Monthly Archives: June 2015

Understanding AVPU Mnemonic for first responders

The AVPU Mnemonic is an acronym for Alert, Voice, Pain, and Unresponsive. It is a system that can be used by first responders and emergency medical professionals to measure or record a victim’s responsiveness at the time of emergency situation. The four levels of AVPU scale include:

‘A’ stands for Alert: In this state, the patient is fully awake and alert. Though neurologically patient may not respond normally, but they can respond to your voices and follow commands given by first responders.

‘V’ stands for Voice: It may happen that the victim is not alert but you can get them to open their eyes. If the injured person obeys a command given by you or is able to speak to you, then you can say that they are responsive to voice.

‘P’ stands for Pain: In this state, the victim doesn’t talk or respond to your voice. They only respond to a pain stimulus when you try pinching him/her.

‘U’ stands for unresponsive: If the patient is not showing any voice or motor response to your voice or pain stimulus, then they are completely unconscious.

Understanding AVPU Mnemonic for first responders
Understanding AVPU Mnemonic for first responders

The 4-points of AVPU Mnemonic help in faster assessment of the injured person’s consciousness level by first responders, EMTs, doctors, and nurses. The AVPU scale is very helpful in determining the level of responsiveness of the victim in an emergency setting.

CPR Training Timeline – Infographic

Sudden cardiac arrest causes about 325,000 deaths in the United States each year and at least one child dies from choking on food every five days in the country. The number of deaths due to cardiac arrest, choking, and drowning can be decreased with immediate CPR treatment. CPR is a lifesaver emergency treatment given to victims to restore the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. However, CPR may seem to be a modern technique but its use can be traced back almost 275 years from now (2015). The infographic presents a timeline of the development of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and highlights the history of CPR.

The CPR originated in the year 1740 when the Paris Academy of Sciences officially recommended mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for drowning victims, but the first documented chest compression was performed by Dr. Friedrich Maass. When given properly and immediately to a victim, who has stopped breathing, CPR can save lives. If you don’t know how to perform CPR correctly, then join CPR training classes, and see the below infographic to learn more about CPR history.

CPR Training Timeline

Three P’s of First Aid

The aim of First Aid is to provide immediate/initial care for an illness or injury. In an emergency situation, first aid treatment is given to a victim to prevent the condition from worsening and prevent further injury. The 3 P’s of First Aid will guide you to determine first aid treatments and the priorities. Here are the three P’s in order:

First ‘P’ – Preserve Life: The main responsibility of a bystander/first responder is to preserve life of the injured person by providing first aid treatments. After assessing the emergency scene for dangers, first responders should start the C-A-B procedure of first aid. Circulation – Assess the quality of their circulation , Airway – ensure that the victim has an airway, Breathing – ensure that the person is breathing. If required perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and rescue breathing until medical professionals arrive.

Second ‘P’ – Prevent Deterioration: The patient must be kept stable and his/her condition must not worsen before emergency medical technicians arrive. The main responsibilities of a first responder in this stage include placing casualty in a comfortable and safe position, providing comfort to casualty, preventing further injury, and applying first aid techniques.

Third ‘P’ – Promote Recovery: Following the first aid treatment, first responder should now encourage confidence in the patient, attempt to relieve pain, and take steps that may help in the recovery process.

Three P's of first aid
Three P’s of first aid

Though first responders have a number of responsibilities during emergencies, but remembering these three P’s of first aid will help them to prioritize things that are important for the victim.

Understanding Levels of Burn Injuries

Burn injuries are one of the most common types of injuries suffered by people. Most burn injuries are minor ones. However, some burn injuries can cause significant damage and put the life of the person in danger. A burn injury can cause damage to your body’s tissues. The extent of the damage depends on the type of burn suffered by the person.

Broadly, burn injuries are classified into 3 categories. These include first degree burns, second degree burns and third degree burns. First degree burns are considered minor burns and they heal quickly. Second and third degree burns, on the other hand, can be dangerous. A third degree burn can be very dangerous as it can have many toxic effects on the body. Immediate medical care should be provided to save the life of the patient. In this video, you can learn more about the levels of burn injuries and the impact they can have on human body.

 

Pediatric CPR/AED First Aid Training Course

The Pediatric first aid course is designed for people caring for young children and infants. All childcare professionals are required to have a CPR and First Aid certification, which needs to renewed every 1 to 2 years. So, let’s have a brief look into the Pediatric First Aid Course:

Who should attend the course?
Anyone can take this course to learn more about first aid for babies and children. Though, it is suitable for babysitters, nannies, pre-school workers, crèche workers, sport and leisure staff, parents and anyone responsible for children welfare.

