Doctors working in hospital emergency rooms often treat cases of accidental poisoning. A frightened parent may arrive with a child who has swallowed cleaning liquid. The harmful substance may be a medicine. It might also be a product intended for killing insects. These are all common causes of accidental poisoning.
If this happens, seek medical help as soon as possible. Save the container of whatever caused the poisoning. Look on the container for information about antidotes or ways to stop the effects of the poison.
Save anything that is expelled from the victim’s mouth. This will enable doctors to examine it.
In the past, some people forced poisoning victims to vomit. They used a liquid called syrup of ipecac to do this. However, a leading medical organisation no longer advises parents to keep syrup of ipecac. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that some poisons can cause further damage when they are vomited up. Millions of people know how to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre to save someone who is choking on something lodged in their throat.
According to the American Red Cross, a rescuer should first hit the person on the back five times between the shoulder blades. These back blows may ease the choking. If the airway is still blocked, the Red Cross recommends applying five hard blows to the victim’s abdomen. The abdomen is the area between the chest and hip bones.
To perform these abdominal thrusts, position yourself directly behind a sitting or standing person. Put your arms around the victim’s waist. Close one hand to form a fist. Place it over the upper part of the stomach, below the ribs. Place your other hand on top. Then push forcefully inwards and upwards. Repeat the abdominal thrusts until the object is expelled from the mouth.
If the person is in the late stages of pregnancy or is very overweight, place your hands higher than you would for normal abdominal thrusts. Place your hands at the base of the breastbone, just above where the lowest ribs join. Then begin pushing as you would with other victims.
In this case, the American Heart Association suggests another method. The group advises chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts. To perform chest thrusts, place your arms under the victim’s arms and your hands on the centre of their chest.
Even if you are the person choking, you can still help yourself. Place a closed fist over the middle of your abdomen, just above your waist. Take hold of that hand with your other hand. Find a hard surface, such as a chair, and rest your body on it. Then push your closed hand in and up.
According to Red Cross experts, taking these steps can save many lives. However, they also say that abdominal thrusts are not suitable for people who have almost drowned. Using the method could delay other methods of restarting the victim’s breathing.
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It forces air into the lungs and pumps blood and oxygen to the brain. Doctors say that performing CPR greatly increases the chances of survival for a person whose heart has stopped. It also reduces the risk of brain damage.
The American Heart Association suggests two methods of providing assistance. One involves pumping the victim’s chest with your hands while performing rescue breathing. The other method is called ‘Hands-Only CPR’.
‘Hands-Only’ CPR is intended for individuals who are unable or unwilling to perform rescue breathing. Some people fear infection. Others say they are afraid of making the patient worse.
However, an expert in emergency medicine says that a person cannot be worse off than being dead. Dr Michael Sayre works at Ohio State University. He strongly urges people in contact with a victim to take action.
The American Heart Association explains how to do so. They say you can recognise someone who needs CPR if they have collapsed. They are unconscious and unable to communicate or react to their surroundings or speech. Their skin has lost colour. The person is not breathing. If these conditions describe the situation, chances are that the heart has stopped beating.
You should act by calling for help or sending someone else to do so. Even if you cannot perform mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing, you can perform Hands-Only CPR. This involves performing chest compressions to help keep blood flowing to the brain, heart, and other organs.
To perform the compressions, place one hand over the other and press firmly in the centre of the victim’s chest. Push down about five centimetres. Aim for one hundred compressions each minute. According to Doctor Sayre, you do not need a measuring stick or a timing device.
If the heart does not start beating again, continue with the compressions until help arrives. If the victim is unconscious and has no heartbeat, clear their airway first. Then perform chest compressions.
Dr. Sayre suggests that medical workers perform both breathing methods and chest compressions. He says that some victims, including babies, require mouth-to-mouth resuscitation alongside compressions. However, he adds that it is better to perform chest compressions than nothing at all. CPR is not difficult to learn. Many organisations teach it.
Most CPR training now also covers how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). Defibrillators deliver electric shocks to correct abnormal heartbeats that can lead to sudden death. Such devices are increasingly found in public places such as airports, restaurants, and office buildings. An AED has a recorded voice that guides the user. It provides detailed information about what to do.
Today’s defibrillators have evolved from the first models. According to medical historians, the first such devices appeared in the late 19th century.
In the 1920s, the American doctor Claude Beck performed the first surgical operations to repair damaged hearts. Dr Beck worked at what is now Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio. Another doctor, Carl J. Wiggers, managed to keep laboratory animals with heart stoppage alive by massaging their hearts. He then followed this with electrical defibrillation. This inspired Claude Beck to try to restore normal heart function in human patients. In 1947, Dr Beck used a defibrillator to save a patient for the first time. His success encouraged others to further develop the method and device. Today, small, portable AEDs can identify heart rhythms and deliver electricity to treat victims of cardiac arrest.
Bacteria can enter the body through even the smallest cut to the skin. Therefore, medical experts advise people to treat all wounds. Clean the wound with soap and water. Then cover the wound while it heals.
If bleeding is severe, the Mayo Clinic health centres suggest taking several steps. Firstly, if possible, make the person lie down and raise their legs. Remove any dirt from the wound and press on it with a clean cloth or piece of clothing. If you cannot find anything clean, use your hand.
Keep applying pressure to the wound until the bleeding stops or medical help arrives. Do not remove the cloth if blood seeps through it. Instead, put another cloth on top and continue applying pressure. If the bleeding does not stop with direct pressure, apply pressure to the artery carrying blood to the wound.
In the past, people were advised to stop severe bleeding by applying a tourniquet. This device is made with a stick and a piece of cloth or a belt. However, experts now say that tourniquets are dangerous because they can crush blood vessels and nerves.
If a wound seems infected, let the victim rest. Physical activity can spread the infection. Treat the wound with a salt and water mixture until medical help arrives. Add nine and a half millilitres of salt to each litre of boiled water. Soak a clean cloth in the mixture and then put it on the wound. Make sure you do not burn the skin.
To learn more about first aid, contact a hospital or organisations such as the Red Cross or Red Crescent Society. Training may be offered in your area.
Knowing first aid methods can help you stay calm and be more helpful in an emergency.