their breathing or heartbeat stops.
When do you know it’s appropriate to initiate CPR on a victim?
When they are unresponsive and not breathing or is gasping for breath.
Start by checking a victim’s pulse and breath carefully. If either has stopped, begin CPR immediately, as cerebral ischemia can set in quickly while the heart is stopped (after 2 minutes), causing brain damage.
What is the correct way to give someone CPR when they’re on a bed?
Get them off the bed first.
You need a flat surface so that the compressions have full effect on the patient.
Lying on a flat floor also tends to allow for more optimal blood and airflow.
What is the correct hand placement when performing CPR?
Place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest (in the lower half of the breastbone), with the other hand on top (A).
Interlace your fingers and make sure your hands are up off the chest (B).
What is the correct frequency of continuous chest compressions when applying hand-only CPR?
100 to 120 compressions per minute
Push hard and fast: at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep with 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
Let the chest rise to its normal position between each compression.
Some first aid coaches recommend using the rhythm of the song “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, to keep your compressions on track. (“Ah. Ha. Ha. Ha. Stayin’ Alive ….”)
When performing full CPR with mouth-to-mouth breathing, after how many chest compressions should you give breaths to the victim?
After every 30 chest compressions, apply 2 breaths
When giving breaths to the victim, make sure to keep the connection between the mouths air-tight and keep and eye on their chest to see if it rises.
If the chest isn’t rising, check for an obstruction in the mouth/throat and make sure to keep your lips air-tight when giving breaths.
Keep performing CPR for at least 30 minutes or until paramedics arrive.
Describe the two-step process of giving breaths to a patient in need of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
- Open the airway
- Blow air
Open the airway using the head tilt/chin-lift technique.
Blow air into the patient’s mouth - ensure each breath lasts 1 second and makes the chest rise.
Which device is used to restore a normal heart rhythm in victims of sudden cardiac arrest?
AED
(Automated External Defibrillator)
An AED provides an electric shock through the chest to the heart, to restore a normal heartbeat rhythm.
True or false:
If someone is drowning, it is better to reach out with an object to pull them out of the water, rather than sending an experienced swimmer in to rescue them.
TRUE
Even the most experienced swimmers can get pulled down by a struggling victim, or could fall victim to the same dangerous situation (e.g. an undercurrent) themselves.
When pulling someone out of the water, remember to stay low, lean back, bend at the knees, and if possible, have a spotter who helps you stay stable as you help the struggling victim.
What do the following beach flag colors mean regarding the safety of the current water conditions?
- Purple
- Yellow
- Red
- Green
- Green: Safe, open for swimming
- Yellow: Caution, limited swimming
- Red: Unsafe, closed for swimming
- Purple: Dangerous marine life
When someone has been badly burned in a fire, what is the very first thing you should do to treat them?
Remove any jewelry, belts, or tight clothing
Burns can swell quickly, which can make removing tight fitting items increasingly more difficult, and can also restrict blood flow.
How can you identify when a burn needs immediate serious medical attention?
The skin:
- Looks charred
- Looks leathery
- Has yellow fatty tissue exposed
Call 911 immediately and cover the burn area with a sterile dressing. The victim has third-degree burns when the skin looks charred and black, white, or brown.
What temperature of water should be used to cool a burn wound?
lukewarm water
(between 98° and 110°F or 36° and 43°C)
Important: Even if it feels relieving, cold water causes constriction of the blood vessels and can magnify an injury by reducing blood supply.
You should especially never cool a third-degree burn (i.e. where the burn is deep in the tissue, causing a leathery appearance or even exposing fatty yellow layers). Lukewarm water is always safest.
When someone has swallowed a poisonous substance, you should _____ (never/always) make them vomit.
never
Regurgitating a poisonous substance can further damage the esophagus.
Instead, call poison control immediately and follow their instructions.
If you see someone in the process of being electrocuted, how should you attempt to stop it?
Use a non-conductive item to separate the person from the current.
Non-conductive items could be a wooden board or a telephone book.
Never make direct contact with someone being electrocuted, as the current will flow through them into you.
And of course never use a metal object to reach the person, as metal conducts electricity and will flow directly to you.
When a power line falls onto your car, you should ____ _______ to minimize risk of electrocution.
stay inside
(until help arrives)
The car acts as a Faraday cage, which distributes the electromagnetic conduction evenly across the car’s exterior and thus cancels the electrical field’s effect in the car’s interior.
By remaining inside the car, you will not be harmed by electricity. Wait until professionals arrive who can extract you using non-conductive materials.
Only leave the car if there’s a risk of it exploding or catching on fire.
Is sucking out the venom from a snakebite wound an effective treatment?
never
It is a myth that this is the right way to handle a snakebite. You also run the risk of having the poison in your own mouth.
It is better to call emergency services right away.
A ________ is an effective way of reducing blood flow when dealing with an open wound (especially an arterial bleeding) in an extremity.
tourniquet
Many tourniquets have a label attached which helps you note down the time the tourniquet was applied.
It is not advised to keep a tourniquet on for more than two hours as it can cause permanent damage to muscles, nerves, and blood vessels.
When in need, you can craft a tourniquet out of everyday items such as cables, belts, or even a t-shirt.
A technique to clear a conscious choking victim’s airway is called __________ _______.
Abdominal Thrusts
This used to be called the “Heimlich manouvre” (the name changed in 2006). This maneuver is used on conscious people who are choking and have something stuck in their airway. If they become unconscious, switch to CPR.
Describe the three steps in the Heimlich ‘five-and-five’ approach.
- Give 5 back blows between shoulder blades with the heel of your hand
- Give 5 abdominal thrusts
- Alternate between 5 blows and 5 thrusts until blockage is dislodged.
Stand side to side with the person and slightly behind them. If the person is able to cough, let them do so.
A piece of makeshift first aid equipment used to keep an injured body part from moving and to protect it from damage is called a ______.
splint
A splint is often used to stabilize a limb with a broken bone before taking the patient to a hospital.
It could be made with something like a rolled-up newspaper, a heavy stick, a plank, or a rolled-up towel, and can be fastened with shoelaces, belts, or even strips of cloth.
A traumatic, temporary brain injury that causes headaches, nausea, dizziness, or blurry vision is called a ________.
concussion
Other signs of a concussion can be sensitivity to light or noise, memory problems, or confusion.
True or false:
A concussion is always caused by a blow to the head.
FALSE
Concussions can happen with any force strong enough to result in rapid movement of the head and can change the way the brain functions.
Another common cause is a car accident, where a vehicle stops suddenly while the brain’s momentum was continuing forward, crashing itself into the wall of the skull.
How do you treat a concussion?
physical and cognitive rest
This means bed rest and NO mentally taxing activities like reading, videogames, or texting.
Call 911 if the person cannot wake up, has trouble waking up, cannot recognize people or places, has seizures, vomits repeatedly, or has one pupil larger than the other.
What are the most recommended at-home treatments for intense joint pain caused by injury or overuse?
(e.g. runner’s knee)
rest and ice treatments
e.g. To rest a runner’s knee, you can wrap the knee in an elastic bandage to keep it elevated (and unused), and apply ice in 20 minute increments.
Never apply ice directly to the skin, to avoid freeze burns.
What is the appropriate way to treat a blister?
- Cover it with a bandage.
- Do NOT “pop” it.
- Drain it gently only if it’s overly painful.
Blisters should ideally be left alone, as they are a natural barrier to infection that decrease the risk of infection.
