Know how to deal with emergency situations such as Drowning, Electric Shock, General Shock, Automobile Accidents and Human Being caught in fire.

Know how to deal with emergency situations such as Drowning, Electric Shock, General Shock, Automobile Accidents and Human Being caught in fire.

DROWNING

Drowning causes asphyxia by water, weeds and mud entering into the lungs. When the lungs alveoli are filled with water, they cannot exchange oxygen to and from the blood 

 WHAT DO I SEE AND ENQUIRE?

A victim is in the water and is in distress.

Following signs of drowning may be observed:

  ? no breathing;

  ?difficulty in breathing and signs of restlessness;
 

  ?the rate of breathing increases;

  ? the breaths get shorter;

?the veins of the neck become swollen;

?the face, lips, nails, fingers and toes turn blue;
 

 ?the pulse gets faster and feebler; and

?water may gush from the mouth.

WHAT DO I DO?

SAFETY FIRST AND CALL FOR HELP
?Make sure there is no danger to you of drowning.

?The person urgently needs help. Shout or call for help if you are alone but do not leave the person unattended. Ask a bystander to seek help or to arrange urgent transport to the nearest healthcare facility. Tell him to come back to you to confirm if help has been secured.

REMOVE THE VICTIM OUT OF THE WATER

?Remove the person rapidly and safely from the water, but do not place yourself into any danger by doing so.

?Try to throw a rope or something that the drowning person can hold onto (if he is still conscious and able to grasp the helpline).

?Once the person has been rescued from the water, do not try to remove water from his lungs.

WHAT DO I DO IF THE VICTIM IS BREATHING?
?If the person is breathing, put him in the recovery position and cover him with a blanket or coat to keep him warm.
?Do not leave the victim alone and continue to observe him.

WHAT DO I DO IF THE VICTIM IS NOT BREATHING OR NOT BREATHING NORMALLY?
?Remove any cause of suffocation.
?If the person is not on his back, turn him on his back.
?Kneel down by the side of the person.
?Start CPR.
     Do not interrupt the resuscitation until:

.the victim starts to wake up, moves, opens eyes and breathes normally;
 

   .help (trained in CPR) arrives and takes over;

.you become too exhausted to continue; or

.the scene becomes unsafe for you to continue. 

If the breathing starts again:
a. Cover the victim.
b. Arrange urgent transport to a hospital.
c. Do not leave the victim alone and continue to observe him. d. If the breathing stops again, restart CPR. 

Electric Shock

Causes :- If any part of the body comes in contact with a live wire which is exposed and not covered by insulation, or with a cable or rail in which current is leaking, a person gets an electric shock. Electrical shock is produced only when an electric current passes through the human body which is in contact with earth. It passes more quickly if the part is wet.

Effect/ symptoms :
1) There may be fatal paralysis of heart.
2) There may be sudden stoppage of breathing due to paralysis of muscles used in breathing.
3) Heart may continue to beat, while breathing has stopped. In this condition the face appears blue.
4) There may be burns, either super facial or deep.

Treatment :

1)If the casualty is still in contact with the conductor, switch off the current. If the switch is not to be found, remove the plug 'or cut off the current by breaking the wire. Before cutting off the current, ensure that you stand on a dry piece of wooden board. Do not use scissors or knife.

2) If the casualty is not breathing normally or heart has stopped beating, give artificial respiration and external cardiac massage for a long time.

3) Treat for shock.

4) Treat for burns, if any.

5) Transfer to a hospital, or take the help of a medical practitioner. 

Shock

This life-threatening condition occurs when the circulatory system fails and as a result vital organs such as the heart and the brain are deprived of oxygen. It requires emergency treatment to prevent permanent organ damage and death.

CAUSES OF SHOCK

Hypovolemic shock

The most common cause of shock is severe blood loss. If the blood loss exceeds 1.2 litres (this is about one-fifth of the normal blood volume of an adult), shock may occur. The blood loss may occur due to external and/or internal bleedings.

