First Aid Skills -- About.com Guide

There are those mommy first aid skills where a Band-Aid and a kiss are all that's needed to make everything better. We can fix a cut finger or ice a twisted ankle or staunch a bloody nose, the skills we learn almost by osmosis from watching Mom or Grandma.

Then there's stepping up during an emergency, the difference between life or death.

Saving lives is a mindset. It's knowing how to do what you need to do and not being afraid to act. With the exception of using an Epi-Pen, nothing on this list requires special tools, just your brain, your hands and your quick action.

1. CPR
It doesn't get any more deadly than dead. Cardiac arrest is what paramedics call the condition that is commonly known as death: the heart is no longer pumping blood. Whatever the cause, there is only one outcome if cardiac arrest is not treated with CPR - the victim stays dead.?

2. Use an Epi-Pen
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergy that kills hundreds of people every year. Whether the allergy is to bees, peanuts, shellfish or antibiotics, anaphylaxis quickly progresses to dead if left untreated. The best way to stop anaphylaxis in its tracks is to use an Epi-Pen.
3. Heimlich Maneuver
When somebody's choking on a piece of filet mignon, quick action is all that might stand between a minor dinner embarrassment and horrible death. Are you ready to force the offending meat out of the airway with a Heimlich Maneuver?

4. Treat a Choking Infant
Babies are built differently than bigger kids and adults. So, for the under 12 month crowd, getting something out of the airway has more options, which is good, since these guys are much more likely to have something in there in the first place. When your curious little one gets a chunk of whatever caught in his pipe, do you know how to treat a choking baby?

5. Stop Bleeding
With two steps, almost all bleeding can be controlled: pressure and elevation. Unfortunately, few things are as scary to us puny humans as letting our life-force leak out. In the midst of a nightmare, can you stop bleeding?

6. Treat Shock
After too much blood has been lost, the next step is too little blood pressure. We hear lots about how bad high blood pressure is, but while high blood pressure will kill you in a few years, low blood pressure can kill you in a few minutes. If you weren't able to stop bleeding fast enough, you'd better be able to treat shock.

7. Treat Heat Stroke
The most important step in treating heat stroke is recognizing heat stroke. Hot, dry and confused in the middle of a hot day is a combination that should make you shudder, then make you call 911 and start throwing ice on the victim.

8. Treat Low Blood Sugar
As bad as low blood pressure is low blood sugar. This is one of those special situations that doesn't affect everyone, but since diabetics don't always have their diagnosis written on them (some do, on a bracelet) it's a skill you should know. For most of us, too much sugar is a problem we suffer with all too often, but too little blood sugar is a killer. Everyone should know how to treat low blood sugar.

9. Treat Hypothermia
Like heat stroke, winning the battle against hypothermia starts with knowing hypothermia when you see it -- or feel it. Warming a victim of hypothermia is arguably the easiest skill on this list, but that doesn't make it any less important. In cold weather, you should know how to treat hypothermia.


Adult Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

There is no substitute for learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but emergencies don't wait for training. These instructions are for conventional adult CPR. If you've never been trained in CPR and the victim collapsed in front of you, use hands-only CPR.

These are the steps to perform adult CPR:
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: CPR should start as soon as possible
Here's How:
Attempt to wake victim. If the victim is not breathing (or is just gasping for breath), call 911 immediately and go to step 2. If someone else is there to help, one of you call 911 while the other moves on to step 2.
If the victim is breathing, see the Tips section at the bottom of this page for what to do.

Begin chest compressions. If the victim is not breathing, place the heel of your hand in the middle of his chest. Put your other hand on top of the first with your fingers interlaced. Compress the chest at least 2 inches (4-5 cm). Allow the chest to completely recoil before the next compression. Compress the chest at a rate of at least 100 pushes per minute. Perform 30 compressions at this rate (should take you about 18 seconds).
If you are not trained in CPR, continue to do chest compressions until help arrives or the victim wakes up.

It's normal to feel pops and snaps when you first begin chest compressions - DON'T STOP! You're not going to make the victim worse.

Begin rescue breathing. If you have been trained in CPR, after 30 compressions, open the victim's airway using the head-tilt, chin-lift method. Pinch the victim's nose and make a seal over the victim's mouth with yours. Use a CPR mask if available. Give the victim a breath big enough to make the chest rise. Let the chest fall, then repeat the rescue breath once more. If the chest doesn't rise on the first breath, reposition the head and try again. Whether it works on the second try or not, go to step 4.
If you don't feel comfortable with this step, just continue to do chest compressions at a rate of at least 100/minute.

Repeat chest compressions. Do 30 more chest compressions just like you did the first time.
Repeat rescue breaths. Give 2 more breaths just like you did in step 3 (unless you're skipping the rescue breaths).
Keep going. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for about two minutes (about 5 cycles of 30 compressions and 2 rescue breaths).
If you have access to an automated external defibrillator (AED), continue to do CPR until you can attach it to the victim and turn it on. If you saw the victim collapse, put the AED on right away. If not, attach it after approximately one minute of CPR (chest compressions and rescue breaths).

