• First aid is the initial care provided to someone who

has suddenly fallen ill, or who has been injured, until

more advanced care is provided or the person
recovers. Immediate and ef fective first aid may
reduce the severity of the injury or illness and
promote recovery.
Importance of First Aid:

• P rov i d i n g Q U I C K m e d i c a l t re at m e n t u n t i l
professional assistance arrives.
• First aid helps ensure that the right methods of
administering medical assistance are provided.
• Knowledge in first aid also benefits the individuals
themselves.
• It affords people with the ability to provide help
during various emergency situations.
• In the pre-hospital setting, the key contributors to
survival and recovery from illness and injury are
prompt and effective maintenance of the body’s
primary functions:
• 1. Airway
• 2. Breathing
• 3. Circulation
 Manage airway –Roll the casualty onto their back, open the
airway, for adults, use the head tilt / chin lift maneuver, for infants under 1
year old, do not tilt the head, just support the jaw and keep the mouth open.
Failure to maintain backward head tilt and chin lift is the most common
cause of obstruction during resuscitation.
–After an unconscious casualty’s airway is cleared, the next
step is to check whether or not the casualty is breathing normally using the
‘Look, Feel and Listen’ technique. Casualty’s that are gasping or breathing
abnormally and are unresponsive require immediate resuscitation – LOOK &
FEEL for movement of the upper abdomen or lower chest. LISTEN for the
escape of air from the nose and mouth.
• 3. - Assessment of circulation is now not usually carried out
for patients who are not breathing. First aiders must conclude indirectly that
unconscious patients, without breathing have no circulation and go straight
to chest compressions. Pulse checks may be done on less serious patients.
• Principal aims of First Aid
• 1. Preserve Life
• 2. Prevent Deterioration
• 3. Promote Recovery
• Four Life Savings Steps:
• a. Stop the bleeding – by elevating, direct pressure and by
applying tourniquet.
• b. Protect the Wound – by applying first aid dressing.
• c. Prevent or Treat Shock – keep the victim lying down with
his/her hear lower than the body. Loosen any tilt clothing. Keep
the casualty’s convertible warm by wrapping with blanket. If
she/he is unconscious, place him at his/her sides, prevent
checking on vomits and other fluid. Give him fluid by mouth with
warm stimulants such as cof fee, tea or cocoa, remember
Alcohol is not stimulants fluid.
• d. Restore Breathing – if a casualty stops breathing you must
give artificial respiration immediately. The sooner you begin
artificial respiration, the more likely you are to succeed in
• Emergency Action Principles
–Safety
–Primary survey
–Call EMS
Safety

• Survey the emergency scene to make sure there are

no dangers. If you won't be able to help anyone if you
end up getting hurt too.
• If it is dangerous call for help, make the area safer, or
move the person from danger.
Primary survey

• Do a primary survey of the victim.

• Gently try to see if the injured person can respond.
You can do this by calling out to him and gently
tapping his shoulders.
Call EMS

