Shock
The word shock is used differently by the medical community and the general public. The meaning by the public is an emotional reaction to a stressful situation or piece of news. Its medical meaning is much different.
shock symptons
Shock is abnormal metabolism at the cellular level. Shock is the end stage of all diseases, and symptoms will often be dependent on the underlying cause.
What to do when in shock
If you come upon a person in shock, the initial response should be to call 999 and ask for an ambulance.
Shock is a culmination of multiple organ systems in the body that have failed or are in the process of failing. Even with the best of care, there is a significant risk of death.
First aid for burns
It is essential to apply appropriate first aid to any burns as soon as possible, to limit the extent of the damage. You may need to do this for yourself, or for someone else. First aid advice for burns is outlined below.
* It is very important to stop the burning process as soon as possible. This may mean removing the person from the area, dousing flames with water, or smothering their body with a blanket to put out any flames. However, do not put yourself at risk of getting burned as well.
* Remove any clothing or jewellery near the burnt area of skin, but do not try to remove anything that is stuck to the burned skin as this could cause more damage.
* Cool the burn with cool or tepid water for 10-30 minutes, ideally within 20 minutes of the injury happening. Never use ice, iced water, or any creams or greasy substances, such as butter.
* Make sure that the person keeps warm, with a blanket or layers of clothing (avoiding the injured area). This is necessary when you are cooling a large area of skin because there is a risk of hypothermia, particularly in children and the elderly.
* Cover the burn using cling film, in a layer over the burn rather than wrapping it around a limb. A clean, clear plastic bag is suitable for burns on your hand.
* The pain from a burn can be treated with paracetamol or ibuprofen. Always check the packaging for the correct dosage.
!st degree Burns - First-degree burns do not usually need professional medical attention. Simply cool the burn under cold, running water for several minutes to stop the burn from getting worse. You can give the injured person an aspirin (if he or she has no medical complications) and soothe the area with some aloe vera ointment or burn cream.
2nd degree burns - Here’s the best emergency first aid, step-by-step:
- Submerge the burned area in cold water (as cold as possible). If the burn occurred on the chest or back, pour cold water from a bucket or a hose directly onto the burn.
- Keep the cold water on the burn until medical help arrives. If the burns are minor, keep them in cold water for at least five minutes.
- If the burns are extensive, you can apply a cool, wet cloth to the affected area—but only if the dressing is wrapped in plastic. Cloth tends to adhere to burns, and it can worsen the pain if a physician has to pull it off to treat the burn.
- If the burns are minor, you can treat them in the same way you’d treat first-degree ones. You won’t need medical help. Simply pat the area dry and place a loose sterile cloth over it.
3rd Degree Burns - They require medical treatment and precise first aid care. If you know what you are doing, you can help prevent infection from spreading.
- Call for medical attention if access is immediately available.
- Treat for shock, if necessary. This is especially true if the burn is caused by electric shock.
- If you suspect chemical burning, especially from dangerous acids, you need to take first aid care one step further in order to stop the burn from spreading. As with any type of poison ingestion or inhalation or burn, these specialists can tell you exactly what you need to do.
- Remove any tight clothing or jewelry that’s not on the actual burned area. With third-degree burns, there’s always the danger of swelling which can cause blood vessels to constrict and create other complications.
- You can submerge the burned area under cold running water, but avoid ice. Too much cold can exacerbate shock.
- Pat the area dry and place a loose, sterile cloth over the area.
- If hands are burned, elevate them, keeping them higher than the heart. This can be done by gently placing pillows under the injured person’s arms.
- Burned legs and feet should also be elevated to keep blood flowing smoothly.
- Keep the injured person still. Do not let him or her walk around.
- If the face is burned, keep checking for breathing complications. If airways seem to be blocked, follow the instructions for CPR
- Above all, get the burned victim to a hospital. Third-degree burn victims are prime candidates for infection, pneumonia, and other complications, and they need medical attention fast.
What are the causes of asthma?
