Have you ever been somewhere and a small medical emergency happens and you can solve it? It must feel so good to be able to save someone’s life under those dire circumstances. The World Red Cross day was in this month, the 8th of May specifically, and I think it’s a good time to give us some information that every average person should know to be able to administer first aid in certain situations. An article posted on thesun.co.uk lists some.
1. In cases of heavy bleeding: Use whatever is around, a scarf, a blanket, a towel, to apply firm pressure so as to slow the bleeding as it is very important to stop them from losing too much blood before professional medical help arrives.
2. If someone has collaped and not breathing, the most likely cause of this is a cardiac arrest and you have to perform CPR. To begin CPR, place the heel of your hand in the centre of the person’s chest, then place your other hand on top and interlock your fingers. Make sure you have positioned your body so your shoulders are directly above your hands and begin compression using your body weight, pushing about 2 – 2.5 inches into their chest. Repeat at a rate of 100 to 120 times per minute.
3. Choking: The Heimlich manoeuvre is the best first aid for someone choking. Place your arms around the choking person from behind, and pull upwards and inwards on the abdomen below the rib cage. The pressure from this movement can force out whatever is blocking the airway, allowing the patient to breathe again.
4. Burns: To treat burns immediately, cool the burn under cold running water for at least ten minutes. In case there’s no water, you can use any cold liquid, think milk, orange juice, even a fizzy drink. Then wrap loosely with some cling film, or a clean plastic bag or a clean cloth to help reduce the pain and help prevent infection.
If these simple first aid skills can save the life of someone, take some time and learn them. You never know when you’ll need them.