• If the person doesn't wake up (or if he is injured) you

or someone else must call the Emergency Medical
Service (EMS) immediately.
• Airway
– Place the person on his back, carefully so as
to not cause further injury.
– Open the person's airway by tilting his head
back and lifting his chin upwards. This will
remove the tongue from blocking the airway.
Keep the airway open.
• Breathing
– Check for breathing by looking, listening, and feeling for air (10
seconds).
– If the person is not breathing give him 2 breaths, allowing the air to
come out in between.
– If the air goes in, then check circulation.
– If the air does not go in, re-position the head-tilt/chin-lift and try blowing
again.
– If the air still does not go in then:
• Do chest compressions (just like CPR) to force the object out.
• Then check the mouth to see if the object came out, take it out if you see it.
• Do the head-tilt/chin-lift and try blowing in, even if you didn't get anything out.
• If the air doesn't go in, reposition the head-tilt/chin-lift and try blowing in again.
• If the air goes in then check for circulation.
• If the air still does not go in then do chest compressions, check the mouth, try
blowing in – repeat this entire process until you get air in.
Circulation
• This step should only be done once you have an open airway
and you are able to get air into the casualty's lungs.
• Check for circulation by feeling for a pulse and by looking at
the person's skin color, feeling the skin temperature, and by
noticing any movement (10 seconds).
• Start CPR if needed (compressions and breaths).
• If there is circulation but no breathing then just do rescue
breathing.
• If there is circulation and breathing, then monitor and put
the person in the recovery position until the paramedics
arrive.
• The body is built from many millions of cells. To stay
alive, these cells need a constant supply of oxygen.
The vital flow of oxygen to your cell is being provided
by two important body systems working together: the
respiratory system and the circulatory system.
• The respiratory system brings the oxygen needed to
keep us alive into the body. We breathe oxygen, when
we breathe in, air enters the body through the nose
and mouth. It travels down the throat, through the
wind pipe esophagus, and into the lungs. The
pathway from the nose and the mouth and mouth to
the lungs is called the airway. In order for it to enter
the lungs, the airway must be opened, in the lungs,
the oxygen in the airway is picked up by the blood
and carried to all cells of the body through the
circulatory system.
• Respiratory Emergencies
• A respiratory emergency occurs when a person’s
normal breathing stops that the person can’t breathe
enough air to stay alive. Without a constant supply of
oxygen within four (4) to six (6) minutes the brain will
begin to die. In this situation, rescue breathing
should be administered immediately.
• Causes of Respiratory Emergencies
• Respiratory emergencies most commonly happen
when the airway becomes obstructed. There are two
types of airway obstruction, namely: anatomic
obstruction and mechanical obstruction.
• Anatomic obstruction happens when the tongue or tissues
of the throat block a person’s airway. This could happen
when:
• The airway is blocked by the back of the tongue dropping
down into the throat. This is the most common cause of
airway obstruction and often happens when an unconscious
person is lying on his back
• A person’s airway also can be blocked when tissues in the
throat swell. Swelling can be caused by injuries such as
allergies, insect bites and stings, blow to the neck, by burns,
poisons, and certain diseases and illness
• Mechanical obstruction happens when the airway is
partly or completely blocked by the following:
– A solid object such as food, candy, or small toy.
– Fluids, including vomit, blood, mucus, or saliva.
• Triage is the by the
severity of injury or illness, so that resources
can be utilized more efficiently, to do the most
good for the most people.
• The goal of triage is to identify casualties who
have—obstructed airway, excessive bleeding
or shock—and to treat them immediately.
• Tr i age ge n e ra l l y ap p l i e s t o l a rge nu m b e rs o f
casualties and is a tagging system often used by
paramedics; however, the principle can be applied in
any situation with two or more casualties.
• Triage usually begins at the incident site, as soon as
casualties are located.
• In conducting triage, you must be concerned with the
safety of yourself, other first aiders and bystanders,
as well as that of the casualties. If you don’t protect
yourself, you can make the situation worse.
• Every time the heart beats it pumps blood into
elastic walled tubes called arteries which carry
the blood to every part of the body.
• The blood travels along as a wave
distending each portion of the tubes as it
reaches it with a jerk or jolt which can be felt,
or even seen, in certain arteries which lie upon
bones and are near the surface.
• This is called the pulse.
• As the normal heart beats 72 times every
minute the pulse does the same. This is known
as the Pulse rate.
• The easiest method of feeling the pulse is to
place the tips of the fingers on the front of the
forearm of a person just above the bend of the
wrist and on the thumb side.
• Types of Pulse on the Human Body
– Temporal pulse – can be located beside the ear through the temporal
artery.
– Carotid pulse – can be located beside the trachea through the carotid
artery.
– Subclavian pulse – can be located at the subclavian artery just behind
the inner bone of the collar bone (clavicle), exerting pressure down
against the first rib.
– Brachial pulse – through the brachial artery located on the upper
arm next to the body, halfway between the elbow and the shoulder.
– Radial pulse – through the radial artery located on the thumb side of the
wrist.
– Femoral pulse – femoral artery, midway in the groin, where the artery
passes over the pelvic bone.
• Shock is a critical condition brought on by the
sudden drop in blood flow through the body.
• Shock may result from trauma, heatstroke,
bl o o d l o s s, a n a l l e rg i c re a c t i o n , s eve re
infection, poisoning, severe burns or other
causes. When a person is in shock, his or her
organs aren't getting enough blood or oxygen.
Shock can be caused by anything that reduces the
flow of blood, such as:
• severe internal or external bleeding
• heart problems, such as a heart attack, or heart
failure
• loss of body fluids, from dehydration, diarrhoea,
vomiting, or burns
• severe allergic reactions and overwhelming infection
(septic shock)
• spinal cord injury.
Signs and symptoms
• Look for:
– pale skin, which may be cold and clammy
– sweating
– fast pulse - as shock gets worse
– fast, shallow breathing
– a weak pulse
– grey blue skin, especially inside the lips
– nausea and possible vomiting - as the brains oxygen supply decreases
– restlessness and aggressive behaviour
– yawning and gasping for air
– the casualty could become unresponsive.
Call the EMS Hotline
• B l e e d i n g i s t h e l o s s o f b l o o d f ro m t h e
circulatory system.
• C a u s e s c a n r a n g e f ro m s m a l l c u t s a n d
abrasions to deep cuts and amputations.
• Injuries to the body can also result in internal
bleeding, which can range from minor (seen as
superficial bruising) to massive bleeds.
TYPES OF BLEEDING