It is difficult to say what causes asthma but there are so many triggers of asthma. The most common triggers are:
- infections such as cold and flu
- irritants such as dust, smoke and fumes
- chemicals and other substances found in a workplace - this is called occupational asthma
- exercise - especially in cold, dry air
- laughing or crying very hard
Why might you have asthma?
you are more likely to develop asthma if you have a family history of asthma, eczema or allergies
it is likely that this family history combined with certain environmental factors influences whether or not someone develops asthma
many aspects of modern lifestyles – such as changes in housing and diet and a more hygienic environment – may have contributed to the rise in asthma over the last few decades
research has shown that smoking during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of a child developing asthma
children whose parents smoke are more likely to develop asthma
environmental pollution can make asthma symptoms worse and may play a part in causing some asthma
adult onset asthma may develop after a viral infection
What type of inhalers are there?
- Reliever inhalers - contains bronchodilator drugs. This is be taken (as required) to ease symtoms when weezy or breathless. This type of drug relaxes the muscles in the airway and widens the airway in which to make symptoms quickly ease. Bronchodilater drug is normally put in a blue or grey inhaler device.
- Preventer inhalers - contains a steriod drug. This is taken everyday to prevent symptoms. Steroids work by reducing the inflammation in the airways. It takes 7-14 days for the steroid to build up it’s effect. This means it will not give any immediate relief of symtoms. Steroid drug is normally put in a brown, orange or red inhaler device.
- Long acting bronchodilater inhaler - These inhalers are like the reliever inhalers but they work up to 12hours after taking each dose. This might be taken in addition to the steroid inhaler if symtoms are not fully controlled by the steroid inhaler.
What can a first aider do to treat an asthma attack?
- You need to keep the casualty calm and reassure them.
- If they have a blue reliever inhaler then encourage them to use it. Children may have a spacer device and you should encourage them to use that with their inhaler also. It should relieve the attack within a few minutes.
- Encourage the casualty to breathe slowly and deeply.
- Encourage the casualty to sit in a position that they find most comfortable, often leaning forward with arms resting on a table or the back of a chair. Do not lie the casualty down.
- A mild asthma attack should ease within 3 minutes but if it doesn’t encourage the casualty to use their inhaler again.
What causes a heart attack?
- Most heart attacks occur as a result of coronary artery disease (CAD). It is also known as coronary heart disease. This is a conditionin which plaque builds up inside the coranary arteries. This plaque can form into a blood clot, the heart attack occurs when the blood clot becomes large enough to block most or all of the blood flow.
- A heart attack can be caused by microvascular disease. This is a small problem with the tiny microscopic blood vessels of the heart. This is one of the least common causes, but it’s believed to be more common in women than men.
- Another least common cause of heart attacks is severe spasm of a coronary artery that cuts of the blood flow through the artery. This can occur with people who don’t have CAD. It’s not always clear what causes a servere spasm of a coronary artery, but it can sometimes be related to; taking certain drugs such s cocaine, cigarette smoking, emotional stress or pain, or exposure to extreme cold.
What can a first aider do to treat a heart attack victim?
- The best thing to do for a heart attack victim is to call 999
- You may make the casualty feel comfortable and talk to them, ask them non-medical questions. If it is a old person you may ask them questions that would bring back happy memories.
Anyone that hits anything, you would know that you’ve hit something. You need to stop and at least check to see what that is, call the police and, of course, if it’s a human being, try to render first aid.
Skills used were:
- using a bandage to stop bleeding
Things that I think I did well were:
- wrapped the bandage round my casualty’s arm tightly
However I think I could have been better if I:
- used a sling to put arm above the heart- this would slow down the blood flow in the arm.
- spoke to my casualty while bandaging up her arm.
The skills I used were:
- calming casualty - if the casualty is screaming then there isn’t any point in asking questions, because you won’t have any luck in getting an answer. Therefore, you have to calm the casualty down before asking questions.
- asking appropriate
- making her feel comfortable - make the casualty feel comfortable,
- kept talking to her
Things that I think I did well were:
- kept talking
- kept calm
- asked the right questions (but could’ve asked more i.e. contact)
- collected enough information
However I think I could have been better if I:
- revised questions
- asked more questions
