Shock

Shock is a life-threatening condition which occurs when circulatory system (which distributes oxygen to the body tissues and removes waste products) fails. Thus, immediate treatment is required to prevent permanent organ damage and death.

What causes them?

• Severe blood loss.
• Overwhelming infection
• lack of certain hormones
• Low blood sugar(hypoglycaemia)
• Hypothermia
• Severe allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock)
• Spinal cord injury

Ways to identify:

• A rapid pulse
• Pale, cold, clammy skin; sweating
• Nausea, and vomiting
• Thirst
• Rapid, shallow breathing
• Restlessness and aggressiveness
• Unconsciousness

Treatment:
1. Treat any possible cause of shock that you can detect, such as severe bleeding.

2. Lay the casualty down on a blanket to insulate her from the cold ground. Constantly reassure her.

3. Raise and support her legs to improve the blood supply to vital organs. However, be careful if you suspect a fracture.

Picture courtesy of http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/17231.htm

4. Loosen tight clothing at the neck, chest, and waist to reduce constriction in these areas.

5. Keep the casualty warm by covering her body and legs with coats or blanks. Call for an ambulance.

6. Monitor and record vital signs - level of response, pulse, and breathing. If the person becomes unconscious, open airway and check breathing. Turn the victim's head to one side if neck injury is not suspected.

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All the information above are from First Aid Manual 8th Edition.

Cramp

Cramps are painful spasms that occur during or immediately after activity. During a muscle cramp, the muscle goes into a hard and contracted state that you cannot voluntarily relax. Exercise-induced muscle cramps may well cause an athlete to temporarily stop what they are doing, but cramps generally have no serious long-term consequences.

What causes them?

• overexertion
• failing to stretch adequately before exercise
• extreme hot or cold
• dehydration
• salt imbalances after sweating
• low blood sugar

The most prevalent cause of muscle cramps appears to be overexertion, either exercising for a longer duration than normal or at a higher intensity. This is why cramps are common at the end of a long or strenuous activity, such as a marathon, or after a particularly high-intensity exercise, such as a sprint. Despite the fact that the risk factors are known, the exact cause of cramping is not well understood. One theory is that muscle cramps occur when muscles are shortened and repeatedly stimulated without being stretched.

Treatment :

• Take the cramped foot in your hands. Elevate your foot on a pillow to the level of your waist.
• Slowly, but firmly, move it in the opposite direction of the cramped position.
• Spread some deep heat cream generously over the area and gently massage it for 5 to 10 minutes
• Rest and stay off your foot. Give the muscle, tendon or nerve mass time to heal.
• You can also give the casualty drink fluids, preferably a sports drink. An electrolyte imbalance can be the cause of muscle spasms, so rehydrating with an electrolyte sports drink can help restore balance.

How to prevent Cramps :

• Don’t take salt tablets as it may cause dehydration, nausea and vomiting.
• Before you begin and during the course of the exercise drink plenty of water.
• Warm up before exercise. Working a cold muscle can cause cramping and injury.

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Arm Sling

Triangular bandages are normally made of cotton and cut in the shape of a triangle. This type of bandage can be applied in two ways. Fully opened this type of bandage can be used as an arm sling. The triangular can also be used as a cravat. A binder placed around a victim¡¦s body to stabilize an injured arm in a sling, or to hold splints in place. It may be applied evenly over a dressing to supply pressure to a wound as well.

Ok, let us start our first lesson.

Stuation :
A boy fell from a tree, he injured his arm.

Treatment :

• Approach the injured person and make sure that the surroundings are clear and safe.
• If the injured person is conscious, ask him how the injury occurred, how badly it hurts, and if he or she thinks it's broken. The higher the impact and the worse it hurts, the more likely it is that there's a fracture.
• Feel the area gently: Does the injured person react sensitively to your touch? Note if the pain is especially acute in one very small area (called "point tenderness"). Does it feel unstable? Are the surrounding muscles spasmodic? If so, there may be a fracture.
• If he is unconsious, get a look at the injury: Look for discoloration, swelling, ease of movement, "joints" where there shouldn't be any, and differences from the equivalent (uninjured) body part on the other side of the person's body. These are signs of a fracture.
• Assuring the signs and symptoms of the injury , apply ARM SLING to the boy.

Tips & Warnings :

• Be extremely careful and gentle when touching the injured area. Fractures are very painful and can be made worse if handled carelessly.

ARM SLING

• Splint the injury
• Put a wad of clothing, or some other soft material, into the injured person's hand to maintain it in a functional position.
• Gather at least two triangular bandages.
• Orient one of the bandages so that the point opposite the long side of the triangle is pointing toward the same side of the injured person as the injured arm is on.

• Keeping the elbow flexed at 90 degrees, position the arm so that the forearm is at a 30-degree angle to the ground, with the hand higher than the elbow.
  
  

• Cradle the arm into the triangular bandage.
• Pull the half of the bandage that is furthest from the injured person up and over the same side of the neck as the injury.
• Pull the half of the bandage that is closer to the injured person up and over the opposite side of the neck from the injury.

• Tie the two ends of the bandage together behind the neck.
• Swathe the arm by first folding the other triangular bandage over several times: Start by folding the point opposite the long side so that it touches the long side.
• Repeat folding in this direction until you have a long piece of cloth 3-4 inches wide.

• Pull the bandage around the person: under the armpit opposite the injured arm on one side, over the injured arm on the other side. The bandage should be parallel to the ground.
  

• Tie the ends of the bandage together.

Tips & Warnings :

• You can use folded-over bandannas instead of triangular bandages. Or you could cut a bandanna in two, making two triangular bandages.
• Make sure the elbow is contained in the sling; otherwise the arm may slide out of the sling. To do this, you may need to safety-pin the dangling elbow-end of the bandage to the rest of the sling.
• If, however, leaving the elbow free is less painful for the injured person, then leave it free.
• If you have more than two triangular bandages, you can use them to further secure the arm in place.
• Be careful not to cover the fingers. They need to be accessible so that you can regularly check circulation, sensation and motion.
• Don't tie the sling too tight. This could cut off circulation.
• If sensation in the pinkie and ring finger diminishes, you may need to pad the elbow to relieve pressure on the nerves. Do so carefully, minimizing movement.

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