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Posts Tagged ‘first aid’

There many reasons why we may want to sign up a first aid course and learn skills that may one day save someone’s life. We may want to learn first aid because we believe it to be an essential life skill to have, we may be the nominated first aider in our work place, or be members of clubs and organisations, such as youth or sport, where the presence of a first aider is mandatory. Whatever our reasons may be for learning first aid, it is important to know what to look for when we sign up for a course.

The type of course you choose will depend on the level of skill you need to acquire. A good grounding for everyone is the basic first aid course provided by training organisations. As the name suggests it offers a basic understanding of first aid and also features on key lifesaving skills. First aiders can develop their skills further by enrolling on the standard certificate course dealing with emergencies that may happen to adults, children and babies .

For the nominated first aider at work, there are also specialist courses available to teach you the practical and theoretical first aid skills needed in the workplace.

Looking at more specialised first training, there is the practical life saving course which is geared towards avoiding fatalities through shock or blood loss as well as teaching resuscitation.

Some organisations also provide much more specialist first aid courses. Outdoor instructors, teachers, field scientists, expeditionary may require training in outdoor settings. These are often organised at remote locations such as mountain, adventure and water centres. The training is geared towards injuries that may occur when engaging in such activities.

First aiders, as well continuing to learn new skills, should be prepared to freshen up on those they already have, so it is essential that refresher first aid courses are also available.

Knowing what to look for in a first aid course is important to the first aider, so decide if you just want to learn basic skills or progress to more specialised first aid. There is no shortage of first aid training available, so check with the providers to find out just what is on offer.

Heart attacks, also known as myocardial infarctions, are a leading cause of death. Heart attacks occur when the heart is damaged or not receiving enough oxygen. Many cardiac problems are caused due to arterial blockages. These arteries are responsible for taking the purified blood from the heart to the rest of the body. A second cause may be from blood clots forming in the arteries. Many times it is hard to tell the difference between a heart attack versus heartburn.

Signals that are common to heart attacks include a pressure, pain or tightness in the chest. The patient may also experience sweating, nausea and/or vomiting. There may also be a pain that radiates? from the chest to the left arm, and shortness of breath.

If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, it?s imperative to get to an emergency room immediately for an evaluation. Have someone contact a cardiac care ambulance (911) to transport, then put a sorbitrate under your tongue or chew on an aspirin – unless there is an allergy to aspirin. Once in the hospital, care may include cardiac catheters, rapid thrombolysis or angioplasty. The emergency room will also give anti-clot medication through an IV.

Risk factors that increase the chance for a heart attack include smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, family history, hypertension obesity, diet and atherosclerosis. Some of these factors are controllable.

Some of the thing you can do to avoid heart disease and heart attacks include not smoking, or stopping if you do, and get healthier eating habits. By avoiding foods high in fats, red meat and salt, and including foods high in antioxidants, you can increase your chances for a healthy life. Exercising just 30 minutes a day will not only help with obesity, but also help you control and lower blood pressure.

Meditation is a practice that will also help you live a healthy lifestyle. By incorporating relaxation and breathing techniques into your life you can lower your stress level. In spite of making lifestyle changes, you will still need to follow up with your doctor in order to be evaluated for your heart?s condition. This is one of the best ways to make sure you are healthy, and to get advise for how much you need to do.

The American Heart Association claims that heart disease affects 48.8 million in the United States every year. Out of that number, 940,000 Americans will die of heart disease each year. Heart disease and deaths can be prevented by staying healthy. By finding a balance between work and leisure, you can extend your life expectancy. Give up the couch for the outdoors: play sports instead of watching them. Then you have a chance for a long life.

If your planning a hike or bike into the backwoods, you’ll have to plan for minor accidents. Inevitably, someone will fall and cut a knee, scalp or elbow. Lacerations can be initially treated in the field, but if it’s a serious one, you should seek treatment from a medical professional. The following is a pre-hospital field dressing technique that you can use until you get help.

The first thing to do, is to control bleeding. A little bleeding is actually OK, as long as it is a slow, minor bleed. In addition, minor bleeding can help to push out dirt and bacteria. If the bleeding is pulsed or streaming, or spurting out of the wound, then the wound is deep and the rapid control of the loss of blood is important. A little bleeding isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it pushes out bacteria and foreign bodies that can cause an infection.

Try to get out the sand, twigs, pebbles and debris if you can, then apply direct pressure. Do this with a pressure dressing as shown. This technique works on small cuts as well as large lacerations. You can even do this with some strips of clean cloth, (not a tourniquet!) Pressure alone will always work to stop bleeding. Wounds on the scalp or anywhere, can be treated in the same way.

Resist the temptaton to keep peeking at the wound to see if the bleeding has stopped, as this will only pull off the newly formed clot and make bleeding persist! When the first cloth gets blood soaked, just put another right on top of it and keep holding pressure. If bleeding is not controlled after 15 minutes, head to the ER.

When bleeding has stopped, you can look at the wound and decide whether you need to go to the ER. Stitches, if you need it, have to be done within 6-8 hours. How can you tell whether it needs stitches? In short, if the wound wants to stay open, or pop open with simple movement, it needs stitches!