First Aid

First Aid is important to have ready to hand in an emergency. This means having a first aid kit with you in the car or home or work and knowing how to use it. It also means having knowledge of mouth-to-mouth recusitation and chest compression.

Some activities are more dangerous than others. Sports enthusiasts such as climbers should especially have knowledge of first aid. Pets are a group that is often ignored when it comes to first aid, but most veterinarians would agree that pet health would be advanced if more people knew about pet first aid.

Some times of the year are also more likely to see injuries. Summertime is a great time to bone up on first aid procedures.

Basic first aid is easy to learn, but it is best if people who are frequently in situations where injuries can occur be certified in CPR, mouth-to-mouth and chest compression procedures. The University of Washington says that CPR can be performed in 3 easy steps:

1. First CALL for an ambulance! - Check the patient for unresponsiveness, unconsciousness, heartbeat, and breathing. If there is no response, phone for help to 911 and return to the patient. In many locations the emergency dispatcher is trained to assist with CPR instructions.
2. Next BLOW air into the patient's lungs. - Tilt the patient's head back, listen for a few moments for breathing. If the patient's breathing is not normal, pinch the nose and cover the mouth with your mouth. (Now you know why it is called mouth-to-mouth resucitation!) and blow until the chest rises. Give 2 breaths. Each breath should take one second.
3. Finally, PUMP the patient's heart. - If the victim is not breathing normally even after two breaths or at least coughing or moving, begin chest compressions. Chest compression is performed by pushing down on the chest 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches 30 times directly between the nipples. Pump at a fairly rapid rate, 100 times per minute. This is faster than once per second.

Continue to alternate between the 2 breaths and 30 thrusts until the patient revives or help arrives. Pleas note that this ratio is the same for one and two-person CPR. When two persons are performing CPR, the person pumping the chest stops while the other gives mouth-to-mouth.

Return to the Main Index