Loss of other body fluids can also result in shock. Conditions that cause heavy fluid losses include diarrhoea, severe burns, etc.

Cardiogenic shock

In addition, shock may occur when an adequate volume of blood is available, but the heart is unable to pump the blood around. This problem can be due to severe heart diseases, heart attack or acute heart failure.

Other types of shock

Other causes of shock include overwhelming infections (septic shock), lack of certain hormones, low blood sugar level (hypoglycaemia) (metabolic shock), under-cooling (hypothermia), injuries to the respiratory track or lungs (respiratory shock) and severe allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock), drug overdose or spinal cord injuries (neurogenic shock).

WHAT DO I SEE AND ENQUIRE?

You might observe following symptoms:

  ?Initially:

?rapid pulse;

?pale looks;

?cold clammy, sweaty skin.

As shock develops:

 ?rapid, shallow breathing;
 
 ?cold, clammy skin;

 ?rapid, weak pulse;

 ?dizziness or fainting;

 ?weakness;

 ?seizures;

 ?confusion or unresponsiveness;

 ?bluish lips and fingernails;

 ?sweating;

 ?nausea and vomiting might occur.

 ?The casualty might become restlessness and aggressive.
 

 ?The casualty might complain of chest pain.

 ?eyes appear to stare; 

 ?anxiety or agitation;

 ?low or no urine output;

 ?The casualty might feel thirsty.

WHAT DO I DO?

1. Reassure the casualty (when conscious)
2. Treat the possible cause of shock that you can detect, such as a severe bleeding.
3. Lay the casualty comfortably on his back on a blanket.
   However, in cases of injury of the head, chest or of the abdomen, lower the head slightly and turn it to a side.
   In cases of vomiting put the casualty in the recovery position.
4. You may raise and support the legs. However, do not do this when you suspect a fracture or spinal injuries.
5. Loosen the tight clothing.
6.  Keep the injured person warm by taking off wet clothing, covering him with a
   blanket or other covering, taking care not to overheat him.
7.  In case of major injuries nothing should be given by mouth as he may later need an operation or blood transfusion.
   The general principle is never to give food or drink to a casualty. Important exceptions include hypothermia (low body temperature), hypoglycaemic shock (low blood sugar in a diabetes patient), diarrhoea and fever leading to dehydration and in case of heat exhaustion or heatstroke when the person remains conscious.
8.  Observe the casualty’s consciousness and breathing.
9. If the casualty loses consciousness, put him in the recovery position.
10. If the casualty stops breathing, start CPR.
11. Arrange urgent transport to the nearest healthcare facility or hospital. 

12. Wash your hands after taking care of the patient. Use soap and water to wash your hands. If no soap is available, you can use ash to wash your hands. Alcohol-based sanitizers can also be used, if available. 

AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT

 Protect the scene of the accident. Place somebody on either side of the road to stop further on-coming traffic. On reaching the car switch off the ignition key and do not allow any smoking around the scene of the accident. Put stones under wheels to prevent the car movement. Do not pull the injured victim unless there is danger of the car catching fire.

Make a neck collar out of folded news paper and put it around the casualty's neck, securing it with a handkerchief, string or stockings. This immobolilizes his/her neck and prevents further damage to his/her Spinal Cord. If his/her breathing has stopped, start artificial respiration. Stop bleeding from injuries he/she may have sustained. Inform the police, ambulance and fire brigade. Only those experienced in handing victim from the car can handle him further. The only indication for immediate removal regardless of injuries is fire. Most fires occur shortly after a crash. If no fire has occurred leave the casualty in the

vehicle till further assistance or help.

HUMAN BEING CAUGHT IN FIRE

When a person's clothing catches fire: Approach him/her holding a rug, blanket, coat or table cover in front of you for protection, wrap it round him/her, lay him/her flat and Smother the flames, If a person's clothing catches fire when alone, he/she should roll on the floor, smothering the flames with the nearest available wrap and call for help, on no account should he/she rush into the open air. 

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