10 First Aid Rules That Can Save Lives

Would you be able to help someone who is choking? And stop the bleeding from a wound? What to do in front of a person who suffered an electrical discharge? We are not able to guess when we will need to resort to our first aid skills, but one thing is 100% sure: everyone should know these techniques.

In this post, the awesome.club brings very useful information. The model that you will see in the photos has undergone official first aid courses and learned how to handle emergency situations well. By the way, our editor has already undergone this type of training.

Many people tend to hit someone who is choking on the back, but the truth is that the Heimlich maneuver is much more effective and safer.

Hug the person. The thumbs should be two fingers below the tip of the external bone, but above the navel, and one of them should be bent as in the image on the left. Press the person’s stomach upward in a quick, forceful motion, as if making a comma. Repeat the movement until the foreign body flies out of the mouth.

If a person near you receives an electric shock, do not even think about pushing them away from the appliance using your hands. That would be a danger to your life.

Act fast but accurately:

Try disconnecting the power supply. Call the rescue (192, 193 in Brazil; in Portugal, 112) Push the person away from the electrical object using something that does not conduct electricity: using a wooden or plastic pole (a broom handle, for example). When approaching, try to reach outside the range of the wires, because when energized, they tend to move. If there is a risk of another electric shock, keep the person at a distance of at least 10 meters from the device. If you are not wearing insulated shoes, make sure the floor is dry.

Many people, for some reason, believe that the first thing to do in case of a burn is to apply some cream, including butter. Doctors do not recommend this method, as an infection is possible.

After a burn, the main thing is to quickly cool the skin. Do this under running water. Cut the clothing in the burned area, but do notDo not remove clothing that may have stuck to the burn. When bubbles appear, don’t pop them. If the blister bursts, do not wash it with water to prevent infection. In such cases, cover the burn with clean gauze and see a doctor. It is good to have at home a product of its own for burns, which is sold in any pharmacy. The drug not only relieves pain, but also helps in the recovery of epithelial tissue.

When an artery is hit, the blood is a bright red color, flowing in pulsating jets.

In case of severe arterial bleeding, you need to put pressure on the wound as quickly as possible. Afterwards, you need to place a clean gauze or towel on the site. If the bleeding is very strong, from time to time change the gauze or towel on the outside of the bandage, but do not do this on the part that is in contact with the body; in that place, the platelets will be acting to reduce the bleeding and, if you remove this platelet plug, this bleeding can come back. Brazilian first aid protocols do not recommend that laypersons do a tourniquet🇧🇷 This procedure should only be adopted by highly specialized professionals. The risk is that the organism produces substances such as lactic acid which, as soon as the tourniquet is released, will end up in the heart, possibly causing cardiac arrest. Call the ambulance. Apply a sterile bandage over the wound. Elevating the severed limb can help slow down the bleeding.

In this type of cut, the blood has a dark color. It is thick and flows without pulsations.

If the cut is not severe, simply apply a pressure bandage to the cut site. If the bleeding is heavy, after applying the bandage, call the emergency service immediately (192 and 193 in Brazil; 112 in Portugal).

In case of a bruise, it is sufficient to cool the affected area of ​​the body (for example, make an ice pack for 15 to 20 minutes).

If the injury site begins to swell, you can wrap it in an elastic bandage. If so, you need to trigger the emergency.

If you suspect a brain concussion, the procedure should be as follows:

Call an ambulance. Before the arrival of the doctors, the affected person must be in an almost sitting posture, with the belt open. If the victim feels thirsty, he can drink some water. Don’t give aspirin for a headache.

The important thing is not to overdo it. Don’t spend all your time trying to make the patient more comfortable or move them to another room. The person should be as quiet and relaxed as possible.

In order for the blood to stop gushing, press the affected nasal cavity with your fingers for 10-15 minutes.

It is worth mentioning that many of us have the habit of covering the affected nasal fossa using cotton. This method really works.

If bleeding continues for more than half an hour, it is imperative to seek medical help.

Cardiac massage or external Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) should be performed if the affected person has lost pulse. In this case, first of all, you need to call an ambulance and carry out the maneuver without interruption until help arrives. If the affected person’s pulse does not return to normal, external cardiac massage helps provide the body with the oxygen it needs to maintain vitality.

Place your palms crosswise on the lower part of the affected person’s ribs. The strong hand (if you are right-handed, the right, and if you are left-handed, the left) always goes under. Begin pressing at a rate of 100 to 120 times per minute, with a minimum compression of 5 cm (how much chest should sink) in adults. After each compression, wait for the chest to come back fully. Do not bend your elbows. During the massage, you must use your body weight. The movement must not stop. Therefore, it is important to do the work taking turns with someone else. Even the most experienced firefighters often get tired in this type of operation. At the time of the relay, ask the other person to position themselves so that the substitution is quick.

During cardiac massage, it is only recommended to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if the place has equipment called an ambu or respirator.🇧🇷

If you have a tick attached to your skin, do not spray oil. If you do, the insect cannot be analyzed to see if it is infected.

The tick must be removed using special tweezers.

If you don’t have one of these, it’s best not to try to remove the tick and seek medical help. You also need to see a doctor if you have a fever or a rash after being bitten. After extracting the tick, the insect must be analyzed in the laboratory. There, the animal will not only be studied, but specialists will take blood from the victim to exclude the possibility of infection.