American Red Cross

First Aid

and

CPR -- Adult

Lesson One

Introduction – Before Giving Care

Key Points

• Purpose: – Help participants identify and eliminate

potentially hazardous conditions.– Recognize and make appropriate decisions for

first aid care.– This course teaches skills

needed to give immediate care until more advanced medical care arrives.

Recognizing and Responding to an Emergency

Key points:

• By recognizing an emergency and taking immediate action to help, you will provide the best chance for survival

• Emergencies can often be recognized because of an unusual sight, appearances, behaviors, odors, or noises.

Using Senses to Recognize Emergencies

• Unusual sights– Blood – Smoke or fire– Broken items– People milling around

Unusual Appearances or Behaviors

• One who is noticeably uncomfortable

• One who is clutches his / her chest or throat

• One who is unconscious

• One who appears to be confused or drowsy for unknown reasons

• One who has trouble breathing

Unusual Odors

• Unusual odors of the person’s breath

• Gasoline

• Natural gas

• Smoke

• An unrecognizable smell

Unusual Noises• Screaming

• Sudden silence for infants or children

• An explosion

• Items falling

• Tires screeching

• Metal Crashing

• Changes in machinery sounds (e.g., pitch, tone)

• Breaking Glass

Overcoming Barriers to Act

• Presence of others

• Uncertainty about the person’s condition

• Fear of catching a disease

• Fear of doing something wrong

• Fear of being sued

• Being unsure of when to call 911

Good Samaritan Laws

• Enacted to protect people who voluntarily give emergency care, without accepting anything in return.

• Laws protect you as long as you –– Act in good faith– Are not negligent– Act within the scope of your training

Obtaining Consent

• You MUST obtain permission to help

• If one refuses care, call 911

• If unconscious, confused or seriously ill & not able to grant consent, the consent is implied.

Obtaining Consent

• If a minor, get consent from parent or guardian ASAP

• Implied consent for a child means the parent or guardian would agree for care to be given

• To Obtain Consent– State your name– Tell the person you are trained in first aid– Ask the person if you can help– Explain what you think might be wrong– Explain what you plan to do

Preventing Disease Transmission

• Avoid contact with:– Blood– Body fluids

• Use PPE such as:– Gloves– CPR barriers

• Wash hands immediately after care

                                     

• Key Points– The risk of getting a disease is extremely rare:– Taking precautions can reduce this even further– Whenever possible, you should use Universal

Precautions

Emergency Action Steps• Key Points:

– Follow the emergency action steps:

• CHECK

• CALL

• CARE

– Check the scene for safety– Check the person for life-threatening conditions– Call 911– Care for the ill or injured person

• If alone, call first or care first– Call first:

• Cardiac emergencies

• Unconscious adult

• Witnessed sudden collapse of infant or child

• Unconscious infant or child with known heart problems

– Care first:• Breathing emergencies

• 2 minutes of care then call 911– Unwitnessed collapse of someone under 12 yrs of age

– Any victim of drowning

• Moving a person can lead to further injury. You should move a person only when safe to do so or if there is immediate danger.

Lesson 2

Checking an Ill

or

Injured Person

Life Threatening Injuries/Illness• Unconsciousness• Not breathing or having trouble breathing• Choking• Persistent chest pain• No signs of life (normal breathing or

movement)• Severe bleeding• Shock• Seizures (that recur, last more than 5 min.)

Checking a Conscious Adult

• Key Points– Adult: over 12 years of age– After checking the scene for safety, check the

adult– Obtain consent to give care– Head to toe examination – Care based on conditions found– Take steps to minimize shock

• Life-threatening condition in which there is not enough blood being delivered to all parts of the body

• Develops after a serious injury or illness including: – severe bleeding– Serious internal injury– Blood or body fluid loss

• Signs of Shock– Restlessness or irritability– Altered level of consciousness– Nausea or Vomiting– Pale, ashen, cool, moist skin– Rapid breathing and pulse– Excessive thirst

• Care of Shock– Call 911– Have the person lie down– Control any external bleeding– Elevate the person’s legs 12 inches (unless

you suspect head, neck or back injuries)– Cover with 1 blanket– DO NOT give anything to eat or drink– Reassure the person– Monitor airway, breathing, and circulation

Checking an Unconscious Adult

• Check the scene for safety

• Check the person for life-threatening conditions

• Remember the ABC’s– Airway– Breathing– Circulation

• Airway– Open airway

• Breathing– Look, listen, feel– Two breaths

• Circulation– Check for pulse

• Carotid pulse (neck) adult

• Brachial pulse (mid-arm) infant

Lesson 9

Soft Tissue Injury

• Key Point– Five leading causes of injury-related to death

• Motor vehicle crashes• Falls• Poisonings• Drownings• Choking

– Two basic types of injury• Soft tissue• Musculoskeletal (muscles, bones, joints)

Types of Wounds

1. Soft tissues include layers of skin, fat, & muscle

2. Damage may be at the skin level or deeper in the body

3. A physical injury that damages the layers of skin is called a wound.

4. Wounds are typically classified as either opened or closed.

• Care for a closed wound:– Apply direct pressure– Elevate the injured body part if it does not

cause more pain– Apply ice or a cold pack

• Never put ice directly on the skin

• Leave ice or cold pack on 20 minutes, remove for 20 minutes, then ice 20 minutes

• Types of open wounds:– Abrasions

– Lacerations

• Types of open wounds:– Avulsions or amputations

– Punctures

• Care for an open wound– Use a barrier between your hand and the wound– Apply pressure to control bleeding– Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water. If

possible irrigate the wound for 5 minutes with clean running water.

