The Basic Principles of First Aid⚓︎
Summary⚓︎
From VeryWell Health...
First aid is the emergency care a sick or injured person gets. In some cases, it may be the only care someone needs, while in others, it may help them until paramedics arrive or they are taken to the hospital. The best way to prepare for these events is to get official first aid training, but you can learn some basic life-saving steps until you can do so.
ABCs of First Aid⚓︎
When someone is unconscious or unresponsible, a fundamental principle of first aid is ABC...
- Airway: If someone isn't breathing, clear their airway.
- Breathing: Provide rescue breathing if the airway is clear and they still aren't breathing.
- Circulation: Perform chest compressions to keep blood circulating, as well as rescue breathing. If the person is breathing but unresponsive, check their pulse. If their heart has stopped, provide chest compressions.
A simple version of the ABCs is...
- Awake: If not, try to wake them. If they don't wake up, make sure someone calls 911 and move on to B.
- Breathing: If not, start rescue breathing and chest compressions. If so, move on to C.
- Continue Care: Follow instructions from 911 on, or continue treatment until an ambulance arrives.
graph LR
A[Start] --> B{Awake?};
B -->|No| C{Breathing?};
C -->|No| D[Circulation];
D --> B;
B ---->|No| E[Wait for 911];
B ---->|Yes| F[Carry on];