What is a first aider? ________________________________________ 14
How to prepare yourself ___________________________________ 15
Protection from infection ________________________________ 16
Dealing with a casualty ____________________________________ 19
Requesting help ________________________________________________ 22
The use of medication ______________________________________ 24
Remember your own needs _____________________________ 24
26
Assessing the sick or injured __________________________ 40
Mechanisms of injury _____________________________________ 42
Primary survey ________________________________________________ 44
Secondary survey ___________________________________________ 46
Head-to-toe examination _______________________________ 49
Monitoring vital signs _____________________________________ 52
38
54
Breathing and circulation ________________________________ 56
Life-saving priorities ________________________________________ 57
Unconscious adult ___________________________________________ 62
Unconscious child ____________________________________________ 72
Unconscious infant _________________________________________ 80
How to use an AED __________________________________________ 84
88
The respiratory system ___________________________________ 90
Hypoxia ____________________________________________________________ 92
Airway obstruction __________________________________________ 93
Choking adult __________________________________________________ 94
Choking child ___________________________________________________ 95
Choking infant ________________________________________________ 96
Hanging and strangulation _____________________________ 97
Inhalation of fumes _________________________________________ 98
10
Action at an emergency ___________________________________ 28
Traffic accidents _______________________________________________30
Fires __________________________________________________________________ 32
Electrical incidents ___________________________________________ 34
Water incidents _______________________________________________ 36
Major incident/Mass casualties ______________________ 37 RESPIRATORY
PROBLEMS
MANAGING AN
INCIDENT
BECOMING A
FIRST AIDER
ASSESSING
A CASUALTY
INTRODUCTION
THE UNCONSCIOUS
CASUALTY
1 12
2
3
5
4
Drowning _______________________________________________________100
Hyperventilation ___________________________________________ 101
Asthma ___________________________________________________________ 102
Croup ______________________________________________________________ 103
Penetrating chest wound ______________________________ 104
106
The heart and blood vessels __________________________ 108
Bleeding and types of wound ________________________ 110
Shock _______________________________________________________________ 112
Severe external bleeding ________________________________ 114
Internal bleeding ____________________________________________ 116
Impalement _____________________________________________________ 117
Amputation _____________________________________________________ 117
Crush injury _____________________________________________________ 118
Cuts and scrapes _____________________________________________ 119
Bruising ___________________________________________________________ 119
Blisters ___________________________________________________________ 120
Infected wound ______________________________________________ 120
Foreign object in a wound ______________________________ 121
Scalp and head wounds __________________________________122
Eye wound _______________________________________________________ 123
Bleeding from the ear _____________________________________123
Nosebleed _______________________________________________________124
Knocked-out adult tooth _______________________________ 125
Bleeding from the mouth _______________________________ 125
Finger wound __________________________________________________126
Wound to the palm ________________________________________ 127
Wound at a joint crease _________________________________ 127
Abdominal wound ___________________________________________128
Vaginal bleeding ______________________________________________128
Bleeding varicose vein ____________________________________129
130
The skeleton __________________________________________________ 132
Bones, muscles, and joints ______________________________134
Fractures ________________________________________________________ 136
Dislocated joint _____________________________________________ 139
Strains and Sprains ________________________________________ 140
The nervous system ________________________________________142
Head injury ______________________________________________________144
Facial injury _____________________________________________________146
Lower jaw injury ______________________________________________147
Cheekbone and nose injury ____________________________147
Collarbone injury _____________________________________________148
Shoulder injury ________________________________________________149
Upper arm injury ____________________________________________150
Elbow injury ______________________________________________________151
Forearm and wrist injuries _____________________________ 152
Hand and finger injuries _________________________________ 153
Rib injury __________________________________________________________154
Fractured pelvis _______________________________________________ 155
Back pain ________________________________________________________ 156
Spinal injury ____________________________________________________ 157
Hip and thigh injuries ____________________________________ 160
Lower leg injuries __________________________________________ 162
Knee injury ______________________________________________________ 164
BONE, JOINT,
WOUNDS AND MUSCLE INJURIES
6 AND CIRCULATION
7
MEDICAL
CONDITIONS 208
Foreign object in the eye ________________________________196
Foreign object in the ear _________________________________197
Foreign object in the nose ______________________________197
How poisons affect the body __________________________198
Types of poisons _____________________________________________199
Swallowed poisons _______________________________________ 200
