Basic First Aid

Seizures/Convulsions
 Seizures: mild to severe
 brief blackouts, involuntary movements, sudden falls
 periods of confused behavior
 involuntary muscle contractions.
 Grand Mal seizures
 uncontrollable muscle movements (jerking or spasms)
 Rigidity
 loss of consciousness
 loss of bladder and/or bowel control
 breathing that stops temporarily.
 Seizures/Convulsions
 Stay with the person – consider calling 911

 Protect the person from injury

 Move all furniture or equipment that is nearby
 Do not hold or restrain the person
 Do not put anything in the person’s mouth
 Loosen clothing
 Roll the person on his/her side

 After the seizure activity has stopped:

 Perform rescue breathing if person is blue or not breathing (if CPR
certified)
 If breathing, lay person on side
 FAINTING

 Pale, sweaty, slow pulse

 Lay person on back with head to the side
and legs elevated
 DO NOT give anything by mouth
 If person doesn’t wake up right away, call
911
 Choking
 Partial airway obstruction with good air
exchange
 Forceful cough
 Wheezing in between breaths

*Stay with the person and encourage them to

cough
 Choking
 Partial airway obstruction with poor air
exchange
 Weak, ineffective cough
 High-pitched noises while breathing

* This type of obstruction should be dealt with as

if it were a complete obstruction
 Choking

 Complete airway obstruction

 Unable to breathe, speak or cough
 Clutching at his/her throat (universal distress
signal for choking)

 If the person is still conscious, perform

Heimlich maneuver

 If the person becomes unconscious, call 911

and continue helping if familiar with First
Aid/CPR
Heimlich Maneuver
Major Bleeding: Direct Pressure
 Use a sterile dressing or clean cloth
 Fold to form pad
 Apply pressure directly over wound
 Fasten with bandage; knot over wound
 If bleeding continues, add second
pressure dressing
 Bleeding: Pressure Points
Apply pressure where artery lies near
skin over bone.
 Bleeding: Pressure Points
 Use pressure point closest to wound,
between wound and heart
 Superficial arteries: use flat surface of
several fingers
 Femoral artery, use heel of one hand
 Tourniquet
Absolute last resort
in controlling
bleeding:
Life or the limb

Once a
tourniquet is
applied, it is not
to be removed ,
only by a doctor
 Cuts

 Apply pressure with a clean cloth, elevation

 Can be cleaned better when bleeding stops
 Large and deep: seek medical attention
 Maintain pressure
 Minor cuts
 Soap and water, peroxide
 cover with antibiotic ointment and dressing.
 If cut may need sutures, seek medical care as
soon as possible
 Consider “Super Glue”
Works on People, Too!
 Abrasions

 Must get wound clean

 Hold pressure with or without
“numbing” medicine till bleeding stops
 Clean wound with soap and water in 1 -2
hours
 Wrap in dry bandage
 Clean at least twice a day till healed
 Puncture Wounds
 DO NOT remove large
objects such as knives or
sticks, call 911

 For minor wounds, wash

with soap and water
 Remove splinters?
 Antibiotic ointment
 Bandage

 The person may need a

tetanus booster injection
 Stinging Insects
 Remove the stinger with the scraping motion of a
fingernail
 DO NOT pull the stinger out
 Put a cold compress on the bite
 Hydrocortisone cream
 Benadryl
 Check for allergies
 If hives, paleness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, tightness
in chest, breathing difficulty, or collapse occur, call 911.
 For spider bites, call the Poison Control Center or
hospital
EpiPen
 How to use an Epipen:
 Pull off gray safety cap.
 Place black tip on thigh, at right angle to leg
 Press hard into thigh until Auto-Injector
mechanism functions
 Hold in place for several seconds
 The EpiPen unit should then be removed and
discarded
 Massage the injection area for 10 seconds.
 Blisters

 Leave intact
 Puncture under clean conditions
 Cleanse area, hands, needle
 Puncture near edge
 Antibiotic ointment and bandage
 EYE Injuries

 DON’T RUB!!!
 Wash out (chemicals, dirt)
 Patch or compress or keep closed
 Send the person directly to an
emergency room.
 NOSEBLEEDS
 With person sitting,
squeeze nostrils
together between
thumb and index
finger for 10 minutes
 Ice on forehead
 If bleeding persists,
seek medical
attention– but
maintain pressure
 TEETH
 If knocked out, find the tooth and rinse it gently
without touching the root
 Insert and gently hold the tooth in its socket or
transport the tooth in cow’s milk
 If broken, save the pieces. Gently clean the
injured area with warm water. Place a cold
compress to reduce swelling.
 Send the person directly to the dentist or an
emergency room. Time is important!
 Major Fractures
 Otherinjuries – major accident
 Broken skin, major deformity
 Heavy bleeding
 Loss of circulation

 Neck, head, hip, pelvis, upper leg

 Major Fractures
 Stop
any bleeding
 Immobilize
 Splint
 Don’t try to re-align
 Treat for shock
 Head down
 Legs up?
 Dislocations

 Don't delay medical care

 Don't move the joint
 Nerves, blood vessels and ligaments
 Put ice on the injured joint
 Fractures and Sprains: PRICE
 P-- protect the injured limb from further
injury by not using the joint
 R-- rest the injured limb
 I-- ice the area
 C-- compress the area with an elastic wrap
or bandage
 E-- elevate the injured limb whenever
possible to help prevent or limit swelling
 Sunburn
 Avoidance
 Cover up: hats, sleeves

 Sunscreen

 Cool bath or shower

 Leave blisters intact
 Tylenol, Advil, Solarcaine
 Heat Illness
 AVOID The Problem
 DRINK even if not “thirsty”

Lots of clear urine

 Heat Cramps: rest, cool down, DRINK
 Heat Exhaustion = threatened Heatstroke
 Nausea, faint
 Pale, clammy & cool
 Give fluids, active cooling
 Heatstroke  Call 911
 Hot, shock, unconscious