Emergency Life Support eaaa

7/27/2019 Emergency Life Support eaaa

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No matter which study you read or base your figures on, someone whose hearthas stopped needs treatment. Most recent figures suggest that it is after threeminutes that the brain starts to die. Unfortunately you cannot 're-grow' or repairbrain cells.

This means that early access to the casualty and quick treatment are necessary.Figures suggest that early access to a casualty can increase the chance of survival by 5%. Following that, quick and correct CPR (Cardio PulmonaryResuscitation increase chance of survival to 10%, CPR is used solely to 'buytime'; the chance of a casualty's heart restarting at this point is 0.001%. The CPRbuys time for someone who is qualified to use an AED (Automated ExternalDefibrillator) which in short sends an electric shock into the body to help restartthe heart. This increases the chance of survival by 75%. After CPR, providing it issuccessful, you require urgent treatment at a hospital often drug therapy.

This is known as the chain of survival and can be shown diagrammatically.

What else to consider:

Your chances of resuscitating successfully are slim. You are very likely to break a rib or two, so don't be put off if you hear a crack.It is physically exhausting and mentally challenging, particularly if the casualtylater dies or is a relative/friend. I strongly advise seeing your Doctor after givingCPR.Organisations such as St. John Ambulance, British Red Cross and the ambulanceservices all have a dedicated help line(s), which is (are) run externally and iscompletely anonymous or they have a psychiatrist to talk to.

You do not have to give rescue breaths if you would prefer not to.However, doing them through a clean hankerchief is preferable.

The chances of getting blood-borne diseases is about 1/million for mouth-to-mouth.


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DRABC:

D Danger ,Electricity, gun, knife, needles on the floor etc.Make the area safe before proceeding.If you cannot make the situation safe, call 999 for help and do not

approach.

R Response ,Oral: 'Hello, can you hear me?'

'John' (They might be deaf, so try not to cover your mouth) Touch: Cross your arms (so your right hand touches their rightshoulder) and gently shake the casualty.Pain: Do not use pain stimuli, you are not a paramedic.

A Airway ,Ensure the airway is open and there are no obstructions.Place two fingers under the chin and your other hand on their head

and slowly roll it backwards.

Use a Jaw-Thrust if there isa suspected neck/spinal injury.

B Breathing ,Is the casualty breathing normally?Look along the chest, and listen and feel for breaths for about 12

seconds.(Remember Children may hold their breath to attention seek')

C Circulation ,If the casualty is breathing, check for life-threatening conditions

before placing him in the recovery position. Then do a secondary survey.


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Adult CPR: (If they have drowned, then give five rescue breaths first, then

commence CPR) You start CPR if breathing is agonal (shallow, slow or irregular) or non-existent.

Call 999/112 if it hasn't been done already. 112 is better from mobiles ,because it uses three cell towers to connect oppose to one, meaning you havebetter signal and a better chance of GPS location

Place your hand in the centre of the chest. (On an average sized male this wouldbe halfway between his nipples.) Place the heel of your other hand and interlockyour fingers (keep your fingers off the casualty's ribs).

Give 30 compressions - Lean directly over the chest with your arms straight andpush down vertically about 4-5cm. Then release the pressure without removingyour hands from the casualty's chest. Repeat this 30 times at a rate of 100compressions per minute.

Check that the airway is open and give two rescue breaths - Pinch the casualty'snose firmly, allow the mouth to fall open. Take a full breath of air and seal yourlips over the casualty's lips. Blow steadily into the casualty's mouth until thechest rises (about 1 second).


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Continue CPR, giving 30 compressions to 2 rescue breaths until emergency helparrives, the casualty starts to breathe normally or you are too exhausted tocontinue, or danger prevents you to.If you do not want to give rescue breaths or it is unsafe to, just do compressionsat 100/minute.

Child CPR: (Approximately 1 to puberty)

Check that the airway is open and give five rescue breaths - Pinch the casualty'snose firmly, allow the mouth to fall open. Take a full breath of air and seal yourlips over the casualty's lips. Blow steadily into the casualty's mouth until thechest rises (about 1 second).

Place your hand in the centre of the chest. (On an average sized male this wouldbe halfway between his nipples.)

