First aid, home nursing and safety practices
Priorities
Airway, breathing, circulation. Check response, call for help, then act. Adult CPR uses chest compressions of 100–120 per minute, about 5–6 cm deep, with rescue breaths if trained.
Common emergencies
- Bleeding: press firmly with a clean cloth and raise the limb; do not pull off a soaked cloth, add another layer.
- Burns: cool with clean running water for about 20 minutes and cover loosely; never apply ice, toothpaste or ghee.
- Fracture: immobilise with a splint covering the joints above and below; do not force it straight.
- Snake bite: keep the person calm and still, immobilise the limb, remove rings, reach hospital fast; no cut, tourniquet or sucking.
- Choking: back blows, then abdominal thrusts (Heimlich manoeuvre).
- Drowning: remove safely, clear the airway, start CPR.
- Electric shock: switch off the current first; do not touch the person while live.
- Poisoning: keep the container, do not force vomiting, especially with kerosene or acid.
Home nursing
Warm, well-ventilated room; record temperature, pulse and breathing; bed bath and skin care; frequent fluids; care of pressure areas; medicines given on time; observe and report changes.
Worked example
A man at dinner suddenly cannot speak, clutches his throat and coughs weakly. This suggests airway obstruction: encourage coughing, then give five back blows and abdominal thrusts, repeating until the object clears.
Marks-losing traps
Never pour water into an unconscious person's mouth; do not apply oil or heat to a fresh burn; a tourniquet on a snake bite can cause gangrene; touching a shock victim before switching off the current endangers the rescuer.