First Aid Practical Tips
“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.”
– Jim Rohn.
From the battle fields of Ancient Rome to prepping in the 21st Century, first aid is a skill that can teach people how to quickly and effectively help others in time of acute need.
The basis of first aid is to take quick action to prevent an injury from killing or disabling someone, and to improve their chance of survival.
The secret to the effectiveness of first aid is that many trauma victims don’t die from their original injury. It’s often the secondary conditions they developed as a direct result of their injury not being handled properly, that goes on to cause the most harm. Some examples of secondary injuries are –
- Rhabdomyolysis, the result of sudden breakdown of muscle fibre cells can produce an acidic byproduct in the blood. This can damage the delicate nephrons in the kidney, leading to a risk of acute renal failure
- Compartment syndrome, the damage to a muscle or other structure when it is trapped in-between normal body structures and tightly compressed, after swelling occurs. If this pressure is not relieved the muscle will lose access to a good blood flow and start to die.
- Burns can continue to damage deeper tissue after the heat source is removed. This is why it’s important to run the affected area under cold water for 20 minutes, or until the pain stops.
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Major reasons people present to Emergency Departments and how First Aid can help prevent them
- Choking, a condition of the very young and very old. Solutions include a range of ‘dechoker’ devices already on the market and licensed for home use.
- Chest pain, the reason 8% to 10% of people present to Emergency. A heart attack can be easily miss-diagnosed. Yet 28% of people presenting to ED in the USA with chest pain do not have an ECG done. This test can now be easily done at home with a number of small, affordable, hand-held devices.
- Stroke has a mortality rate of 45%. Nearly one in five people who have a temporary stroke or ‘Trans Ischaemic Attack’ go on to have a full stroke within 90 days. Risk factors for having a stroke such as an irregular heart rate or continuously high blood pressure. These conditions can be easily picked up with affordable, home monitoring equipment.
- Seizures can be triggered by a wide range of conditions from stress to a brain tumour. Traditional assessments used to be conducted in hospitals during a week long period, where the person had to wear invasive head equiptment. Today all testing and diagnosis can be done in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
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How to use a dechoker device
