First aid or basic life support training can save someone’s life and prevent their condition from worsening until help arrives. It’s definitely a skill worth learning.
If you’re wondering where to learn such skills that can help save someone’s life in emergencies, you’ve come to the right place. To help you out, we’ve listed some medical emergencies and how you can administer first aid in these situations to keep the victim alive until help arrives.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
The Basic ABCs
If the person is unresponsive or unconscious, you must check the three ABCs:
- Airways: if the person is not breathing, clear the airways as quickly as possible.
- Breathing: If the person is not breathing after clearing the airway, continue to breathe for them by blowing air into their mouth.
- Circulation: You must keep the blood circulating in the body. So, do steady chest compressions and check their pulse after completing 100 chest compressions in under a minute. If there’s still no pulse, continue compressions until the paramedics arrive.
First Aid For Choking
People can choke when an object or food blocks their trachea. It’s a serious medical emergency that can knock a person unconscious or cause death.
Some choking signs you should know:
- Looking panicked
- Waving arms
- Grabbing at their throat
- Face turning blue
- Inability to make a noise or talk
- Wheezing, gasping, or gagging
The Heimlich Maneuver
The Heimlich maneuver consists of abdominal thrusts that can dislodge the obstruction in the throat. However, you should only do this maneuver if a person is choking.
Turn the person’s back toward you, and allow them to bend forward slightly. Hold them from the waist and clench one of your hands and place it between the rib cage and belly button (navel). Next, hold your fist with the other hand and pull your clenched wrist sharply upward and backward towards the person’s ribcage in five thrusts. Repeat these motions until the person coughs up the object.
However, if the choking individual becomes unconscious, lay them down on their back. Next, place your palm’s heel slightly above the belly button and your other hand on top of it. Now sharply thrust your palm upwards to dislodge the object.
If a baby is choking, you’ll need to switch up your first aid technique to help them. Start by laying the baby across your forearm and support them with your upper thighs or lap. Next, hold their chest with your hand and their jaw between your fingers to ensure their head is pointed down and positioned lower than their body. Then use your palm’s heel and give about 5 forceful blows quickly between the shoulder blades.
If the back blows don’t work, hold the baby in your lap with their face upward, angle their head lower than their body, and hold it steady. Next, place three fingers just below the child’s nipples, in the center of the chest. Give five thrusts downward so the breast bone gets pushed in about 1.5 inches.
However, if the infant loses consciousness, you must administer CPR until help arrives.
First Aid Response For No Pulse
CPR and first aid training are among the most important training and emergency medical procedures a person can know because these are life-saving procedures. So, if you can’t get the affected person to respond to your voice and they have no pulse, administering CPR or using an AED are your only options.
You can find AED devices in different public areas and offices. These machines are easy to use for people without prior training. However, we recommend that you receive proper ACLS training as a precaution and learn to assess the emergency with a professional outlook.
Give CPR
If you think someone is in cardiac arrest, here’s how you can help them:
- First, call 911 immediately and put them on speaker or request anyone near you to call emergency services.
- Begin chest compressions by using both your hands and heels to push down hard and fast in the center of the person’s chest. Let their chest rise naturally after each compression. Continue compressions until the paramedics arrive.
- If you have ACLS certification, you can do chest compressions using an AED machine if there’s one nearby and continue to rescue breathing until you can feel a pulse.
- Whatever you do, don’t stop the chest compressions and rescue because it’s the only way to keep blood and oxygen circulating in the body. Otherwise, the person would sustain brain damage and die within 10 minutes of passing out without a pulse.
Get ACLS Certification Online At CPR, ACLS & PALS Training Institute
If you wish to learn about life-saving procedures and receive professional training, CPR, ACLS & PALS Training Institute can help you. They offer AHA-approved basic life support certification online, advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS), and pediatric advanced life support (PALS) training and certifications or aha pals certification.
Visit their website or contact them to inquire about their calendar or class schedules.
About The Author
Mason, K. is a certified ACLS and PALS trainer with over 35 years of experience. They’ve helped and trained hundreds of medical professionals, students, and individuals in ACLS and PALS. Mason also writes insightful articles for acclaimed websites and magazines to educate their readers about life-saving procedures and training and how they can help other individuals.
