American Red Cross CPR/AED/First Aid set Exam Study Guide

EMS - Emergency Medical Services Your role in the EMS system - First Responder 4 steps to take in an emergency - 1. Recognize that an emergency exists 2. Decide to act 3. Activate the ems system 4. Give care until help takes over 4 ways to recognize an emergency - 1. Unusual noises 2. Unusual sights 3. Unusual odors 4. Unusual appearances Barriers to Act - - Panic or fear of doing something wrong - Being unsure of the person's condition and what to do - Assuming someone else will take action - Fear of catching a disease - Fear of being sued - Being unsure of when to call 911 Good Samaritan Law - the use of common sense and reasonable level of skill to provide only the type of medical care for which he/she is trained When can you stop providing care to a patient? - - Another trained responder or EMS takes over - The scene becomes unsafe - You become too exhausted - The patient regains consciousness Expressed consent - when a patient understands your questions and gives you permission to give care Implied consent - law states that people who are unconscious, mentally impaired, or confused would accept care if he/she could respond 3 C's when taking action - Check Call Care Check - 1. Scene - Immediate danger (IS IT SAFE?) - # of victims - # of potential helpers 2. Victim(s) - Conscious/unconscious - Life-threatening conditions SAMPLE - Signs/Symptoms Allergies? Medications? Pertinent (past) medical history? Last meal Events leading up to incident Life-threatening conditions - - Breathing problems - Chest pain that lasts longer than a few minutes, goes away, and comes back - Chest pain that radiates - Severe bleeding (gushing or spurting) - Vomiting blood - Suspected poisoning - Severe burns - Seizures - Stroke - Compound fractures - Deformed areas Shock - Condition in which the circulatory system fails to deliver enough oxygen rich blood to the body's tissues and vital organs S/S of Shock - - Restlessness or irritability - Altered level of consciousness - Nausea or vomiting - Pale, ashen, grayish skin - Cool, moist skin - Rapid breathing and pulse - Excessive thirst Care for Shock - - CALL 911 - Have the person lie down (keep them comfortable) - Prop up legs if it does not cause further pain - Control external bleeding - Help them maintain normal body temperature - Do not give them anything to eat or drink - Reassure the person Checking an Unconscious Person - - Check the scene - Check the patient - Tap shoulder and yell "Hey hey, are you ok?" - Infants: tap shoulder and tickle their feet - If no response, immediately call 911 - Check for other life-threatening conditions - ABC's ABC's - Airway Breathing Circulation Airway - - Opening the airway allows air to enter lungs for the person to breathe - Head-tilt chin-lift technique - Child: tilt slightly past neutral - Infant: tilt to neutral Breathing - 1. Look for the rise and fall of the chest 2. Listen for escaping air 3. Feel for escaping air on your cheek - No more than 10 seconds If the patient is Breathing - - Monitor their breathing - Maintain head-tilt chin-lift - Look for life-threatening conditions If the patient IS NOT breathing: - Start CPR Circulation - - Breathing emergencies quickly lead the heart to stop beating - CPR S/S of a heart attack - - Chest pain - Discomfort/pressure - Trouble breathing - Skin: pale, ashen, damp - Light headed - Loss of consciousness - Pain on left shoulder - Women: back and jaw pain, unexplained fatigue Cardiac Chain of Survival - Early Recognition & Access to EMS Early CPR Early Defibrillation Early advanced medical care What to do for a Conscious person with S/S of a heart attack - - Call 911 - Have person stop what they are doing and rest - Loosen tight clothing - Monitor behavior and breathing - Be prepared to do CPR CPR - cardiopulmonary resuscitation Compression depth - Adult: at least 2 inches Child: at most 2 inches Infant: about 1.5 inches Ratio of compressions to breaths - 30:2 CPR modifications for infants - - Use 2 fingers instead of full palm - Use other hand to stabilize the forehead - Compression depth: 1.5 inches Chest compressions - - Locate the person's sternum and place the heel of one hand on it - Place your other hand directly on top of the first hand and try to keep your fingers off of the chest by interlacing them - Make sure that your elbows are locked and your shoulders stack on top of your wrists and elbows - Give 30 chest compressions. Push hard, push fast - Rate of at least 100 compressions per minute - Push straight down with the weight of your upper body, not with your arm muscles - After each compression, release the pressure without removing your hands or changing hand position AED - Automated External Defibrillator - Portable electronic devices that analyze the heart's rhythm and deliver an electrical shock, which helps the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm Ventricular tachycardia - Electrical system tells the heart to contract too quickly Ventricular fibrillation - Electrical impulses fire at random, creating chaos and prevents the heart from pumping and circulating blood Steps to using an AED - - Turn on the AED. - Expose the person's chest and wipe the bare chest dry with a small towel or gauze pads. - Apply the AED pads to the person's bare, dry chest. - Place one pad on the upper right chest and the other pad on the left side of the chest - Listen to the directions given from the AED - Advise all