There’s been an accident. Someone, you, a companion or another person has been suddenly injured or is suddenly very ill.

People are shouting, crying and emotions are running high. You must do something quickly, but what?
This involves anything from removing a splinter or draining a blister to acting in the rescuer role in the case of road accident, fire outbreak, extreme cold, animal bites, food poison, drowning or broken bones. Some first aid can take place safely at home without further treatment while other situations require prompt care by a medical professional. Moreover, many first aid situations that seem simple at first, such as treating a mild burn or a small foreign object in the skin, can develop into a more serious condition weeks later due to infection.  In the event of a serious medical emergency, this brief first aid information will help you know what to do as a rescuer to help an injured person while awaiting emergency services.

Try not to panic: you may experience an overpowering sense of fear, but keep control, often a few deep breathe will help. But act quickly. If it is another person who has sustained the major injury, help by reassuring the person of treatment and make the person as comfortable as possible. Note the areas on injuries. Beware of how to move someone who has been injured, who has seemingly lost consciousness, or who complains of neck pain. Always seek immediate medical help though lots of unnecessary trips are made annually to the nation’s emergency rooms but, as the cliché says, “it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Personal first aid (care of minor wounds)
Everyday cuts, scrapes or wounds often do not require a trip to the emergency room. Yet proper care is essential to avoid infection or other complications. The following guidelines can help in caring for simple wounds.

(a) Stop the bleeding: Minor bleeding from a cut or scrape usually will cease spontaneously within a few minutes. If it does not, apply pressure using a gauze pad or clean cloth.

(b) Keep the wound clean: Wash the area with mild soap and water, being sure to remove any dirt or grit (if dirt or other material is embedded in the wound, consult a physician). Pat the wound dry with a clean cloth. To be safe from infection, apply an over-the-counter antiseptic or antibiotic cream. Dress at least once a day, taking care to keep the area of the injury clean and dry.

(c)  Emergency bleeding: If bleeding is persistent, if the blood spurts or continue to flow after several minutes of pressure, emergency care is called for.

Danger signs: if any wound becomes inflamed – that is, tender to the touch and reddened – or if it oozes pus or other fluids, consult your physician

Road accidents and major injuries
By no doubt, this requires that the victim be rushed immediately to the hospital. If the patient is seriously bleeding, while on the way to hospital, try to stop the bleeding, use a clean clothing to rap the area while applying pressure, keep the victim stable and be ready to give a quick full detail of how the event occurred to the medical team at the emergency department.

The victim might look well, bleeding might not be present but it is still recommended to seek emergency medical care – there might be internal bleeding, dislocation and other non physical signs that might cause harm later. At least a medical check-up is necessary.  

Bleeding Emergencies
When an injury results in bleeding, steps must be taken to stop the loss of blood. If substantial amounts of the blood are lost, shock, unconsciousness and death can result. All wounds require appropriate care and treatment. Inadequate care can result in serious infections.

Stopping sever bleeding:
(1) Protect yourself, ensure that the victims blood doesn’t get into yours
(2) Remove any obvious debris or dirt from the wound. Do not remove any objects impaled in the person. Do not probe the wound or attempt to clear it at this point. Your principle concern is to stop the loss of blood.
(3) Put pressure directly on the wound with a sterile bandage, clean cloth or even a piece of clothing.
(4) Maintain pressure until the bleeding stops. When it does, bind the wound dressing tightly with adhesive tape. If none is available, use a piece of clean clothing.
(5) If the bleeding continuous and seeps through the gauze or other material you are holding on the wound, do not remove it. Rather, add more absorbent material on top of it. (6) Immobilize the injured body part once the bleeding has been stopped. Leave the bandages in place and get the injured person to the emergency room as soon as possible.

Nosebleeds: This common condition involves sudden bleeding from one nostril. It may result from trauma (the most common example being a punch in the nose), from breathing dry air, from allergies or for no apparent reason.

Nosebleed can be stopped using the following steps.
(1)    First, sit or stand upright. The upright positions slow the flow of blood in the veins of the nose. Do not tip your head back.
(2)    Pinch your nose with your thumb and index finger; breathe through your mouth. Do this for 5 or 10 minutes; this should stop the flow of blood.
If you succeed in stopping the flow of blood, there is no need for professional medical assistance. However, if the bleeding proves hard to stop, seek emergency medical assistance.

