Nothing can prove most noble like saving a life or preventing one’s health condition from worsening. Knowing how to perform first aid can help a lot, especially with life-threatening conditions. There are situations where first aid means life and death. What would you do if someone gets a heart attack? Well, first aid is the most crucial things before medical practitioners arrive. That’s why equipping yourself with first aid tips is vital.
In this guide, we are going to look at some of the most common life threatening health conditions everyone should be able and always ready to handle whenever they happen. Read through this guide to equip yourself with crucial life-saving tips.
Here are basic first aid tips you should have at your fingertips.
1. Heart Attack
A heart attack is a life threatening condition that can happen anywhere at any time. It’s a medical emergency that should be attended to ASAP. But with the right first aid tips, you can better the chances of survival. The common symptoms include chest pain, chest discomfort, and shortness of breath amongst others. If you think that someone has a heart attack, this is what you do:
- Sit the down, rest and keep them calm
- Loosen their clothes
- If they take chest pain medication such as nitroglycerin, help them take it
- If the person is unconscious, immediately call 911, 000 or 112 and begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- For an unconscious infant, perform 1 minute of CPR, then call the emergency
Which the case, you must call the emergency number for medical attention.
2. Attending To Cuts And Scrapes
Cuts and scrapes are some of the most common health issues that require immediate first aid to reduce bleeding. You can get cut from anything including kitchen knives, falls, small accidents, and other daily activities. Most of them do not demand specialised medical attention since they are not deep. Here are the first aid tips
- Wash your hands with soap or alcohol to kill bacteria
- Apply pressure gently on the area using a clean cloth to stop the bleeding.
- Clean the wound
If bleeding fails to stop in about half an hour, seek professional medical attention.
3. Minor Burns
Minor burns, usually first degree or second degree, also occur regularly. These mostly cover burns that do not exceed three inches. However, you can also handle second-degree burns at home as well. What you need are first aid tips to get it right. This is how you go about minor burns.
- First, cool the damaged skin using cold water for about ten minutes. It helps to ease the pain on the victim.
- Apply an antiseptic spray or aloe vera to sooth the area
- Cover the wound loosely with a sterilized
- Take painkillers to relieve the pain
If the condition does not subside, seek medical attention.
4. Stings by bees
If you have ever been stung by a bee, you definitely how nasty it can be. One bee won’t hurt much, but several are a risk to your health. If stung by a bee or other insects, here are the first aid tips:
- Remove the stinger from the skin
- Wash the stung area with soap and water
- Hold an ice pack on the sting to minimize
- Use spray or creams to reduce pain and the itching sensation.
5. Frostbite
Frostbite is an injury associated with cold weather. When the skin is exposed to freezing weather, the tissue beneath it freezes. That’s what is called frostbite. The common symptoms include by tingling and then numbness, redness, bluish-white skin, aching, and hard skin. Here are the first aid tips:
- Get inside and get rid of the wet clothes in contact with the affected area.
- Use warm water to soak the area without rubbing until the skin gets soft and you regain sensation.
- Wrap the region with a sterilized bandage and watch out for hypothermia.
If any signs of discolored and hardened skin appear, immediately seek medical help.
6. Heat Illness
Heat illness of heat exhaustion is when a person’s temperature hits 105°F (40.5°C) or higher. The typical warning signs include nausea, dizziness, muscle cramps, increased sweating, irritability, headache and so on. If you or another person experiences these symptoms, this is what you should do:
- Immediately get to a place with shade.
- If indoors, ensure you open the windows and doors for a cool breeze or stand in front of a working fan. You can also immerse various parts of the body in almost freezing water and take cold water.
- Drink cold water
- Spray or sponge cold water
- Remove heavy clothing
7. Choking
Choking is a life threatening medical condition that can happen to both adults and kids. It is characterized by blockage of the air passage. In most cases, the person will often clutch their hands to their throats, difficulty to breath, inability to talk or cough. If you suspect someone is choking, this what you need to do:
Choking Adults
- Cough it out
- Give up to 5 sharp back blow between their shoulders blades
- Squeeze their tummy from the back
- Call for help if none of the above work.
Choking child
- Give up to 5 back blows
- Give up to 5 abdominal thrusts
- Call emergency number of blockage does not dislodge
These just a few of the many life-threating conditions that you need to have first aid tips at your fingertips. We recommend that you research on this topic.