• 1. External bleeding ----- open wound

• 2. Internal bleeding ----- close wound
WOUND
• It refers to a break in the continuity of any
bodily tissue due to an external action,
typified by a cut, a bruise, or a hematoma.

• Open wound v.Close wound

NOTE: The images to be presented are SENSITIVE
(For illustration purposes only)
• SIMPLE LACERATION –
this is caused by a clean
surface cut from a
sharp-edged object
s u ch a s ra z o r. B l o o d
vessels are cut straight
across, so bleeding may
be profuse. Structures
such as tendons on
nerves may be damaged.
• COMPLEX LACERATION –
blunt or ripping forces
result in tears or lacerations.
These wounds may bleed
less than clean surface cuts,
but there may be deep
t i s s u e d a m age. Th e s e
lacerations are often
contaminated with germs,
so the risk of infection is
high.
• ABRASION (SCRAPE) - This
is a superficial wound in
which the topmost layers of
skin are scraped off, leaving
a raw, t e n d e r a re a .
Abrasions are often caused
by a sliding fall or a friction
b u r n . T h ey c a n c o n t a i n
embedded foreign particles
that may cause infection.
• CONTUSION (BRUISE) - A
blunt blow can rupture
capillaries beneath the skin,
causing blood to leak into
the tissues. This process
results in bruising.
Extensive contusion and
swelling may indicate
deeper damage, such as a
fracture or an internal injury.
• PUNCTURE W OUND - An
injury such as standing on a
nail or being pricked by a
needle will result in a
puncture wound. It has a
small entry site but a deep
track of internal damage.
Since germs and dirt can be
carried far into the body,
the infection risk with this
kind of wound is high.
• STAB W OUND - This is a
deep incision caused by a
long or bladed instrument,
usually a knife, penetrating
the body. Stab wounds to
the trunk must always be
treated as serious because
of the danger of injury to
vital organs and life-
threatening internal
bleeding.
• GUNSHOT WOUND - This type of
wound is caused by a bullet or
missile being driven into the body,
causing serious internal injury as
well as infection caused by
clothing and contaminants from
t h e a i r b e i n g s u cke d i n t o t h e
wound. It is important to note the
number of wounds

• Entry wound is smaller while Exit

wound is larger
• What is a wound dressing?
• It is anything that is used in direct contact with a
wound to help it heal and prevent further issues or
complications. Different wound dressings are used
based on the type of the wound, but they all aim to
help reduce infection. Wound dressings also help
with the following:
• ✓ Stop bleeding and start clotting
• ✓ Absorb excess blood, plasma, or other fluid
• ✓ Wound debridement
Different Types of Wound Dressings

