What are the basic first aid skills?

The core of the basic first aid skills that we ordinary non-medical practitioners need to master are several practical operations that can help the injured avoid fatal risks and avoid deterioration of the situation before 120 emergency personnel arrive. There is no need to master complex clinical treatment skills, and the learning threshold is very low. It takes 2-3 hours to master the core movements.

I have been doing community first aid science popularization for almost three years, and I have encountered too many tragedies that could have been avoided with basic first aid. Last month, a junior high school student swallowed jelly and got stuck in his throat. His parents slapped him on the back and gave him water. When he arrived at the community hospital, the child's face was purple. If the parents had learned the Heimlich maneuver in advance, holding the waist and pushing inward and upward two or three times quickly above the navel, the foreign body would have been expelled on the spot, and there would be no need for this trouble. Even if you eat alone and get stuck in your airway, finding a hard table corner and banging it in the corresponding position will work. In the past two years, an office worker got his throat stuck after eating qingtuan balls at the company.

In addition to the treatment of airway obstruction, the most common injuries and burns encountered on a daily basis are traumas and burns. Don’t believe those folk remedies posted on the Internet, such as spreading incense ash on cuts and toothpaste and soy sauce on burns. I once encountered a 5-year-old child who knocked over a hot water bottle. My grandma smeared a thick layer of soy sauce on his entire arm. When he was sent to the hospital, it took the doctor more than half an hour to clean the wound. The child’s voice was hoarse from crying, which also increased the risk of infection. In fact, for small cuts, just use clean gauze or lint-free cloth to stop the bleeding. If there is heavy bleeding in the limbs, find a wide cloth band and tie it on the side of the wound near the heart. Remember to write the time of bandage with a marker, otherwise the limbs will easily become necrotic due to ischemia if tied for too long. There was a construction site worker whose arm was scratched by a steel bar before. The worker forgot to remember the time when he tied the tourniquet, and almost had to amputate when he was sent to the hospital.

If you encounter someone who suddenly faints and falls down, this is the most important thing. The golden rescue time for cardiac arrest is only 4 minutes. Waiting for 120 to arrive will most likely be too late. Nowadays, subways, shopping malls, and government affairs halls are basically equipped with AEDs. Don’t dare to touch them. The machines are fully automatic and will have voice prompts when they are turned on. Just follow the steps. Even if the intensity of chest compressions is not that standard, it is better than doing nothing. However, I would like to mention here that there are many controversial opinions on the Internet. For example, some people say that people who have fainted should be given nitroglycerin first, or that people who have had a stroke should prick their fingertips to bleed. Don’t try these blindly. If the person is unconscious, it is easy to choke when giving medicine. The air intake can cause more serious obstruction. Pricking and bleeding is not only useless but can also easily cause infection. When you are not sure, you can first tap your shoulder and call someone to judge your consciousness, feel your neck for a pulse, and if your breathing is normal, lie on your side and wait for 120. Don't move blindly.

Every time I do science popularization, I will tell everyone at the end that there is really no need to force yourself to learn such advanced operations. There is no need for venipuncture or wound suturing. We ordinary people do not carry disinfection equipment with us at all times. If we master these common skills, it is enough to deal with more than 90% of daily emergency emergency scenarios.