First Aid Blog

Ouch! The door just slammed on your toes. Your toenail just turned blue and it’s throbbing in pain. What can you do?

So what exactly do you do if you bruised a toenail?

EMERGENCY TIP

Remove any jewelry from the affected toe. Then, apply ice surrounding the injury. Lie down and elevate the injured area. This will help to reduce the pain. In instances like this, it is common to have bruising under the nail. However, if the pain is too much to bear, then see your doctor.

What can go wrong?

This injury may also cause your nail to partially or fully come off. This is ok and should heal normally. Keep the area covered with a dressing and avoid using shoes for the time being, at least until the wound recovers. If the nail is partially peeled, DO NOT PEEL IT OFF completely and leave it as it is. When the new nail grows, the damaged nail will eventually fall off on its own.

I hope that you find this tip useful!

You know how to help a choking adult, but what is the difference when it comes to helping a choking child?

Helping a child who is choking requires special consideration. For one, a child is smaller in size as compared to an adult, which means there is a higher tendency for you to injure the child when you thrust on the ribs or too low over the organs. Also a child may not require the same force you would use for thrusts as compared to an adult. You may want to start with a lower level of force and increase gradually. This is what you need to do:

EMERGENCY TIP

Watch this video on “How to Help a Choking Child” here >>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2qSciN76hE

Hope you don’t mind it was a pretty much DIY video!

I hope that you find this tip useful!

We heard of it, probably read of it, maybe even seen it… but the question is, What exactly is Hyperventilation?

Hyperventilation occurs when someone starts breathing too fast. Now, it may seem that the person is breathless, but in actual fact hyperventilation is usually spurred on by emotions such as anxiety, fear or upon receiving sad news. The person’s body has enough oxygen, however being overwhelmed by emotions, they start breathing too quickly. The person ends up feeling even more anxious and may start to develop cramps in the hands and feet. This is what you need to do:

EMERGENCY TIP

Bring the person to an open space and if possibly away from the source of anxiety. Coach the person to breathe slowly. Breathe in… count to 3… then breathe out again. Do this with the person until breathing goes back to normal. Usually when the breathing goes back to normal all other symptoms go back to normal as well.

Do not let the person breathe into a paper bag! Using a paper bag may cause a great deal of harm because it lowers oxygen levels quickly to levels below normal, causing suffocation. Furthermore a placing a bag may elevate anxiety and worsen the condition. The best thing to do is just to coach the patient to breathe slowly.

I hope that you find this tip useful!

What do you do if you get bitten or stung by an unknown insect?

Sometimes you get bitten by an insect and it hardly bothers you. But other times, you feel more concerned about what bit you, especially if you did not see the culprit. Here are some tips for bites and stings and what to do.

EMERGENCY TIP

1. Is there a stinger embedded in the skin?
   Use the edge of a credit card to gently flick it out.
2. Is the bite extremely itchy or has swelling?
   Applying some ice over the area to help reduce the itch and swelling.
3. Were you bitten all over your body and feel very itchy all over?
   See your doctor to get some topical cream or medication that can help.
4. Do you have fever or chills after getting bitten?
   See a doctor immediately for treatment.

NOTE: Some bites and stings can lead to serious allergic reactions. The signs of allergic reaction are

• large swelling over the sting area or over the mouth and eyes,
• rashes all over the body and
• tightening of the airways leading to breathlessness

If any of these signs appear, quickly go to the hospital for treatment.

ADDITIONAL TIP
When you are outdoors, it is advisable to use a spray-on insect repellent on your skin to reduce insect bites. There are electronic sound-emitting insect repellent available, HOWEVER, some studies have shown that they may not be as effective as they claim to be in keeping insects away. Traditional sprays and lotion still work best!
I hope that you find this tip useful!

Today, I’ll be sharing with you a tip on one of my favourite topics, CPR.

Many of the participants always ask, is it true that you can break a rib when doing CPR?

The answer is a big YES. The ribs are very close to where you do compressions and if you miss the landmark just by a few centimetres and press on a rib, you may break it.

Here is an emergency tip on how to minimise the possibility of break ribs during CPR:

EMERGENCY TIP:

1. Make sure you only press in the centre of the chest on the breastbone (sternum).
2. If you place your hand on the centre of your chest, you can feel a slight indentation, just slightly away from the tip of the breastbone. That is where you should be pressing.
3. Only compress with the HEEL of your hand.
4. Don’t rest your whole palm on the chest.
5. Keep your fingers lifted up, away from the rib cage.
6. Do not move your positioning or bounce off the chest. Always maintaing slight contact.
7. If you hands slide out of position, stop first and get into position again before proceeding further.
8. If you hear a “crack” sound, stop, relocate the landmark and continue CPR again.

I hope you find this tip useful!

Someone got his lights knocked out. He now slowly regains consciousness and things seem to be ok. But will there be any complications?

A hard bump at work, a high impact collision during sports, a road traffic accident – these are some of the many situations that can cause a person to suffer a concussion. A concussion occurs when someone is knocked out temporarily. Because it happens so quickly, most of the time, it either goes unnoticed or gets passed off as a minor problem.

The problem is that no matter how minor it seems, concussion is type of closed-skull brain injury. Unless symptoms of head injury present themselves early, you really would not know how serious the injury can be. It is better to play on the safe side. Here’s what you can do:

EMERGENCY TIP:

1. Was there a hard impact or great forces involved?
2. Did the person lose consciousness? If yes, how long was it? Even if it was just for a split second, take note of the time.
3. If there is any loss of consciousness, bring the person to the hospital for a thorough assessment.
4. Ask also if the casualty feels pain in the neck or back.
5. Note of symptoms of head injuries such as confusion, nausea, vomitting, sleepiness, blurred vision or giddiness.
6. If the casualty experiences fits, lie him or her down, cushion the head and clear the surrounding around him or her. Call an ambulance.
7. Take note of any changes in the casualty’s condition along the way.
8. Treat any external injuries e.g. apply ice packs onto a bump or clean and dress up any cuts.

