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8 actions for life
A child suffocating with a ball, your neighbor injured by tinkering, a pedestrian accident in front of your eyes... These situations can happen at any time and do not leave time to think.
8 actions known to be effective while waiting for rescue and (maybe) save a life!
Before rescue: prompt reactions in 3 steps.
To avoid doing whatsoever, it is better to quickly assess the situation.
The Victim is Suffocating
He is unable to speak or breathe or cough due to a food or object stuck in his throat...
The Right Reflex
Tilt him slightly forward, one hand on his chest, and with the palm of your hand on his back, give him 5 large vigorously slaps, between the shoulder blades.
Repeat once if the object is not immediately spit.
If it Does not Work
Stand behind the person, your arm under his arms, fist above his navel, the other hand over the fist, and practice the Heimlich maneuver.
You must press hard with your fist towards you and upwards, so as to compress the air in the lungs to expel the object stuck. Repeat the maneuver 5 times.
In case of failure: Lay the victim, practice mouth to mouth and call as soon as possible the Emergency.
With a Child
5 slaps on the back, then the Heimlich maneuver in the same way as an adult but applying it less hard to avoid breaking a rib.
With Infants Less Than 1 Year
Place the baby on your forearm on his abdomen, head slightly lower than the feet, and give five slaps on the shoulder blades.
Try to remove the object stuck with your fingers, without returning the child, being careful not to push it further into the throat.
The Victim is Unconscious
Following a simple discomfort or traumatized by an accident or a fall, he does not answer your questions, he does not obey simple commands such as open or close your eyes, and do not shake your hand...
The Right Reflex
Make sure the victim’s breathing is not obstructed by a belt or a tight collar, make sure nothing is stuck in his throat, and place him on the side in the recovery position.
The Right Action
Gently tilt his head back, chin up, to prevent him from suffocating with his tongue, and make sure he breathes by leaning on his face to feel his breath. If his tongue is back inside, pull it outward with your fingers.
Once the victim is turned to the side, call for help.
In the meantime, make sure no one tries to touch the victim, to meet or talk to him.
You can cover him with a coat or blanket, still without moving him.
This side position has two advantages:
How to Place the Victim on the Side?
Spread the arm on the turning side at right angle of his body and bend the elbow, palm facing up.
Place the back of the hand of the victim of the opposite arm against his ear from your side.
While holding his hand, enter the opposite reversal leg behind the knee, and bend the foot on the ground.
Slowly roll the body by pulling the knee towards you and now the hand of the victim against his ear.
When his knee reaches the ground, remove his hand from under his head while holding his elbow to avoid moving his head. Thigh of the bent leg should be at right angle to the body.
Mouth-to-Mouth Respiration
If the victim is unconscious, he is not breathing because of suffocating, discomfort or drowning, this practice is to blow air into his lungs through the mouth.
Stand next to the victim, at his face level.
A hand on his forehead, the other gently lift the chin upward to release the air passage.
Pinch the nose of the victim (with the thumb and forefinger of your hand on the forehead) so that air does not escape.
Place your mouth widely open around his mouth to cover the mouth completely.
Then blow gradually for about two seconds, and stop when you see the chest rising.
Catch your breath; look at the chest of the victim in order to ascertain his expiration, by himself.
Repeat if necessary, after watching for any reactions (vomiting, spit...) seeking new results.
For a Child
Same principle as an adult (by pinching the nose) at a rate of 12-15 breaths per minute.
For a Baby
Put your mouth over his nose and mouth and blow into the two holes at the same time.
Perform the equivalent of 25 to 30 breaths per minute (a breath every two seconds) until the arrival of help while monitoring regularly his pulse.
In Case of Discomfort
The person is suffering from a sharp pain in the chest, but also sometimes in the left arm, abdomen, jaw. He is anxious and has the feeling of being pressed by something...
The Good Reflex
Have him lay down, and ask him if he is being treated for heart disease. If this is the case, run to get his medication.
The Right Action
Ask some questions to the victim on what he feels, and his health (does he suffer from heart disease, diabetes, or from another specific disease?).
Call for help, inform them of what the person has told you, and do exactly what they will advise you in the meantime.
In any case: Do not hesitate to call for help. Mild discomfort may hide a serious disease, and myocardial victim must be supported as soon as possible to be saved.
