Tips

Emergency First Aid Skills: A Comprehensive Guide

As Dr. Ngo Duc Hung of the A9 Emergency Center (Bach Mai Hospital) explains, first aid is the initial assistance and care provided to a person in need at the scene of an incident. It involves utilizing any available resources and equipment on-site before professional medical assistance arrives, and it is an act that anyone can be trained and ready to perform.

Administrator

6 August, 2024

Basic First Aid Principles

The general principles of first aid that must be adhered to are: Safety; do not move the victim without an initial assessment; stay calm and always seek assistance; act in unity; prevent infection by wearing gloves or using plastic bags when in contact with wounds, and wash your hands before and after first aid; properly dispose of any used materials after first aid.

Note: Do not wash your hands with sugary drinks or water, and avoid washing your hands in canals, ditches, ponds, or lakes, especially stagnant water, as they may contain bacteria that increase the risk of infection.

Steps to Perform First Aid

First aid should be performed in the following steps: Assess the scene; conduct an initial assessment of the victim’s condition; call for assistance (113, 114, 115) before providing first aid and transporting the victim. When calling an emergency number, introduce yourself and provide your phone number, describe the type of accident, injuries, and severity; the number, gender, and age of the victims; any dangerous situations at the scene, such as fire, explosion, or toxic substances; and the exact location of the accident.

In cases of labor accidents or traffic accidents, always pay attention to the cervical spine to avoid causing complete paralysis due to improper first aid. If it is unclear whether a traffic accident victim has a cervical spine fracture, keep them still and immobilize their neck with a hard object such as a splint, a piece of wood, or even two bricks on either side, until medical personnel arrive.

Doctors from Bach Mai Hospital guide on initial first aid response. Photo: BVCC

Basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Steps for Victims

To support emergency response for those who are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, follow these steps: Assess the scene – Initial Assessment – Call for Assistance – Perform First Aid and Transport. First, ensure that the scene is safe for you to proceed with resuscitating the victim (quickly look for potential dangers such as fire, explosion, electricity, toxic gas, etc.). At the same time, assess the victim’s consciousness by stimulating and asking loudly if they are okay. Observe their chest and body to determine if they are moving or breathing normally.

After ensuring safety, pay attention to the following three scenarios. If the victim is still conscious and alert, we should place them in the most comfortable position to facilitate recovery. For an unconscious victim who still has a pulse and is breathing, place them in the recovery position (on their side) if there is no spinal injury, to protect their airway. For an unconscious victim who is not breathing and has no pulse, it is crucial to know and perform the basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedure.

In cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first, call for emergency services and place the victim on a hard, flat surface, lying on their back. When performing chest compressions, pay attention to the location, rate, and force applied. The frequency should be 100-120 compressions per minute, with sufficient force to depress the chest by 5 cm. The correct compression site is the lower half of the sternum or between the nipples. The correct position for the rescuer is to kneel beside the victim, with the arm perpendicular to the victim’s body. Perform 30 chest compressions followed by 2 breaths.

Doctor Hung also noted that during first aid, it is essential to pay attention to the victim’s airway. Specifically, check for any foreign objects, dentures, or mucus that may be obstructing the airway. If present, clear the airway. Additionally, while providing first aid, call for emergency services (115) by shouting for help. If you are alone, use the loudspeaker function on your phone to communicate and receive continuous guidance while assisting the victim.

Source: PNTĐ Newspaper

Frequently asked questions

The ability to stay calm and assess the situation is key. Knowing how to perform CPR, treat wounds and bleeding, handle fractures and sprains, and recognize and respond to life-threatening conditions such as choking, heart attack, or severe allergic reactions are all vital skills.

Apply direct pressure to the wound using a clean cloth or bandage. If the bleeding soaks through, add more bandages on top, but do not remove the initial dressing. Elevate the injured area above the heart if possible, and apply a tourniquet as a last resort if bleeding doesn’t stop.

For an adult, place your hands on the center of the chest and push down firmly and rapidly – about 100 to 120 compressions per minute. Allow the chest to rise completely between compressions. If you’ve been trained, check for breathing and deliver rescue breaths after every 30 compressions. For a child or baby, use one hand for compressions and follow the same rate.

Encourage the person to cough. If they can’t breathe, deliver back blows between their shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. For pregnant women or obese individuals, deliver thrusts to the upper abdomen. If they become unconscious, lower them to the ground and perform abdominal thrusts or chest compressions as appropriate.

Recognize the signs, which may include hives, swelling of the face and throat, difficulty breathing, dizziness, and a weak pulse. Administer an auto-injector like an EpiPen if available, and call for emergency services immediately. Lay the person down with their legs elevated to improve blood flow.