– Apply Neosporin or triple antibiotic to minor wound.– Cover the wound with a sterile or clean dressing and a

bandage.

        If a person has a closed or open wound and complains of severe pain or cannot move a body part without pain or if you think the force that caused the injury was great enough to cause serious damage, seek advanced medical care stat.

Controlling Bleeding• Shock can develop from a serious injury

that results from severe external or internal bleeding

• Signs of internal bleeding:– Tender, swollen, bruised or hard areas of the

body. Example: abdomen– Rapid, weak pulse– Skin that feels cool or moist or looks pale or

bluish

– Excessive thirst– Becoming confused, faint, drowsy or unconscious– Vomiting or coughing up blood

Controlling Open Wound Bleeding

• Elevate & Apply pressure with a gauze dressing– If bleeds through

dressing, apply another dressing over previous… NEVER remove a dressing.

Controlling Open Wound Bleeding

• Apply a roller bandage– Tie knot over the

wound – tape dressing

• Check fingers / toes for circulation

• Elevation

• Pressure Points– Rt. and Lt. Brachial Artery– Rt. and Lt. Femoral Artery

Pressure on Brachial Artery

• Put Thumb on outside of arm, fingers on inside of middle upper arm and Squeeze….

Pressure on Femoral Artery

• Place heel of hand directly over femoral artery (located between upper leg and pubic area), lean forward keeping arm straight and apply pressure.

Tourniquet

• USE ONLY AS A LAST RESORT !!!!!!!!!

• Once applied Never loosen

• Get Help at Once!!

Burns

• Cause:– Thermal (heat)

– Chemicals

– Electricity

– Radiation

• Classifications: by depth– 1st degree

• sunburn • epidermis only • never blisters • not calculated in burn extent

– 2nd degree• through the epidermis into the dermis • pink, moist, painful • white, dry, less sensation

– 3rd degree• All three layers burned• May be tissue damage to the bone• May or may not be painful

Caring for a Minor Burn

• Do:– Check scene for safety

– Remove source of burn

– Cool 1st and 2nd degree burns with cool running water

– Cover wound loosely with a sterile dressing

• DO NOT!!!!– Use ice

– Break blisters

– Remove pieces of clothing stuck to burn

– Use any type of ointment on a severe burns

– Do not immerse 3rd degree burns in water

– Do not touch the area of a burn with anything but a clean covering

Chemical Burns

• Remove contaminated clothing if possible

• Brush off dry chemicals

• Flush burn with water for 15 to 20 minutes

• Flush eye, if chemical in eye, for 15 – 20 min.

Electrical Burns

• Look First, Do Not Touch– DO NOT go near person until he/she is not in

contact with power source

• High-voltage: call 911• Turn off power source• Observe for cardiac arrest• Care for shock, thermal burns• All need advanced medical care

When to Call 911• Trouble breathing• Burns covers more than one body part or a

large surface area• Suspected burns to the airway• Burns to the head, neck, hands, feet or

genitals• 3rd degree burns in victims under 5, adults

over 60 years• Burns from chemicals, explosions, or

electricity

Lesson 10

Injuries to Muscles, Bones and Joints

Types of Muscle, Bone and Joint Injuries

• Fractures: break in bone– Open Fracture: skin over

fracture broken

– Closed Fracture: skin over fracture intact

• Dislocation: displacement of a bone at the joint

• Sprain: partial or complete tearing or stretching of a ligament

• Strain: stretching or tearing of muscles or tendon fibers

Care for Musculoskeletal System

• R est

• I ce

• C ompress

• E levate

• R est

• I mmobilize

• C old

• E levate

Splinting

• Definition: method of immobilizing

• Splint injury in position in which you find it

• Splint the injured area and the joints or bones above and below the injury site

• Check for circulation – Feeling, warmth, and color

Types of Splints

• Soft Splint– Use of pillows, folded blankets, towels, & a sling

• Rigid Splint– Includes boards, metal strips & folded magazines or

newspapers– Use a triangular bandage

• Anatomical Splints– Use uninjured body part as a splint to immobilize an

injured area

Head, Neck or Back Injuries

• Key Points:– These injuries may cause unintentional death

or life-long neurological damage– The goal in caring for a person with a head,

neck or back injury is to minimize movement

Care for Injuries to the Head, Neck, or Back

• Call 911

• Minimize movement of the head, neck or back

• Leave victim in the position found inIf the head is turned sharply to one side,

DO NOT try to align it. Support the head in the position you found it in.

