St Johns Refresher Course

Assessing patients is useful for any first aid situation to assess the nature and seriousness of any
injury or illness, and quickly identify whether a patient has any life threatening conditions and if any immediate first aid is required.

This also helps set priorities for the care required.

When to call an ambulance

Conscious State

CPR

30:2 no matter who

If you are alone and do not have a phone, and the patient is unresponsive and is not breathing normally, leave the patient to call for help. Then return to the patient to begin CPR.

Mouth to Mouth is very unlikely to pass on something to the person doing CPR, however if you are worried the most important part is doing Chest Compressions.

For a child use one hand, for a baby use 2 fingers, place mouth over nose and mouth for 2 breaths.

A stroke occurs when there has been a blood clot or bleed in the brain. This can stop blood passing through to brain tissue. If this condition is recognised at an early stage and hospital care is readily available, drug treatment may dissolve the clot, resulting in a full recovery.

Stroke may occur at any time.

Open Wounds are any break in the skin they could have bleeding, dark red blood means a vein could be cut where as bright red spurting blood is a sign a artery has been cut and this is severe.

Usually external bleeding can be controlled by the application of pressure on or near the wound to stop further bleeding until help arrives. The main aim is to reduce blood loss from the victim. If there is an obvious embedded object, use indirect pressure.

Shock is a real thin and can be life threatening.

Caused by:

loss of blood
heart problems
medical conditions such as severe allergic reactions and or infections

Soft Tissue Injuries involved body tissue apart from the bone. Sprains, strains and bruises are all soft tissue injuries, although the cause and tissues involved in each injury are different, from a First Aid point of view the treatment is the same.

A sprain involves the ligaments and other soft tissue around a joint.
A strain occurs from a joint and involves a torn or over-stretched muscle or tendon, commonly in the calf, thigh or lower back.

Fractures is termed as:

closed where there is no break in the skin.
open where the bone end has broken the skin or a wound is present with the fracture.
A dislocation is where a bone has been displaced from it's normal position at a joint.

First aid should be confined to providing soft padding and support in the position chosen by the patient.

Knowing how the fracture happened can assist with knowing the type of injury.

A burn can result from contact with a heat source such as hot metal, hot liquid and steam, and clothing over the area may retain the heat and cause further injury. Prompt first aid involves removing the source of the heat and thorough cooling of the injured area. Burns are an injury to the skin.

Other less common causes of burns are: extreme cold (such as dry ice), electricity and chemicals. Burns result in the loss of skin and deeper tissue; this causes fluid loss and raises the risk of infection.

Diabetes is a medical condition in which there is little or no insulin production in the pancreas. The result is an inability to process carbohydrates correctly.

Most patients with diabetes manage their condition well with diet and/or self-administered insulin. Sometimes sugar levels may drop and the patient needs urgent first aid.

Choking is when a person is unable to effectively breathe or speak due to an obstruction in the throat or windpipe.

Don't use back blows on a person who can breathe

A small child or infant should be positioned across your lap (remember to check for effectiveness between every back blow and chest thrust).

A poison is a substance that causes injury, illness or death if it enters the body.

Poisons may enter the body by:

Ingestion through the mouth and digestive system.
Inhalation of fumes through the lungs.
Absorption of a chemical or plant extract through the skin.

General Management

Bites and Stings

Cats and Dogs clean the wound if minor, if bleeding apply pressure and sick medical advice due to the germs that are associated with their mouth.

Marine Bites and Stings: such as jellyfish

Stop the patient from rubbing the area.
Flush the area with water and gently remove any tentacles.
If hot water is available, pour hot water over the area (or put the area into hot water) for up to 20 minutes. The water should be as hot as the person can stand it, without burning.
A hot shower is a good option.
If hot water is not available and there is significant pain, apply ice.prevent patient form rubbing wash with cool water

Chest Pain is discomfort or pain that you feel anywhere along the front of your body between your neck and upper abdomen. Also called chest tightness, pressure on the chest or chest discomfort.

Avoid giving any food, fluids or stimulants such as alcohol, cigarettes, tea or coffee.

A seizure or convulsion can occur at any age and is due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain resulting in uncontrollable muscular activity and loss of consciousness. There are many types of seizures, with some being relatively mild and others severe and prolonged.

A full-scale epileptic seizure involves violent jerking of the limbs, facial twitching, and foaming at the mouth due to saliva being blown through clenched teeth. The seizure may last for a few minutes and the patient may need several hours in which to recover.

Convulsions in infants and children is often brought on by sudden raise in temperature.

Asthma is a lung condition in which breathing becomes difficult because of inflammation or constriction of the air passages.

The airway becomes narrowed by muscle spasm, swelling and increased mucus production, often causing a wheeze to be heard. Air is trapped in the lungs by the swollen airways and the patient has most difficulty breathing out.

Be prepared to borrow an inhaler if needed!

Anaphylaxis

Some people are severely allergic to certain foods, chemicals and medicines, or to injected venom following a bite or sting.

An allergic reaction can be very severe, and can cause people to die. These people may have an anaphylaxis action plan provided by a registered medical practitioner.