• Cloth bandage
• Foam bandage
• Transparent bandage
• A burn occurs when heat, chemicals, sunlight,
electricity or radiation damages skin tissue.
• Most burns happen accidentally.
• Burn can lead to infection.
• M a n y t h i n g s c a n c a u s e a bu r n . Th e r m a l
sources, including fire, hot liquids, steam and
c o n t a c t w i t h h o t s u r fa c e s, a re t h e m o s t
c o m m o n c a u s e s o f bu r n s. O t h e r c a u s e s
include exposure to:
– C h e m i c a l s, s u ch a s c e m e n t , a c i d s o r d ra i n
cleaners.
– Radiation.
– Electricity.
– Sun (ultraviolet or UV light).
• Burn degrees include:
– First-degree burns or Epidermal Burns are mild (like most
sunburns). The top layer of skin turns red and is painful but
doesn’t typically blister.
– Second-degree burns or Superficial Partial Thickness burns
affect skin’s top and lower layers. You may experience pain,
redness, swelling and blistering.
– Third-degree burns or Full Thickness burns affect all three skin
layers: epidermis, dermis and fat. The burn also destroys hair
follicles and sweat glands. Because third-degree burns damage
nerve endings, you probably won’t feel pain in the area of the
burn itself, rather adjacent to it. Burned skin may be black,
white or red with a leathery appearance.
Example of First Degree Burn
Example of Second degree burn
Third degree burns
• Scald Burn – result from
exposure to moist heat
(steam or hot fluids) and
involve superficial.
• Burn symptoms vary depending on the severity or
degree of the burn. Symptoms are often worse during
the first few hours or days after the burn. Burn
symptoms include:
– Blisters.
– Pain.
– Swelling.
– White or charred (black) skin.
– Peeling skin.
• Your healthcare provider will examine the burn to determine
the degree or severity. This process involves estimating the
percentage of the body affected by the burn and its depth.
Your provider may classify the burn as:
• Minor: First- and second-degree burns that cover less than
10% of the body are considered minor and rarely require
hospitalization.
• Moderate: Second-degree burns that cover about 10% of the
body are classified as moderate. Burns on the hands, feet,
face or genitals can range from moderate to severe.
• Severe: Third-degree burns that cover more than 1% of the
body are considered severe.
• Third-degree burns that are deep and af fect a large
p o r t i o n o f s ki n a re ve r y s e r i o u s a n d c a n b e l i fe -
threatening. Even first- and second-degree burns can
become infected and cause discoloration and scarring.
First-degree burns don’t cause scarring.
– Arrhythmia, or heart rhythm disturbances, caused by an
electrical burn.
– Dehydration.
– Disfiguring scars and contractures.
– Edema (excess fluid and swelling in tissues).
– Organ failure.
– Pneumonia.
– Seriously low blood pressure (hypotension) that may lead to
shock.
– Severe infection that may lead to amputation or sepsis.
• Until emergency help arrives:
– Protect the burned person from further harm. If you can do so safely, make sure the
person you're helping is not in contact with the source of the burn. For electrical
burns, make sure the power source is off before you approach the burned person.
– Make certain that the person burned is breathing. If needed, begin rescue breathing
if you know how.
– Remove jewelry, belts and other restrictive items, especially from around burned
areas and the neck. Burned areas swell rapidly.
– Cover the area of the burn. Use a cool, moist bandage or a clean cloth.
– Don't immerse large severe burns in water. Doing so could cause a serious loss of
body heat (hypothermia).
– Elevate the burned area. Raise the wound above heart level, if possible.
– Watch for signs of shock. Signs and symptoms include fainting, pale complexion or
breathing in a notably shallow fashion.
– Treating minor burns
• For minor burns:
– Cool the burn. Hold the burned area under cool (not cold) running water or apply a
cool, wet compress until the pain eases.
– Remove rings or other tight items from the burned area. Try to do this quickly and
gently, before the area swells.
– Don't break blisters. Fluid-filled blisters protect against infection. If a blister breaks,
clean the area with water (mild soap is optional). Apply an antibiotic ointment. But if
a rash appears, stop using the ointment.
– Apply lotion. Once a burn is completely cooled, apply a lotion, such as one that
contains aloe vera or a moisturizer. This helps prevent drying and provides relief.
– Bandage the burn. Cover the burn with a sterile gauze bandage (not fluffy cotton).
Wrap it loosely to avoid putting pressure on burned skin. Bandaging keeps air off the
area, reduces pain and protects blistered skin.
– If needed, take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB,
others), naproxen sodium (Aleve) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others).