• Monitor the ABC’s– Airway– Breathing– Circulation

Lesson 11

Sudden Illness

Sudden Illness

• General Guidelines– Do no further harm– Monitor breathing and consciousness– Help the person rest in the most comfortable

position– Keep the person from getting chilled or

overhead– Reassure the person– Give any specific care needed

Fainting

• Temporary loss of consciousness• Caused by a temporary reduction of blood

flow to the brain• Usually self-correcting• Victim recovers quickly with no lasting

effects• Place victim on back: elevate legs 8 – 12

inches

Diabetic Emergency

• Body does not produce enough insulin or does not use insulin effectively

• If victim conscious and able to swallow:– Give sugar

• If victim unable to swallow or sugar not available call 911

Seizures

• Disruption of normal electrical activity of the brain causing a loss of body control

• Protect from injury

• Remove objects that could cause injury

• Protect the victims head

• When to call 911– Seizure lasts more than 5 minutes– Person has repeated seizures, without regaining

consciousness– Person is injured– Person has diabetes or pregnant– Person fails to regain consciousness after a

seizure

Stroke

• Definition:– Brain Attack: blockage of blood flow to part of

the brain causing death of brain tissue

• Signals of a Stroke:– Weakness or numbness on one side of face or

arm or leg– Difficulty speaking or slurred speech– Sudden dizziness– Blurred vision or sudden severe headache

• THINK

–F weakness on one side of the face

–A weakness or numbness in one arm

–S slurred speech or trouble getting words out

–T time to call 911 if you see any of these signals

Stay with the person and monitor his/her breathing and other signs of life.

Poisoning

• Definition: – Any substance that can cause injury, illness or

death when introduced into the body

• How introduced into the body:– Inhalation– Swallowed– Absorption– Injection

• Treatment– If life threatening call 911

– Call Poison Control Center and follow their directions 1-800-222-1222

– DO NOT give anything by mouth

Allergic Reaction

• Cause:– Drugs– Medications– Foods– Chemicals

• Treatment:– Check– Call– Care

• Give care for any life-threatening condition

– Epinephrine auto-injector

• RECOVERY POSITION

• Insect Stings– Scrape away the stinger– Wash site with soap and water– Cold pack to reduce pain– Watch for signs of an allergic reaction

• Tick Bites– Remove tick with tweezers as close to skin as

possible and pull slowly– DO NOT

• Burn tick off

• Apply petroleum jelly

• If rash, flu-like sx, or joint pain seek medical care

Lesson 12

Heat and Cold Related Emergencies

Heat Related Emergencies

• Causes:– Strenuous outdoor activity on a hot day– Working in a hot room with little air circulation– Not drinking enough water – Working in a building where the cooling

system has failed

• Types of Heat Related Emergencies– Heat Cramps

• Painful muscle spasms

Care:– Move to cool place– Cool body– Give cool fluids to drink– Lightly stretch muscles

– Heat Exhaustion (Early stage)• Cool, moist, pale, ashen or flushed skin

• Headache

• Nausea

• Dizziness and weakness

• Exhaustion

Care:– Move to cool area– Loosen or remove clothing– Cool body

• Wet towel

– Give cool fluids

– Heat Stroke (Late stage)• Most severe…..• Red skin• Usually dry• Change in consciousness• Rapid, weak pulse • Rapid, shallow breathing

Care:– Move to cool area– Loosen or remove clothing– Cool body

• Wet towels, spray body with water, fan body

– Call 911

Cold Related Illness

• Frostbite:– When body tissue freezes

• Hypothermia:– Entire body cools because body’s ability to

regulate temperature fails– Victim may die

• Signals of frostbite– Lack of feeling in affected area– Skin that appears waxy, cold to touch– Discoloration of skin (flushed, white, yellow,

blue)

• Care for Frostbite– Handle area gently– Never rub affected area – may damage soft

tissues– DO NOT rewarm if chance of freezing again– If rewarming:

• Soak frostbite area in lukewarm water

• Loosely bandage in a dry sterile dressing

• DO NOT break blisters

• Signals of hypothermia– Shivering– Numbness– Glassy stare– Shivering that stops without rewarming

• Care for Hypothermia– Call 911– Be sure victim is comfortable– Remove wet clothing and dry person– Warm body gradually by wrapping the person

in blankets or moving victim to warm place– DO NOT warm the person to quickly

Lesson 13

Asthma

Asthma

• Tiggers– Dust,smoke, air pollution– Fear / anxiety– Exercise– Allergies– Colds– Infections

• Signals of Asthma– Coughing / wheezing– Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath– Sweating– Tightness in the chest– Inability to talk without stopping for breath– Feeling of fear or confussion

• Care of person with asthma– Remain calm– Reassure victim– Assist with use of inhaler – Call 911 if appropriate

Lesson 3

Breathing Emergencies and Conscious Choking – Adult, Child,

or Infant