24
votes
What to do if someone breaks a bone?
You as an untrained bystander can do little to nothing.
Professionally trained paramedics could (as an example) pull the leg and thus remove tension between two bone membranes (periostei) and in a ...
- 6,772
11
votes
Accepted
How can CPR breathing be made less off-putting
That problem is already solved for you, at least in the US.
Current guidelines issued by the American Heart Association no longer require rescue breathing. Chest compressions alone are now the ...
- 9,743
8
votes
Accepted
Fact or Hoax : Unconventional method of saving human life from stroke?
My Grandmother died of a ischemic stroke (TIA followed by blockage) after weaning herself off of blood thinners because she didn't "need the medicine".
Huge issue with his advice - the large majority ...
- 1,109
7
votes
Accepted
Can a otherwise healthy person request a "do not resuscitate" order?
The MOLST (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) form is an update to the non-hospital DNR, which as you saw in a previous answer has very stringent (and frankly unrealistic) requirements.
...
- 1,271
7
votes
Accepted
Basic CPR practice without a dummy
With a very small budget
If you do not want to spend any (or very little) money on it, I recommend filling a small garbage bag with wet sand and then placing a cushion or pillow over it. I'm guessing ...
- 874
7
votes
Accepted
What is proper capacity of adult non-rebreather masks?
Ah, but they can and do. A non-rebreather (NRB) mask with 100% O2 flowing at 12-15 L/min will provide about 90% O2 concentration to an adult. This is true even for the largest adult in severe ...
- 9,743
6
votes
Accepted
Can you cauterize a wound with gunpowder?
So this was an interesting one for me, because I never seriously tried to consider it. Most online sources that claim this say it's an "old army trick," but after reading several perspectives on ...
- 1,943
6
votes
Accepted
Can I apply dettol & adhesive bandages on dog bites?
Tetanus Vaccine
If you get a tetanus shot every five years you are good to go. The recommended dose of tetanus toxoid (vaccine) is every ten years but since:
In a small percentage of individuals, ...
- 76
6
votes
What should be done if a person is stabbed?
If the weapon is still in the wound : don't touch anything and call the appropriate emergency system (varies from country to country).
Never attempt to remove any penetrating object still in situ ...
- 126
6
votes
Accepted
Why do we continue compressions after the first AED shock?
The only thing that keeps a patient in cardiac arrest alive is constant, high-quality chest compression.
Cardioversion ("shocking") of a patient aims to return the heart to normal (sinus) rhythm in ...
- 471
5
votes
Dealing with heat strokes
For starters, make sure you or someone close by is calling for an ambulance, because you need that more advanced help started in your direction ASAP.
Get the person out of the heat, into air ...
- 874
5
votes
What to do if someone breaks a bone?
So let's assume you're speaking of a large bone, like the arm (humerus, radius or ulna) or leg (femur, tibia or fibula), but not the skull, spine or pelvis.
A good rule of thumb: the larger the bone, ...
- 51
4
votes
Accepted
Can I save road accident victims with my bare hands?
In short, the answer (regarding diseases) is yes.
Anytime you deal with blood or other bodily fluid, you risk catching a variety of diseases. The risk is compounded if you are not wearing proper ...
- 874
4
votes
Why do we continue compressions after the first AED shock?
There are several studies that emphasize the importance of providing rapid and deep compressions and that CPR should resume immediately after the shock given by the AED, without the delay entailed in ...
4
votes
What to do if someone breaks a bone?
It all depends on the bone that is (or might be) broken, and on the overall condition of the patient.
Call an ambulance for a fractured skull, vertebra or hip.
Call an ambulance for open fractures (...
- 141
4
votes
Removing an impaled object without a doctor
According to a reputable wilderness rescue training organization, these are the guidelines taught in wilderness medicine that you should follow for impalements:
Core impalement. Impalements to the ...
- 9,743
3
votes
What to do if someone breaks a bone?
If both legs are OK and there is no way they could have a spinal injury, you may well find it is quicker to get them to hospital in your car. Drive very slowly over bumps and around corners, do not ...
- 139
3
votes
Put a finger in it? When is it appropriate to stop a bleed with your finger?
Putting your fingers in a wound is going to inflict severe pain on the casualty. There are ways you can apply direct pressure on an arterial wound, even if it is on the upper thigh.
It is possible ...
- 6,164
3
votes
Is Ibuprofen Safe To Use As A Catch-All First Aid Solution
For every individual situation, one must weigh the risks vs. the benefits. If the potential or actual benefits outweigh the potential or actual risks, and the situation calls for ibuprophen, you take ...
- 9,422
3
votes
Safely removing a foreign object from the human body without bleeding to death?
Treating a wound at home until emergency personnel arrive:
Lay flat on the ground, although head can be elevated for comfort.
Leave object in wound: This is because the object acts as a plug and ...
- 131
3
votes
First aid for minor burns
Your manual is doing well despite its old age, but:
Nowadays, we no longer apply ice though, just water:
Do not use ice to cool a burn. Ice can cause frostbite very quickly when used on a burn ...
- 2,260
3
votes
Accepted
First aid for minor burns
Burn treatment has changed over the years. When I was in the USMC Air Wing many decades ago, I suffered some pretty bad burns on both hands by trying to push a jet engine starter (turbine engine) with ...
- 1,390
3
votes
How can CPR breathing be made less off-putting
The British came across this exact problem. CPR was seen as a tricky business, especially when it was considered complicated and might involve mouth-to-mouth.
Their solution was (as Carey Gregory ...
- 131
2
votes
What to do if someone breaks a bone?
If you are untrained on this subject matter, the best practise is to do nothing about the fracture.* Even most certified first aiders are not trained to handle broken bones.
*By nothing I don't ...
- 149
2
votes
Rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide for small wounds?
I think alcohol is better than peroxide for the reasons stated above.
Nevertheless, from an evidence stand-point, there is no really strong evidence for basically any solution over the other or even ...
2
votes
Accepted
Third-degree burn - Home treatment
The skin has several tasks. Among these are:
defense against outside threats like infection
keeping the body temperature as constant as possible
keeping the moisture inside
With large second/third ...
- 481
2
votes
What is the correct first aid procedure for treating abdominal gunshot wounds?
What is shown continuously on television and movies is that they either die fairly quickly, or, if you apply pressure, then get the bullet out, the patient will recover.
That's not the case.
The ...
- 9,422
2
votes
How effective is a „wrong-way“ rescue blanket?
Apparently, the difference is not very severe:
Die Regel: Kälteschutz: Silberseite nach innen, Sonnenschutz: Silberseite nach außen wird auch von Herstellern angegeben. Jedoch ist der Unterschied in ...
- 6,772
2
votes
Can a otherwise healthy person request a "do not resuscitate" order?
If an otherwise healthy person has a do not resuscitate order and has a heart attack and the ambulance comes, will they just let him die like that? Or is do not resuscitate only applicable to ...
- 775
2
votes
Accepted
Disinfectant spray in first aid kit for cycling and hiking?
In Germany, first-aiders may not apply medication:
Medication in general mustn't be applied by first-aiders. This also encompasses cases in which a customer in a pharmacy suffers from an asthma ...
- 6,772
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible