First Aid Emergency Protocols and Assessment Techniques

First Aid Assessment Acronyms

PERRL = Pupils, Equal, Round, React to Light

DOTS = Deformity, Open wounds, Tenderness, Swelling

SAMPLE = Signs or symptoms, Allergies, Medication, Past medical history, Last oral intake, Events leading up to the illness or injury

CSM = Circulation, Sensation, Movement

The AVPU Scale

The AVPU scale is used to determine a person's responsiveness:

• Alert
• Verbal: Responsive to verbal stimulus
• Painful: Responsive only to painful stimulus
• Unresponsive: Unresponsive to any stimulus

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. A commonly used example of PPE is gloves.

Signs and Symptoms

Describe signs and symptoms and give an example:

• Signs: Victim's conditions you can feel, see, hear, or smell (e.g., open wounds).
• Symptoms: Things the victim feels and is able to describe (e.g., pain).

CPR and Shock Management

For CPR, what is the ratio of chest compressions to breaths?
30:2 (30 compressions to 2 breaths).

The position for treating shock: On the victim's back.

The most effective method for controlling bleeding: Leave it on (referring to dressings).

Emergency Care for Specific Injuries

How to Care for an Impaled Object

• Expose the area.
• Do not remove the object.
• Stabilize the object with bulky dressings or clean cloths around it.
• Control any bleeding with pressure around the impaled object.
• Shorten the object only if necessary.

Dental and Spinal Injuries

Care for a knocked-out tooth: Use the victim's own saliva or whole milk.

Two ways to recognize a spinal injury: Neck or back pain, or paralysis of the arms or legs.

Protruding Organs and RICE

Care for protruding organs: Cover them with a moist, sterile dressing.

RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

Splinting and Medical Emergencies

Position of the thumb when applying a sling: Up.

Position for splinting an injured knee: In the position that it was found.

Typical signs of a heart attack: Chest pain and nausea.

Typical signs of a stroke: Dizziness and paralysis on only one side of the body.

First Aid Ethics and Procedures

Before giving care, the first aider must have the victim's consent.

In the wild, traction and external rotation may be used to reduce shoulder dislocations.

If you have multiple victims, who should be cared for first? The most severely injured.

Degrees of Burns

• 1st Degree: Affects the outer layer (epidermis).
• 2nd Degree: Affects the outer layer and the inner skin layer.
• 3rd Degree: Penetrates all skin layers into the underlying fat and muscle.