I hope you find this tip useful.

Many of us use every now and then, just 2 tablets would normally do the trick. But what else should you know about paracetamol (or commonly known by its commercial name here, Panadol)?

Paracetamol is one of the most common painkillers and anti-fever medication easily available here in Singapore. It is commonly used for

1. Fever
2. Headaches
3. Muscle pains and aches
4. Muscle injuries such as sprains

Paracetamol on its own does not help much with flu and cold. However, they now come in combination with other flu medication to help relief flu and cold symptoms.

Paracetamol is easily available at any pharmacy or check-out counters and you don’t need a prescription to get them. However, as harmless as they may seem, using paracetamol in excess have been found to lead to short term and long term side effects. Here are some things that you need to know when self-medicating yourself with paracetamol.

EMERGENCY TIP:

1. For adults, only take 1 – 2 tablets at a time. It takes about 15 – 20 minutes for the medication to take effect.
2. If you don’t feel that the symptoms improved, you can repeat the dose every 4 – 6 hours.
3. Do NOT take more than 8 tablets in a single day.
4. Do NOT take paracetamol with any other medications containing paracetamol or acetaminophen. If you are not sure, just avoid taking the other medication unless indicated by your doctor.
5. Avoid alcohol.
6. If symptoms don’t improve, see your doctor.

I hope you find this tip useful.

First it’s once, then again, then again. Ok so you’re having the runs. What can you do about it?

Having the runs, or diarrhoea, can be an unpleasant experience. Sometimes it can be accompanied with lots of crampy abdominal pain, vomitting and general weakness. Unfortunately, it can also get complicated. It can lead to poor absorption and dehydration, which can cause a lowering of blood pressure. It’s important to respond to the early signs. Here’s what you can do:

EMERGENCY TIP:

1. If you experience bloating and a lot of wind, you can try using charcoal pills. Use according to the indication on the packaging.
2. Sometimes using lactobacillus-acidophilus powder or pills may help.
3. If your diarrhoea is accompanied by vomitting, giddiness and even fever, you need to see a doctor. You could be suffering from gastroenteritis or stomach flu which needs medication. In some cases, because the diarrhoea is too severe to hold any medication intake, your doctor may give the medication via injection instead.
4. See a doctor especially if you got your diarrhoea after travelling.
5. Also, remember to drink lots of water afterwards to make up for the fluid loss.
6. Stay away from milk for the next few days of recovery.

I hope you find this tip useful.

Recently, one of our trainers helped an elderly lady who fell at the MRT station. She was crying in pain and because of a language barrier, he couldn’t understand what she was saying. In just a few seconds, he discovered that she had a fracture. Would you like to know how?

He was on his way to work, waiting for the MRT to arrive when his eye caught the sight of an elderly lady sitting on the floor. He noticed that she was crying, so he decided to approach her and ask her what happened.

When he tried to talking to her, she responded in a Chinese dialect, so he couldn’t really understand what she was saying. Nevertheless, it was obvious that she was in a lot of pain. He quickly alerted the station staff and called for an ambulance.

What he noticed the next moment was that she pointed to her hip as she continued to moan and cry. A quick check over her legs showed that one of her legs appeared shorter than the other, a typical sign of fracture. He immediately kept her stabilised in that position to prevent further aggravation of pain. The paramedics arrived shortly, immobilised the fracture and transported her to the hospital. One live saved!

Here are some key learning points from this experience:

EMERGENCY TIP:

1. An elderly person’s bones tend to be more brittle than a younger person, which makes them fracture easily. On top of that, they may have medical conditions such as hypertension or heart conditions or consume medication that increases their risk of falling. Easier to fall + easier to fracture is not exactly an ideal formula. In this case, the elderly lady had slipped and fell in a sitting position, which caused the neck of her thigh bone to fracture.
2. One of the signs of fracture is the shortening of a limb, especially when it is in the leg. The casualty will find it very difficult to move, and even the slightest movement will feel unbearable.
3. In order to move the casualty, you need to stabilise the fratures and the moveable parts of the limb. For example the leg may bend and rotate, therefore it is important to immobilise the legs and feet as well because any movement will aggravate the pain in the fracture.
4. If you ever have a language barrier with the casualty and don’t understand why the casualty, get others to help. If there is no one to help, quickly call the ambulance and let the paramedics determine whether the person requires to go to the hospital.
5. Last but not least, and something to ponder about… Would you stop and help someone on your way to work?

I hope you find this tip useful.

You may have seen them or even ate them before, but you wouldn’t want to touch them. I’m talking about jellyfish…

Jellyfish are beautiful creatures that live in the sea. They are usually translucent and sometimes hard to spot – but sometimes radiate beautiful colours as well. Occasionally, they get drawn towards the beach and if you are not careful, you may come into contact with them in the shallow waters.

Jellyfish stings are painful. The jellyfish has “tentacles” which contain the stinging cells. When you come into contact with these tentacles, they stick to you and continue to sting you. This may cause

• Pain
• Allergies
• Itching and hives
• Shortness of breath

Here what you need to do.

EMERGENCY TIP:

• Wipe away as much of the tentacles off your skin using a cloth. Do not touch them with your hands.
• Rinse with lots of water (sea water) as this will help to reduce the stinging effect.
• Do not use urine. Studies have found that it is not as effective in treating the jellyfish sting.
• Bring the person to the doctor for further treatment. If the person begins to develop an allergic reaction or becomes breathless, rush him or her to the hospital at once.

I hope you find this tip useful.