10 Basic Lifesaving Skills Everyone Should Know
You might never know when you may find yourself in a situation that requires immediate attention. Somebody around you may be wounded or in distress, or that you may come across a stranger who needs medical care.
Whatever the circumstances, the capacity to act quickly and be lifesaving is a priceless talent that everyone should possess. Here are some fundamental lifesaving skills that can prepare you to overcome some unfortunate accidents.
CPR
CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is a well-known emergency procedure used to assist someone going through a cardiac arrest, a potentially fatal condition in which the heart abruptly stops beating.
To perform chest compressions:
- Tilt the patient’s head back and provide breath twice through their mouth.
- Kneel beside the unconscious patient on a firm surface and put both your hands on their chest.
- Compress the person’s chest by approximately two inches using your upper body weight.
- Compress at a pace of 100 compressions per minute until help arrives or the individual regains consciousness.
Heimlich Maneuver
When a person’s airway becomes blocked (choked), air cannot pass down the windpipe into the lungs, depriving the brain of oxygen. Food or any foreign object that is big enough to obstruct the passageway may cause obstruction. Adults are often choked by food, whereas children often ingest tiny items that obstruct the airway.
To clear the passageway, the Heimlich Maneuver is performed. The upward push compresses the diaphragm, which subsequently forces air out of the lungs via the windpipe, removing the item. If no one is available to assist you, you may have to execute an abdominal thrust on yourself.
What does unremarkable meaning in terms of results? Here is a concrete example. This ability has been shown to have an exceptionally high success rate in both youngsters and adults.
Application of an AED
An Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) is a handheld electronic device that instantly detects and treats ventricular fibrillation, a potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmia. Once correctly positioned, the AED offers lifesaving assistance if a person suffers cardiac arrest due to this deadly rhythm by defibrillation. Bear in mind that the heart cannot pump blood during abrupt cardiac arrest. Rather than that, this fatal rhythm, or arrhythmia, forces the heart to tremble. The shock is used to terminate the arrhythmia and restore a normal heartbeat through diagnostic imaging.
The application of an AED in conjunction with chest compression increases the likelihood of survival. When a defibrillator is available, use it by the on-screen instructions. Acquiring the necessary training will take you through the procedures necessary to lifesaving.
Treatment of Burns
Burns range in severity from mild to severe, but you may be unprepared to treat serious burns. It should be emphasized that a burn that results in a breach in the skin may result in infection, resulting in sepsis. The goal of burn treatment is to alleviate pain, remove dead tissue, and avoid infection. Be mindful that excessive pain may induce shock, which can lead to death.
Run cold tap water over the skin for ten minutes immediately. Then, using a wet compress to cool the skin. Avoid immediately applying ice or anything else to the burnt skin. Gently cleanse the skin with a gentle soap and tap water. To relieve pain, use Tylenol or ibuprofen. Minor burns that involve just the skin’s surface do not require dressings.
Bandage Application
When someone is bleeding severely, it is critical to prevent the bleeding in order to avoid additional blood loss. The person can also go into shock, as the body’s organs are deprived of the blood, oxygen, and nutrition that they need to operate properly. Death is not always caused by blood loss but by the shock caused by excessive blood loss.
Help the injured to lay down and wrap them in a blanket. Elevate the wounded area and cover it with a clean towel or bandage for 20 minutes prior to checking to see whether the bleeding has subsided. Pressure on the artery may halt bleeding from upper body wounds as well as leg injuries. With one hand, apply pressure while maintaining direct pressure with the other.
Treatment for Snake Bites
As a general rule, consider that each and every snake bite is poisonous. If someone has recently been bitten, immediately move them away from the snake to avoid getting bitten again. Successive bites will result in more poisons into the body, further decreasing the odds of survival.
Call 911 immediately, remove any jewelry before swelling occurs, and place the bitten limb lower than the heart to limit poison spread. Avoid applying ice, tourniquet, or even attempting to cut the incision may aggravate your situation. It is critical to recall the snake’s size and color to assist rescuers in determining the appropriate treatment for the wound.
Preventing Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a precarious state to be in since it is a gradual death. Hypothermia happens when the core temperature of the body falls to a level that substantially impairs muscle and mental functioning. If not treated promptly, it may lead to heart and lung failure.
Treat hypothermia by relocating the sufferer to a warmer location, remove damp clothes, and covering the individual in a blanket. Give them a warm beverage to drink, so the body’s core temperature may be stabilized. Alcohol and caffeine must not be provided since their effects vary according to person. Many people may feel cooler after consuming alcohol, and caffeine puts the heart under greater strain.
Bleeding Control
Similar to how ice does not form on the surface of a running river, blood does not coagulate when it flows freely. Pressure should be applied to the wound, ideally with sterile gauze, although a towel or T-shirt can suffice in a hurry. If possible, raise the wound just above the heart to avoid blood flow.
Getting Away from a Sinking Car
Several drowning fatalities are a result of being unable to flee a submerged vehicle. You just have a couple of moments to attempt to open the door before the remaining of it sinks under the water’s surface. If that fails, try to open the window; even if you cannot escape via the window after sufficient water has entered the vehicle to maintain the pressure, you will be able to open doors and swim to the water’s surface. The most critical lifesaving skill in this circumstance is the capacity to maintain one’s composure.
Evacuate a Burning Building
Attempt to have an escape strategy in place for every building you enter. Hotel rooms, government facilities, and most business buildings are equipped with publicly accessible emergency escape maps. In case of fire, always check to see if a door is warm before opening it, and have never used an elevator throughout a fire emergency since it may get stuck or transport you to a floor set ablaze. You can crawl to avoid inhaling smoke, which is frequently more dangerous than fire and can cause death through suffocation.
