Even though some people have knowledge of first aid there is still long way to go
Picture for representational purpose
Chennai: A person injured in an accident should immediately lift up his hands and legs, rotate and check the eyes, tongue and blood pressure. If this is normal, the patient is 80 to 95 per cent normal and treatment needs to be given only for injuries, doctors say. They add that while some people have knowledge of first-aid, we still have a long way to go. “It is appreciable that people give way to ambulance vehicles or call 108 ambulance immediately. But they still fear to accompany a victim and fail to conduct first aid,” said Dr Ravi Pratap, consultant, emergency medicine, Fortis Malar Hospital. He adds, “The victim can tie or tightly hold a piece of cloth for 10 minutes on the bleeding spot to stop bleeding.
If he bleeds from the nose, he can hold the head high, close both sides of the nose and breathe through the mouth for 10 minutes. Ice cubes can be kept on the bleeding spot.”
In case of a fracture, splinting, which means fixing a rigid or flexible appliance like a wooden scale on the displaced or fractured part, can be done, he adds.Dr Rammohan, HoD of trauma care, Global Hospital, says, “People who help the victim mostly make a mistake in shifting or lifting the person. At all stages, the victim should be given support at the back of the neck, hip and spine.”
The victim should avoid drinking water. Since the real injury is not known, there are chances that water could enter the lungs and affect breathing, he says, and adds that the person can himself/herself lie, support the back of the neck with the left hand and turn left for easy breathing.It is high time people are taught to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation, an emergency procedure performed to manually preserve the brain function to restore blood circulation and breathing in case of cardiac arrest. Training on shifting or lifting the injured person to a safe place and keeping them in a comfortable position should be taught in schools, colleges and offices, the doctors add.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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