Drug poisoning ______________________________________________ 201
Alcohol poisoning _________________________________________ 202
Animal and human bites ______________________________ 203
Insect sting ____________________________________________________ 204
Tick bite _________________________________________________________ 205
Other bites and stings __________________________________ 205
Snake bite ______________________________________________________ 206
Stings from sea creatures _____________________________ 207
Marine puncture wound _______________________________ 207
Angina ____________________________________________________________ 210
Heart attack ____________________________________________________ 211
Stroke _____________________________________________________________ 212
Diabetes mellitus ___________________________________________ 214
Hyperglycemia _______________________________________________ 214
Hypoglycemia ________________________________________________ 215
Seizures in adults ___________________________________________ 216
Seizures in children ________________________________________ 218
Fever _______________________________________________________________ 219
Meningitis _____________________________________________________ 220
The skin __________________________________________________________ 170
Assessing a burn ____________________________________________ 172
Severe burns and scalds ________________________________ 174
Minor burns and scalds _________________________________ 176
Burns to the airway _________________________________________ 177
Electrical burn _________________________________________________ 178
Chemical burn _______________________________________________ 179
Chemical burn to the eye ______________________________ 180
Flash burn to the eye ______________________________________ 181
Incapacitant spray exposure __________________________ 181
Dehydration ___________________________________________________ 182
Sunburn __________________________________________________________ 183
Heat exhaustion _____________________________________________ 184
Heatstroke ______________________________________________________ 185
Hypothermia __________________________________________________ 186
Frostbite _________________________________________________________ 189
The sensory organs _________________________________________192
Splinter ____________________________________________________________194
Embedded fishhook _______________________________________ 195
Swallowed foreign object ______________________________ 195
Ankle injury ____________________________________________________ 165
Foot and toe injuries ______________________________________166
Cramps ___________________________________________________________ 167
168
190
EFFECTS OF
HEAT AND COLD
FOREIGN OBJECTS,
POISONING, BITES & STINGS
8
9
10
Fainting __________________________________________________________ 221
Allergy ____________________________________________________________ 222
Anaphylactic shock ________________________________________ 223
Headache _______________________________________________________ 224
Migraine _________________________________________________________ 224
Sore throat _____________________________________________________ 225
Earache and toothache __________________________________ 225
Abdominal pain _____________________________________________ 226
Vomiting and diarrhea ___________________________________ 227
Childbirth _______________________________________________________ 228
Emergency childbirth _____________________________________ 229
Removing clothing _________________________________________ 232
Removing headgear _______________________________________ 233
Casualty handling __________________________________________ 234
First aid materials __________________________________________ 235
Dressings ________________________________________________________ 238
Cold compresses ____________________________________________ 241
Principles of bandaging _________________________________ 242
Roller bandages ____________________________________________ 244
Tubular gauze bandages ________________________________ 248
Triangular bandages _______________________________________249
Square knots __________________________________________________250
Hand and foot cover ______________________________________250
Arm sling _________________________________________________________ 251
Elevation sling ________________________________________________ 252
Improvised slings ___________________________________________ 253
Action in an emergency ________________________________ 256
CPR for an adult _____________________________________________ 258
Chest-compression-only CPR ________________________ 258
CPR for a child ______________________________________________ 260
CPR for an infant ___________________________________________ 260
Heart attack __________________________________________________ 262
Stroke _____________________________________________________________ 262
Choking adult _______________________________________________ 264
Choking child ________________________________________________ 264
Choking infant ______________________________________________ 266
Meningitis _____________________________________________________ 266
Asthma ___________________________________________________________ 268
Anaphylactic shock ________________________________________ 268
Severe external bleeding ______________________________ 270
Shock _____________________________________________________________ 270
Head injury _____________________________________________________ 272
Spinal injury ____________________________________________________ 272
Broken bones _________________________________________________ 274
Burns and scalds ____________________________________________ 274
Seizures in adults ___________________________________________ 276
Seizures in children ________________________________________ 276
Swallowed poisons _________________________________________ 278
Hypoglycemia ________________________________________________ 278
First aid regulations _________________________________ 280
Index ________________________________________________________ 282
Acknowledgments ____________________________________288