Give 30 compressions - Lean directly over the chest with your arms straight andpush down vertically about 1/3 of the chests depth. Then release the pressure


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without removing your hand from the casualty's chest. Repeat this 30 times at arate of 100 compressions per minute.

Check that the airway is open and give two rescue breaths

Call 999/112if it hasn't been done already!!

Continue CPR, giving 30 compressions to 2 rescue breaths until emergency helparrives, the casualty starts to breathe normally or you are too exhausted tocontinue, or danger prevents you to.If you do not want to give rescue breaths or it is unsafe to, just do compressionsat 100/minute

Infant CPR:

Check that the airway is open and give five rescue breaths - Allow the mouth tofall open. Take a full breath of air and seal your lips over the casualty's mouthand nose. Blow steadily into the casualty's mouth until the chest rises (about 1second).

Place two fingers in the centre of the chest. (Halfway between his nipples.)


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Give 30 compressions - Lean directly over the chest with your arms straight andpush down vertically about 1/3 of the chests depth. Then release the pressurewithout removing your hand from the casualty's chest. Repeat this 30 times at arate of 100 compressions per minute.

Check that the airway is open and give two rescue breaths

Continue CPR, giving 30 compressions to 2 rescue breaths until emergency helparrives, the casualty starts to breathe normally or you are too exhausted tocontinue, or danger prevents you to.

If you do not want to give rescue breaths or it is unsafe to, just do compressionsat 100/minute

How to use an AED: (Automated External Defibrillator - Occasionally called'electrical' which is wrong )

Switch the AED on; take the pads out of the sealed pack. Remove or cut throughclothing and wipe away any sweat.


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Remove the backing paper (on the pads) and position them where indicated - itvaries slightly with different AEDs, one pad just beneath the collar bone on thecasualty's upper-right side and the second pad just below the armpit on theirleft. Make sure no one is in contact with the casualty.

The AED will start to analyse the heart rhythm - Follow the oral/visual prompts bythe machine. It could say:

'Continue CPR' owtte, where you give CPR and rescue breaths for 2 minutes (5cycles) - It will then reanalyse.'Deliver shock' owtte, make sure everyone stands clear and press 'shock'.

To note:ClothingAny clothing or jewelry that could interfere with the pads should be removed orcut away. (Average amounts of chest hair are fine, but if the pads won't stick itneeds shaving off. Ensure metal is removed from the area where the pads will beattached. Remove clothing containing metal, such as an underwired bra.MedicalIf a casualty has a GTN patch on their heart remove it prior to using the AED.(GTN is glycerol tri-nitrate, which is also known as Nitro Glycerine )Do not place an AED over the heart if you can feel a device (such as apacemaker).Pregnancy

There are no problems with using an AED on pregnant casualties. However, theincreased breast size may mean you cannot place a pad correctly, in thisincidence, you may move one or both breasts. This must be carried out withrespect and dignity .External FactorsWater or excessive sweat can affect the effectiveness, so dry the chest prior touse.If a casualty is unconscious after an electric shock then, remove the contact withelectricity before starting CPR. The use of an AED shouldn't be affected.AED pads need to go into a 'MEDICAL WASTE' bin.!!DO NOT USE AN AED ON CASUALTIES YOUNGER THAN ONE

YEAR!!

When paramedics take over:Continue to resuscitate until the paramedics take over. Tell them the:

Current status of the casualty. Number of shocks delivered. When the casualty collapsed. Any relevant history if known.

Crowd control - paramedics will use different methods to First Aiders, they will

literally shove tubes down the throat and use pain stimuli. This is very distressingto relatives or onlookers, this anger could then prevent the Ambulance crew fromdoing their job. Simply getting people to look the other way or treating a relativefor shock so she cannot see her daughter is better.


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Go home and write down what happened. Some people prefer to know whathappens and other don't, no matter what you do, contact your Doctor and ask foran appointment, I guarantee you that you will have at least one sleepless nightquestioning what you did. It might be that night or three years later.

Dislcaimer:The first aid information provided by 'FYI - The Best' is intended as general guidance only and is not a substitute for

formal first aid training or for the medical advice of a doctor or any other health care professional. 'FYI - The Best' orany organisation he represents are not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of the First Aid threads on this website. If in any doubt and/or where injuries are clearly serious, casualties should bereferred to a doctor or hospital.

Owtte = Or Words To That Effect

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Emergency Life Support eaaa