What are the contents of the course?
Pediatric first aid training courses vary from 2 hours to two days. People attending Pediatric first aid class will learn and understand how to administer emergency first aid when an infant or child is choking, unable to breathe, has a chronic medical condition or sudden illness, and other lifesaving skills. Participants also learn to perform CPR and operate automated electrical defibrillator (AED).

Pediatric CPR/AED First Aid Training Course
Pediatric CPR/AED First Aid Training Course

Pediatric First Aid Certification
On completion of the course, participants will learn about a comprehensive set of skills that may enable them to save a life during emergencies involving infants and children. They will be certified in both First Aid and CPR/AED and a certificate will be issued which is valid for 2 years.

First aid C’s: Check, Call, and Care

Emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere. We should always “be prepared” to provide first aid treatment to a person who has been injured or has suddenly become sick. Proper first aid training can mean the difference between life and death for the victim. However, knowing the three C’s of first aid is equally important. The 3 C’s of First Aid provide a structure for how you should act in an emergency situation:

 

First aid C’s: Check, Call, and Care
First aid C’s: Check, Call, and Care

The first C – Check: This step involves checking for anything unsafe, such as traffic, fire, and other hazardous items and ensuring that the first responder is not putting himself/herself in danger while helping the victim. If possible ask for assistance from anyone around the scene.

The second C – Call: Emergency situations demand quick and careful action from first responders. Once done with the inspection of the scene, check to see if the victim is breathing or has a pulse or not. Call 911 immediately or the local emergency number and provide correct information about the situation, patient, and location.

The Third C – Care:  Once you have followed the first two C’s, first responders are required to provide initial care until medical professional arrive. Continuously monitor victim’s breathing, and condition. Give any specific care needed such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or follow the CAB (Circulation- Airway-Breathing) of first aid.

First aid or CPR training is particularly important during medical crisis. One could never go wrong when performing first aid, if they attend safety training classes and learn about First Aid basics.

EMSA Child Care Provider Training (Infographic)

If you are a child care provider, it is vital that you must have appropriate knowledge and training of dealing with the little ones. You must have the potential and ability to comprehend children’s psychology even when they are ill or come across any accidental injury. For this, you can undertake EMSA – Child Care Provider Training that will guide you about the tips and tricks to deal with children in case of an emergency. They offer classes, which provide basic to advanced knowledge of CPR and First-aid that better further aids in saving the condition of an injured child before it gets aggravated.

Child Care Provider Training is ideal for experienced to fresher child care providers. These programs are mandatory for child care providers to be undertaken every 2 years from an accredited institute. EMSA First Aid and CPR Trainings are designed to especially boost your confidence and equip you with requisite knowledge that will aid you save the life of an injured child victim or the one even in extreme emergency.

Take the challenge to equip yourself with EMSA – Child Care Provider Training.

 

EMSA Child Care Provider Training

First aid tips for Summer Survival

Summer is a great time to have fun outdoors. Unfortunately, the warm weather of summertime brings health and safety risks including sunburn, bug bites heat stroke and other heal-related illnesses. But with a little bit of know-how and first aid tips, warm weather injuries can be treated before they get serious.

•    Sunburn: Immediately remove the person from the sun and place him/her in a cool (not cold) shower. Don’t apply lotions or creams containing numbing medication as it may trap heat inside the skin. Make sure all sunburned areas are fully covered to prevent further sun exposure.

•    Heat stroke: Heat stroke is a medical emergency, and it generally occurs in outdoor workers. Dial 911 (local emergency number) and seek emergency care immediately. Get the person out of the sun or into the shade. Apply ice packs or cold wet cloths to the armpits, neck, and groin. While waiting for medical help to arrive, keep checking their temperature, breathing, and level of response.

•    Insect bites: Remove the insect stringer gently from the skin and wash the area with soap and water. Apply gel, cream or lotion to the injured area. If the person has mild pain, give him/her over-the-counter medicines. Call local emergency number if the person faces difficulty in breathing, dizziness, etc. after insect bite.

First aid tips for summer survival
First aid tips for summer survival

Summer season also brings the risk of dehydration and drowning. Adults and kids both are recommended to take sufficient fluids and electrolytes during summertime. Drowning mishaps can be prevented by wearing life jackets while swimming and personal floatation device while boating. One can also attend CPR or BLS training classes to learn more about summer first aid tips.