0.2 Health education course, chapter 3 - first aid  (Page 4/6)

RESCUE BREATHING

RESPIRATORY RESTORATION

A person suffering from asphyxiation should be given rescue breathing. Before you begin rescue breathing, be certain that thevictim has actually stopped breathing.

• Kneel beside the victim, place your ear near his nose and mouth, and watch his chest carefully. You should feel and hear the breaths and seehis chest rise and fall if he is breathing.

IF HE IS NOT BREATHING...

• Provide an open airway. Carefully place the victim on his back and open his mouth. If any material is blocking the airway, it must becleared out.
• Tilt the victim's head back by placing the heel of one hand on his forehead and the other hand under the bony part of his chin to lift itslightly.
• Straddle his thighs, placing one palm slightly above the navel but well below the breastbone. Cover this hand with the other and interlacethe fingers.
• Without bending your elbows, press sharply on the victim's abdomen 6-10 times.
• Turn the victim's head to one side and sweep out any contents in his mouth with your fingers.
• If the victim's breathing is not restored after removing the object, reposition his head in the head-tilt/chin-lift position and continuebreathing for him as long as is necessary or until help arrives.
• If there are no signs of breathing , pinch the victim's nostrils closed. Seal your mouth over the victim's mouth and blow two fullbreaths. A rising chest indicates that air is reaching the lungs. If the stomach is expanding instead, the victim's neck and jaw are positionedimproperly. Gently push on the victim's abdomen with the palm of your hand until the air is expelled, because the extra air in the stomach maycause vomiting.
• Look, listen, and feel again for signs of breathing. If the victim is still not breathing on his own, contnue blowing into his mouth onebreath every five seconds until help arrives.

INFANTS:

If you are working with infants or a small child, position your mouth so that you can blow through the child's nose and mouth atthe same time. Give two puffs, using your mouth and cheeks for breathing air into the infant's lungs (to keep from overinflating the lungs). Administerone breath every 3-4 seconds.

Bleeding

EXTERNAL BLEEDING:

• Apply direct pressure. Place a clean, folded cloth over the injured area and firmly apply pressure. If blood soaks through, do not removeit. Instead, cover that cloth with another one and continue to apply pressure to the wound for 7-10 minutes. If the bleeding is from the ear,place a clean bandage over the ear, lay the victim on his side, and allow the blood to drain out through the bandage.
• Elevate the injury. Position the wounded part of the body above the level of the heart if possible while you apply direct pressure.
• Know the pressure points. If direct pressure and elevation do not sufficiently slow the bloodflow, find a pressure point. Largearteries found close to the skin's surface supply blood to the head and to each arm and leg. The most common pressure points used during firstaid are located in the upper arms and in the creases above the upper legs. Apply pressure to the closest pressure point to the wound so that theartery is pressed between your fingers and the bone directly behind the artery. If using the pressure point on a leg, you may need to use the heelof your hand instead of your finger.
• Resort to a tourniquet. On very rare occasions everything listed above may fail. To prevent the victim from dying, you should apply atourniquet. Once a tourniquet is applied, it should not be loosened or removed until the victim has reached medical help. Use a tourniquetONLY if everything listed above has failed. If you use a tourniquet, write down somewhere on the victim the time it was applied, so medicalpersonnel wil know how long it has been in place.