Care of Minor illnesses
Everybody gets sick from time to time. The problem may be familiar, such as headache, a cold or flu virus, or it may be a seemingly mysterious ailments. Most often, recovery from the common minor illness is a matter of time and commonsense treatments. For everyday minor complaints, follow these guidelines:

Take it easy: If you do not feel well, the first rule is to get some rest or at least slow your usual pace. It could be due to workload or stress. If you have headache or flu, paracetamol, bed rest, proper nutrition and lots of liquid may help you recover more quickly. For a cold, patience is the first treatment. It will take a few days to recover.

Monitor the symptom: Whatever your ailment, pay attention to what your body tells you. The familiar running nose, minor cough and stuffed-up head of a cold usually come and go without the help that modern medicine can offer. However, a seemingly trivial ailment that persists for more than a week or two may actually be something more serious.

Fever: Many minor ailments commonly are accompanied by fever. Elevated body temperature is your body’s way of fighting infection and certain diseases. A fever also increases fluid loss from the body. Therefore, adequate rest and water intake is important when fever is present.

Bites and stings
A dog, a bee in a flowering bush, a spider or a snake or even another person can deliver potentially dangerous bites. Every such injury must be treated promptly and properly in order to minimize the risks of infection, allergic reaction or other complications. The best treatment for an animal bite is prevention.

(1) Animal bites: are dangerous because they may carry rabies and any animal that bites a human should be impounded and checked for rabies. Rabies is transmitted to humans by saliva from the bite of an infected animal. It is a virus that affects the brain, causes uncontrolled irritability and confusion. Convulsions and paralysis leading almost inevitably to death will result if the rabies virus is untreated. In the later stages, the virus is found in the person’s saliva and could infect others.

Emergency care: thorough extensive cleaning of the wound with soap and water followed by a second scrubbing with antiseptics should be carried out as soon as possible after the bite. Apply antibiotic cream to prevent infection. Seek immediate medical care, they must decide whether to treat you for rabies or not. The same care should be taken in the case of metal puncture especially old nails. Beware of street dogs, monkeys and wild animals. Teach your child to stay away from strange animals.

Watch for any sign of infection in the hours and days of the bite. Swellings, redness, pus draining from the wound, or pain should be reported immediately to a physician.
(2)  Human bites: Human bites are of two kinds: a bite that results from flesh being caught between the teeth of the upper and lower jaw. The second kind is a fight bite that occurs when an assailant cuts his or her knuckles on the opponent’s teeth in the act of striking.

Human bites are dangerous because of the considerable risk posed by the bacteria found in the mouth. Carried by the saliva, the bacteria enter the tissues at the site of the bite and can lead to serious infection. If you sustain a human bite of any kind, seek emergency medical care; stop the bleeding by applying pressure, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water. A serious infection could put you at risk of a prolonged hospital stay, permanent joint stiffness and even amputation if not appropriately treated.

(3)  Insect bites and stings: The symptoms of an insect bite result from the injection of venom or other agents into your skin. With minor bites, the reaction is temporary and local; a bump rises on your skin at the site of the bite, the area may itch for a few hours and then over a period of days, the skin irritation and discomfort disappears. Typically the bites of mosquitoes, fleas, flies, bedbugs and ants follow this course. However, your entire body can be affected if the venom is potent, as is the case with certain spiders, scorpions and snakes or if you are hypersensitive to bee, wasp and yellow jackat stings.

Insect bite emergency treatments: If the stinger from a bee or other insect remains in your skin, it must be removed carefully. Remove bee stingers, particularly the tip of the stinger, so as not to inject more venom. Mild insect bites can be treated with an application of a paste of baking soda, a cold, wet cloth or ice cubes to reduce pain. You also may apply a hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to reduce itching and inflammation.

Tick Bites: If you find a tick crawling on your skin, carefully remove it. Do not crush it between your fingers; drop it in a fire or smash it between two rocks, wash your hands afterwards. If the tick has already bitten you and is holding on to your skin, do not pull it off. Cover it with oil (any kitchen or machine oil will do). The film of oil will make breathing difficult for the tick, so it will relax its clamp on your skin. When it is free, remove the tick. Wash the area thoroughly after removing the tick and monitor the area for the next hours or days.

Conclusion
Being active and responsible in cases of emergencies can save lives. Many people die due to severe blood loss which can be prevented. Be careful when handling blood. Time shouldn’t be wasted in emergency cases, do what you can ONLY on YOUR WAY to the emergency room or while WAITING for medical care. Don’t assume and take responsibility of totally treating the victim yourself. Otherwise you would be held responsible for the outcome. Having knowledge and being aware of emergency first aid can save you or a colleague – you can never tell when it will happen.

Reviewed and Approved by the GMDC. Comments, Opinion or Support, write to unigamsapress@yahoo.com