Medical Conditions requiring First Aid

There are many different medical conditions that require first aid assistance. Some of these medical conditions are life threatening while others just need some pain relief to make the sufferer more comfortable.

One of the more common medical conditions that many people have to confront is choking. When food goes down our throats the wrong way and we need to have an abdominal thrust known as the Heimlich Maneuver performed on us to extricate the object.

A chest thrust is used for large overweight people or women who are in the latter stages of their pregnancy.

More serious medical conditions that require first aid assistance include childbirth, heart attacks, poisoning, strokes and wounds.

First aid and assistance with childbirth

In the case of first aid emergency treatment for childbirth you should try to remember that childbirth is a natural process and you are there to assist in the birth.

If you know that the baby will arrive before an ambulance, you will need to place a plastic sheet down on the floor. Then place towels and newspapers over the sheet of plastic, these will help absorb the fluids. You can use a shower curtain in place of plastic. Surgical gloves would be good, if as expected they are unavailable be sure to wash your hands.

Try and find some string to tie off the umbilical cord, you can use a clean shoelace if you can’t find any. You will also need a plastic bag for the placenta. If you’re not confident, as I’m sure most men wouldn’t be, you can call the 000 emergency number and have someone talk you through the birth over the phone.

Heart attack first aid

Heart attacks are serious but not always deadly. In the majority of cases a person who suffers a heart attack will develop signs prior to having the heart attack. A heart attack occurs when the oxygen supply to your heart becomes blocked.

Most people experience pain across their shoulders, neck and their left arm goes numb. The pain normally last longer than 15 minutes so if you’re in pain for an extended period of time don’t be in denial that you’re not having a heart attack. Many heart attack victims also experience other symptoms such as nausea or shortness of breath.

If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms you’d be advised to get to the hospital quickly before experiencing a seizure (heart attack). A heart attack normally takes time to build up giving you plenty of advanced warning, however, if you continue to ignore the signs then you can easily get to the hospital too late.

While not every heart attack is fatal, every heart attack does cause damage to the heart muscle making it weaker and more likely that the next heart attack you experience is fatal.

Not everyone who has a heart attack will experience the warning signs including chest pain, shoulder pain, arm numbness, sickness, lightheadedness and/or shortness of breath.

Poison first aid

Swallowing Poison

Poisoning usually occurs with children being able to reach bottles of pills or liquid that they shouldn’t be able to get their little hands on. Sometimes adults decide to take too many pills for various reasons and they too need immediate medical attention.

If you come across a adult or child who you suspect has taken poison it is important that you immediately check their airways to make sure they can breathe. Remove anything they may still have in their mouth.

It is important that you do not induce vomiting.

You can call the 000 emergency number for assistance or the Poison information line 13 11 26 for further instructions.

Inhaling Poison

If you have found someone affected by inhaling poison you can remove him or her from the contaminated area to get some fresh air.

Check their vital signs and call the 000 emergency line.

Poison In Eye

If you get poison in your eye or are attending to someone who has got poison in his or her eye, you should put your head/their head, over a sink and pour warm water over the bridge of the nose for 15 minutes. Note that you don’t need to pour water directly over the eye. Adults can do this easier in the shower if they are treating themselves or another adult.

You can then call the 000 emergency number for further assistance or the Poison information line on 13 11 26 for further instructions.

First aid for strokes

There is not a great deal you can do to help people who have suffered a stroke. A stroke happens when a part of the brain is starved of oxygen. There are two types of strokes that people experience, these are called the:

Ischemic stroke which is a blockage of a blood vessel in the brain which is usually the result of a blood clot and the Hemorrhagic stroke which occurs when a blood vessel bursts causing bleeding in the brain.

The only things you can do for someone who suffers a stroke is to check their airways to ensure they can breathe and to raise their head alleviating some of the pressure on the brain.

People who suffer strokes usually experience sudden numbness or weakness of one side of their body. They may experience trouble speaking, seeing, walking and a loss of balance.

First aid for open wounds

Minor cuts can be easily attended to with a simple bandaid. You may need to use a disinfectant on the area of the wound and possible even require a trip to the doctors for stitches and a tetanus shot if it is more severe.

Some of these wounds look worse than they really are. If your wound won’t stop bleeding you will need to apply some pressure on it. Generally if you have a cut, it will stop bleeding on its own. Keep the wound clean with bandages and check for any signs of infection until its heeled.

For very severe wounds including cuts and gunshot wounds where a great deal of blood is lost you will need to get the victim to an emergency by calling the 000 emergency number. Wounds that result in a large loss of blood can cause the victim to go into shock. This can cause the person to go into cardiac arrest (heart attack) because there isn’t enough blood circulating through their body taking oxygen to the brain.