After 2 minutes of chest compressions and rescue breaths, stop compressions and recheck victim for breathing. If the victim is still not breathing, continue CPR starting with chest compressions.
Repeat the process, checking for breathing every 2 minutes (5 cycles or so), until help arrives. If the victim wakes up, you can stop CPR.
Tips:
Chest compressions are extremely important. If you are not comfortable giving rescue breaths, still perform chest compressions! It's called Hands Only CPR.
Watch the Hands Only CPR Video.

If the victim is breathing, briskly rub your knuckles against the victim's sternum. If the victim does not wake, call 911.
If the victim wakes up, but is confused or not able to speak, call 911.

This is not a substitute for actual CPR training. Find a CPR class and get proper training.
Not every CPR class is the same. There are CPR classes for healthcare professionals as well as CPR classes for the layperson. Before you take a CPR class, make sure the class is right for you.

For more information on these steps go to the Emergency Cardiac Care (ECC) Guidelines from the American Heart Association.
Source:

Travers AH, Rea TD, et al. "Part 4: CPR overview: 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care." Circulation. 2010;122(suppl 3):S676 –S684.

What You Need:
Nothing. You can do CPR without any special tools.
A mouth-to-mouth CPR barrier is optional.
An automated external defibrillator (AED) may be available.


CPR on a Child

Children may be infected with contagious diseases. If you are concerned about possible exposure to contagious disease, practice universal precautions and wear personal protective equipment, if available.
Try to Wake the Child
Gently tap or shake the child's shoulders and call out his or her name in a loud voice. Don't hurt the child, but be aggressive -- you're trying to wake her up.
If the child does not wake up, have someone call 911 immediately. If no one else is available to call 911 and the child is not breathing, continue to step 3 and do CPR for about 2 minutes before calling 911.

Begin chest compressions
If the child is not breathing, put one hand on the breastbone directly between the child's nipples. Push straight down about 2 inches -- or about a third of the thickness of the child's chest -- and then let the chest all the way back up. Do that 30 times, about twice per second.
If you've been trained in CPR and you remember how to give rescue breaths, go to step 4. If not, just keep doing chest compressions and go to step 5.

Give the child two breaths
After pushing on the chest 30 times, cover the child's mouth with your mouth and pinch his nose closed with your fingers. Gently blow until you see his chest rise. Let the air escape -- the chest will go back down -- and give one more breath.
If no air goes in when you try to blow, adjust the child's head and try again. If that doesn't work, then skip it and go back to chest compressions (step 3), you can try rescue breaths again after 30 more compressions.

Keep doing CPR and call 911 after 2 minutes
If you are by yourself, keep doing CPR for 2 minutes (about 5 groups of compressions) before calling 911. If someone else is there or comes along as you are doing CPR, have that person call 911. Even if the child wakes up, you need to call 911 any time you had to do CPR.
Once 911 has been called or you have someone else calling, keep doing CPR. Don't stop until help arrives or the child wakes up.

Tips:
When checking for breathing, if you're not sure then assume the child isn't breathing. It's much worse to assume a kid is breathing and not do anything than to assume he or she isn't and start rescue breaths.
When giving rescue breaths, using a CPR mask helps with making a proper seal and keeps vomit out of the rescuer's mouth.
Put a book under the child's shoulders -- if you have time -- to help keep his or her head tilted back.
When asking someone else to call 911, make sure you tell them why they are calling. If not, they may not tell the 911 dispatcher exactly what's going on. If the dispatcher knows a child isn't breathing or responding, the dispatcher may be able to give you instructions to help. If you call 911, be calm and listen carefully.
Source:

Travers AH, Rea TD, et al. "Part 4: CPR overview: 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care." Circulation. 2010;122(suppl 3):S676 –S684.


Infant CPR

Begin chest compressions
If the baby is not breathing, put two fingers on the breastbone directly between the baby's nipples. Push straight down about an inch and a half -- or about a third of the thickness of the baby's chest -- and then let the chest all the way back up. Do that 30 times, about twice per second.
If you've been trained in CPR and you remember how to give rescue breaths, go to step 4. If not, just keep doing chest compressions and go to step 5.

Give the baby two breaths
After pushing on the chest 30 times, cover the baby's entire mouth and nose with your mouth and gently blow until you see his or her chest rise. Let the air escape -- the chest will go back down -- and give one more breath.
If no air goes in when you try to blow, adjust the baby's head and try again. If that doesn't work, then skip it and go back to chest compressions (step 3), you can try rescue breaths again after 30 more compressions.

Keep doing CPR and call 911 after 2 minutes
If you are by yourself, keep doing CPR for 2 minutes (about 5 groups of compressions) before calling 911. If someone else is there or comes along as you are doing CPR, have that person call 911. Even if the baby wakes up, you need to call 911 any time you had to do CPR.
Once 911 has been called or you have someone else calling, keep doing CPR. Don't stop until help arrives or the baby wakes up.

Tips:
When checking for breathing, if you're not sure then assume the baby isn't breathing. It's much worse to assume a baby is breathing and not do anything than to assume he or she isn't and start CPR.
Put a book under the baby's shoulders -- if you have time -- to help keep his head tilted back.
When asking someone else to call 911, make sure you tell them why they are calling. If not, they may not tell the 911 dispatcher exactly what's going on. If the dispatcher knows the baby isn't breathing or responding, the dispatcher may be able to give you instructions to help.
Source:

Travers AH, Rea TD, et al. "Part 4: CPR overview: 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care." Circulation. 2010;122(suppl 3):S676 –S684.