responders and bystanders to "stand clear." Position of pads for AED - Place one pad on the upper right chest and the other pad on the left side of the chest AED Modification for Children - - Place one pad on the child's upper right chest and the other pad on the left side of the chest. - Make sure that the pads are not touching. AED Modification for Infants - Place one pad in the middle of the infant's chest and the other pad on the infant's back, between the shoulder blades Breathing Emergencies - - When air does not reach the lungs to be circulated - Life-threatening! When breathing stops: - - 4-6 minutes: possible brain damage - 6-10 minutes: brain damage - Over 10 minutes: irreversible brain damage Causes of Breathing Emergencies - - Choking - Illness - Chronic illness - Drowning - Electrocution - Allergic reactions - Heart attack - Drug overdose/ poisoning - Emotional distress S/S of breathing emergencies - - Trouble breathing/no breathing - Slow/rapid breathing - Unusually deep or shallow breathing - Gasping - Wheezing, gurgling, high-pitched noises - Flushed, pale, ashen/bluish skin - Dizziness/light-headedness - Pain in chest - Tingling in hands, feet, lips - Apprehensive/fearful feelings Conscious Choking - - Identify yourself, obtain consent - If they are coughing, encourage them to continue coughing - If they STOP coughing and no longer breathing, CALL 911 - Administer 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts Conscious choking for a large person or pregnant woman - -Give chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts - Place fist against the center of the breastbone Conscious choking for a person in a wheelchair - - Only give abdominal thrusts - No Back Blows When you are ALONE and choking - - Bend yourself over a firm object (ie: chair, table, rail) - Give yourself abdominal thrusts as you would for another person Conscious choking - unconscious choking - - You know the airway is blocked - Lay the patient down while protecting the head - Give 30 compressions - Check mouth for foreign object, swipe it out - Give 2 successful breaths - Continue CPR until there are signs of life or EMS arrives When you DID NOT see what happened, but your 2 breaths did not go in (even after re-tilting the head) - - Assume the airway is blocked - Give 30 compressions - Check mouth for foreign object, swipe it out - Give 2 successful breaths - If breaths do NOT go in, repeat 30 compressions - Continue CPR until there are signs of life or EMS arrives Moving an Injured or Ill Person - - Unnecessary movement is dangerous for a seriously injured or ill person - You should not move an injured or ill person unless: - You are faced with immediate danger - When it is necessary to give proper care Ways to move a patient if need be - Walking Assist 2 Person Seat Carry Pack-strap Carry Clothes Drag Blanket Drag Ankle Drag Ways to help a drowning victim - Reaching Assist Throwing Assist Wading Assit Reaching Assist for a Drowning Victim - Brace yourself on the deck, pier, shoreline and reach out to the person with an object Throwing Assist for a Drowning Victim - Throw a floating object with a line attached to it Wading Assist - - Only if the water is shallow (not over chest) and safe - Do NOT wade if there is a current or the bottom is soft or unknown. - Wear a life jacket if possible Heat related illnesses - Heat Cramps Heat Exhaustion Heat Stroke Heat Cramps - - Least severe - First signal that the body is having trouble with heat - Painful muscle spasms (in legs or abdomen) - S/S: rigid muscles - Tx: stretch, massage, hydrate - May return to activity if cramping stops Heat Exhaustion - - S/S: nausea, dizziness, headache, ashen/pale skin, cool/moist skin - Care: remove from heat, hydrate, remove clothes, apply wet towels - Should NOT return to activity - If not treated, they will progress to heat stroke Heat Stroke - - Most severe heat related illness - When the body is overwhelmed with heat - S/S: very high body temperature, dry/hot skin, seizures, unconsciousness, shallow breathing, nausea/vomitting - Tx: CALL 911, put in shade, apply ice bags to armpits, neck, and pelvic area Hypothermia - - When the body cools down because the body is unable to regulate its temperature - Typically when the person is wet or if it is windy - S/S: Shivering, numbness, glassy stare, indifference, loss of consciousness - Care: CALL 911, slowly rewarm patient, remove wet clothes - Shivering that stops= condition is worsening Frostbite - - Freezing of body parts; leads to the loss of fingers, toes, hands, feet - S/S: waxy, blue, black skin, numbness, cold to touch - Care: rewarm using touch, warm (NOT HOT) water, apply gauze between digits. Do not pop blisters that may have formed S/S of a patient who becomes suddenly ill - - Change in level of consciousness - Breathig problems - Loss of vision/blurry vision - Sweating - Abdominal pain/pressure - Nausea/vomiting - Diarrhea - Seizures Fainting - - Temporary loss of consciousness - Caused by insufficient supply of blood to the brain seizure - When the normal functions of the brain are disrupted by injury, disease, fever, infection, metabolic disturbances, or conditions causing decreased oxygen level S/S of seizure - - blank stare - period of distorted sensation during which the person is unable to respond - uncontrolled muscular contractions that lasts several minutes Types of seizures - Epilepsy- Chronic Febrile- brought on by rapid increase in body temperatures in children