First aid Study Guide

📖 Core Concepts First aid – immediate help to preserve life, prevent condition worsening, or promote recovery until professionals arrive. Five general steps – 1) Check scene safety, 2) Move casualty if needed, 3) Call for help, 4) Provide appropriate intervention, 5) Re‑evaluate. Three Ps – Preserve life, Prevent further harm, Promote recovery. ABCDE (or csABCDE) protocol – Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure; “cs” adds catastrophic bleeding and spine protection before ABCDE. CABD CPR – Compressions, Airway, Breathing, Defibrillation (or “Deadly bleeding”). Primary assessment (Checking) – Responsiveness → pulse → breathing, all within 10 s. Key emergencies – Hemorrhage, cardiac arrest, choking, hyper/hypoglycemia, drowning, myocardial infarction, stroke. 📌 Must Remember Airway first – a blocked airway kills in minutes. Chest compressions: 100–120 compressions/min, depth ≈5‑6 cm for adults. Control catastrophic bleeding before any other step. Spine protection if trauma suspected; limit movement. Recovery position for unconscious, breathing patients. CPR cycle: 30 compressions → 2 rescue breaths (unless using compression‑only CPR). Call emergency services immediately after confirming scene safety. 🔄 Key Processes Scene Safety & Victim Move Scan for hazards → shout “Stop, stay back!” → relocate only if necessary. Primary Assessment (Checking) Responsiveness: “Can you hear me?” Pulse: carotid (adults) or radial (children) for ≤10 s. Breathing: look, listen, feel for chest rise. ABCDE/csABCDE catastrophic bleeding → apply direct pressure + tourniquet if needed. spine → manual in‑line stabilization. Airway → head‑tilt‑chin‑lift or jaw thrust (c‑spine). Breathing → 2 rescue breaths (≈1 L) if no breathing. Circulation → compressions + check for pulse. Disability → AVPU (Alert, Voice, Pain, Unresponsive). Exposure → look for hidden injuries, prevent hypothermia. CPR (CABD) C: 30 compressions (hard, center of chest). A: Open airway (head‑tilt‑chin‑lift). B: 2 breaths (seal mouth, blow for 1 s). D: Defibrillate ASAP if AED available. Choking Management Conscious adult/child: 5 back blows → 5 abdominal thrusts (Heimlich). Infant: 5 back blows → 5 chest thrusts. 🔍 Key Comparisons Bleeding vs. Cardiac Arrest – Bleeding → immediate direct pressure; Cardiac arrest → start compressions first. ABCD vs. CABD – ABCD starts with airway; CABD prioritizes Compressions because circulation loss is fatal within minutes. Chest‑thrust vs. Abdominal‑thrust – Chest‑thrust for infants (smaller thorax); Abdominal‑thrust for adults/children. Hyperglycemia vs. Hypoglycemia – Hyper → treat with insulin (medical); Hypo → give rapid‑acting glucose (e.g., glucose tablets). ⚠️ Common Misunderstandings “Check pulse before compressions.” In cardiac arrest, start compressions immediately; pulse check can waste precious seconds. “If the airway is blocked, always do a finger sweep.” Only sweep if you can see the object; blind sweeps can push it deeper. “All bleeding is the same.” Distinguish catastrophic (massive) bleeding requiring tourniquet from minor bleeds needing pressure only. 🧠 Mental Models / Intuition “The 10‑second rule.” If you can’t determine responsiveness, breathing, and pulse in 10 s, treat as cardiac arrest → start CPR. “Stop the bleed before the breath.” Blood loss kills faster than airway loss in most trauma; treat massive hemorrhage first. “C‑spine = keep the head in line.” Imagine a straight rod through the nose, ears, and sternum – any bending risks spinal injury. 🚩 Exceptions & Edge Cases Pregnant casualty: Left‑lateral tilt after airway secured to relieve aortocaval compression. Drowning: Treat as cardiac arrest – begin CPR immediately, prioritize rescue breaths (2:1 ratio) if water‑related hypoxia suspected. Infant choking: Do not perform abdominal thrusts; use chest thrusts only. 📍 When to Use Which Massive external bleeding → direct pressure → tourniquet if uncontrolled. Unconscious, breathing, no pulse → CABD CPR (compressions first). Conscious choking → anti‑choking maneuvers (back blows → abdominal thrusts). Suspected spinal injury → csABCDE (add spine protection before airway). Hyperglycemia → medical care; hypoglycemia → oral glucose if patient conscious, else IV dextrose (medical). 👀 Patterns to Recognize “No breathing = no pulse” → assume cardiac arrest, start CPR. “Bright red spurting blood” → arterial bleed → need tourniquet. “Sudden unilateral weakness + facial droop” → stroke – call emergency, keep airway open, monitor vitals. “Chest pain radiating to arm/jaw” → possible myocardial infarction – give aspirin (if not contraindicated) and call EMS. 🗂️ Exam Traps Answer choice suggesting “check pulse before compressions” – wrong; compressions first. Option to perform blind finger sweep for choking – wrong; only if object visible. “Use head‑tilt‑chin‑lift on suspected neck injury” – wrong; use jaw‑thrust instead. “Apply tourniquet for any bleed” – wrong; only for catastrophic bleeding. “Give water to a drowning victim” – wrong; focus on ventilation and CPR.