Common First Aid Techniques⚓︎

When you suspect someone is in cardiac arrest, follow these steps:

• Get someone to call 911.
• Start chest compressions immediately. Using both hands, push down hard and fast in the center of the chest, allowing the chest to come back up naturally between compressions. Continue until someone with more training has arrived.
• If trained in CPR, use chest compressions and rescue breathing.
• Use an AED if available. However, don't delay chest compressions to find the device. If possible, have someone else look for it instead.

While it is essential to stop bleeding, remember the ABCs of first aid and check for something more serious first.

Then:

• Wash your hands or put on disposable gloves, if possible. Clean hands and gloves can help protect you from diseases like viral hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.6
• Rinse the wound with water.
• Cover the wound with a gauze or cloth (towel, blanket, clothing, whatever's available).
• Apply direct pressure to stop the blood flow and encourage clotting, as this is when blood naturally thickens to stop blood loss.
• If possible, elevate the bleeding body part above the heart.
• Don't remove the cloth if it becomes soaked through, but add more layers if needed. Removing the first layer will interfere with the clotting process and result in more blood loss.
• Once bleeding has stopped, apply a clean bandage.

Get medical help if:

• The wound is deep
• The wound has widely separated sides
• The injury oozes blood after pressure is applied
• The injury is from an animal or human bite
• The injury is a puncture, burn, or electrical injury
• You suspect arterial bleeding
• Blood is soaking through bandages
• Bleeding won't stop

To perform the Heimlich maneuver:

• Stand behind the person and lean them slightly forward.
• Put your arms around their waist.
• Clench your fist and place it between their navel and rib cage.
• Grab your fist with your other hand.
• Pull the clenched fist sharply backward and upward under the rib cage in 5 quick thrusts. Repeat this until the object is out.

For obese or pregnant women, perform thrusts around the chest instead of the abdomen.

If someone is unconscious:

• Place them on their back and kneel over them.
• Place the heel of your hand slightly above the navel.
• Place your other hand on top of it.
• Give quick upward thrusts to dislodge the obstruction.

Major burns need emergency medical attention. Call 911 or get someone else to call once the burning process has stopped.

For other burns, take these first aid steps:

• Flush the burned area with cool running water for several minutes. Do not use ice.11
• Apply a light gauze bandage. (You may apply an ointment, like aloe vera, before doing so if the burn is minor.)12
• Take Motrin (ibuprofen) or Tylenol (acetaminophen) for pain relief, if necessary.
• Do not break any blisters that may have formed.

If the blister is small, unbroken, and not very painful, it's best to leave it alone. Cover it to prevent rubbing that could cause it to swell and possibly burst. Popping a blister may let in bacteria that could lead to an infection.

If the blister is large or painful, follow these steps:

• Wash your hands and sterilize a needle with alcohol.
• Make small punctures at the edge of the blister.
• Gently push the fluid out.
• Apply antibiotic ointment.
• Put on a bandage.
• If possible, take steps to protect the area from further rubbing or pressure.

If you have a compromised immune system, you have a greater risk of infection and shouldn't drain a blister on your own. Your healthcare provider may want to drain it to protect you from disease.

If the blister broke open on its own:

• Gently wash with clean water only.
• Smooth the flap of broken skin over the newly exposed skin, unless it's dirty, torn, or pus has gathered under it.
• Apply petroleum jelly.
• Bandage it.

Call 911 immediately if:

• The person is bleeding profusely, is unresponsive, not breathing, or has numerous injuries
• You suspect a fracture or other serious injury to the spinal column, head, hip, pelvis, or thigh. In this case, do not move the person except by trained medical personnel.
• A broken bone protrudes from the skin, known as an open or compound fracture
• The area below an injured joint feels cold and clammy or becomes bluish
• You can't immobilize the injury well enough to transport the person

If these don't apply, use first aid and then go to urgent care or contact your healthcare provider for guidance.

Steps to take:

• Don't try to straighten the bone.
• For a limb, use a splint and padding to keep it still and elevate it.
• Put a cold pack on the injury, with a barrier between it and the skin to prevent tissue damage. If ice is all that's available, put it in a plastic bag and wrap it in a shirt or towel.
• Give anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil (ibuprofen) or Aleve (naproxen) for pain.

The first thing to do is make sure the injured person stops any unnecessary activity so they don't worsen the injury.

Sprains often don't require emergency treatment. However, you should get immediate medical care if the injured person has:

• Severe pain with movement or touch
• Ongoing inability to bear weight on the injured joint
• Increased bruising
• Numbness or pins-and-needles near the sprain
• Signs of infection
• Little or no improvement during the first week

If they don't, begin first aid:

• Keep the limb still.
• Apply a cold pack.
• Elevate the injured part if you can do so safely.
• Use NSAIDs for pain.

First aid for nosebleeds includes:

• Lean slightly forward, not back.
• Pinch the nose just below the bridge, high enough that the nostrils aren't pinched closed.
• Check after five minutes to see if bleeding has stopped. If not, continue pinching and check after another 10 minutes.
• You can also apply a cold pack to the bridge of the nose while pinching.

See a healthcare provider if:

• You get frequent nosebleeds
• You have anemia symptoms like weakness, faintness, fatigue, and pale skin
• You're taking blood thinners
• You have a clotting disorder
• You just started a new medication
• You also have unusual bruising

A nosebleed needs emergency medical treatment when:

• It won't stop even after more than 15 minutes of direct pressure
• There is a lot of blood loss
• You have a hard time breathing
• You've swallowed a lot of blood and vomited it up
• You've had a severe injury or a blow to the head

Treating frostbite is a delicate procedure of gradually warming the affected area. If at all possible, this should be done by a medical professional.

If that's not possible, or while awaiting an ambulance, you can begin first aid:

• Get out of the cold.
• Immerse the affected area in warm water (98 to 105 F) for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Do not rub the affected area.
• Do not use dry heat sources, like a heating pad or a fireplace.
• For fingers and toes, after they're warm, put clean cotton balls between them.
• Loosely wrap the area with bandages.
• Use Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen) for pain.
• Get medical attention as soon as possible.

For small areas of minor frostbite, you can also warm the area with skin-to-skin contact.

Call 911 immediately or get the person to the hospital if any signs of allergy appear.

If the stung person has a known allergy to bee stings, use an EpiPen to prevent anaphylaxis.

In someone without a known bee allergy, watch for signs of an allergy while performing first aid:

• Get the stinger out any way you can to keep it from injecting more venom. The method doesn't matter. What's most important is completing it quickly.
• Wash the area with soap and water.
• Use a cold pack to reduce swelling at the site, but don't apply ice directly to the skin.
• Use an allergy medication, or antihistamine, like Benadryl to reduce swelling and itching.
• Use Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen) for pain.