The Wound is Severely Bleeding
Cut, injury, accident or fight, the victim loses a lot of blood from a well defined wound...
The Good Reflex
Grab anything you can find (plastic, cloth, glove...) and strongly press the wound with. The goal is to minimize the bleeding, so that the victim does not lose too much blood. Few minutes are sufficient to die from severe bleeding.
The Right Action
Still pressing the wound, make ??the victim lay down and call for help, or make someone call for help. Keep your finger pressed until the arrival of help. You must avoid that the person panics at the sight of blood flowing to prevent him from discomfort or nervous breakdown.
Don’t give him anything to eat or drink, even if you are asked, and put pressure on the wound, without looking what's under it.
Why not a Tourniquet?
Very popular with filmmakers, the tourniquet is however not recommended in bleeding cases.
If improperly installed, (which is mostly in case of panic and lack of training) can lead to a real risk of limb paralysis or amputation.
The tourniquet is restricted to trained rescuers, or in case of the presence of several victims, because you only have two arms to compress the wounds... In this case, and only in this case, you will practice with a cloth tourniquet (scarf, tie), especially no wire or plastic that could cut the skin and muscles...
We must apply the tourniquet between the heart and the wound above the bleeding.
Tighten just enough to stop the bleeding, but not more than enough.
Note time of placing the tourniquet and share this information to help upon arrival.
Once placed, do not release a tourniquet: loss of blood caused by the release worsens the condition of the victim, and complications can occur.
Keep the tourniquet visible, not cover by clothing or a blanket, so that rescuers are immediately able to see it.
Burns
Barbecue, too hot bath, pan reversed...
The Good Reflex
Cool the affected area immediately with cold water (but not too much: 20 ° C) for 15 minutes.
In a garden, the hose will be perfect, and indoor, place the victim directly under the tap or shower. Cold water decreases pain and skin temperature of the burned area and can prevent the spread of burns (also in case of chemical burns, etc.).
The Right Action
Remove clothing from the victim during rinsing, except for those who stick to the skin. Continue rinsing if it relieves the victim.
Protect the burned skin with gauze. Biafine ® is very effective on superficial burns. Monitor wounds. If blebs appear, they get hot and are painful within 24 hours, do not hesitate to consult a doctor.
In Case of Severe Burns
The victim suffers horribly, cold water does nothing to relieve, large blebs appear... lay the victim on the unburned side, half-sitting position to help him breathe, and immediately alert the emergency services.
The Victim Swallowed a Chemical Substance
Something common, unfortunately, for those who store bleach or other substance in empty bottles of mineral water...
The Good Reflex
Call for help immediately.
The Right Action
Calm the victim until help arrives, do not give anything to eat or drink, and do not oblige especially vomiting. The passage of the product in the other direction may cause a little burn in the throat and mouth...
Do not give milk! Contrary to popular belief, it is not an antidote...
Wait until the victim is in the hands of rescuers to try to understand what happened and determine the nature of the ingested product.
Faced with an Injured
Fall, body accident, clumsiness accident with a tool... A serious injury is soon here.
The wound is large, dirty and deep. The victim does not necessarily suffer a lot, but he might panic discovering his injury...
The Good Reflex
Lay the victim, or place him in a rest position.
The victim shall not in any case be kept in standing position to avoid falling if he does not feel well.
The Right Action
Alert rescuers, and watch the person until their arrival. The victim shall not shake or touch the wound, and neither should you.
Do not make him drink or eat anything while waiting for rescue.
Do not try to "clean up" the wound, or to disinfect it, you could make it worse.
In Case of Fracture of a Lower or Upper Limb
The victim suffers a lot, as he holds his broken limb to prevent it from falling and to try to ease the pain.
Do not force him to walk if he cannot, let him sit, wrap the arms with a scarf and alert emergency or take him to the emergency room immediately.
Do not give anything to drink or medication that could be harmful during any operation.
In Case of Loss of a Limb (hand finger, toe…)
Retrieve the separated limb and place it on an insulator (plastic, aluminum) and place on ice before giving it to rescuers.
Under no circumstances put a lost limb directly in ice.
Back or Neck Trauma Signs
If after a person falls down and has difficulty moving one or more members, in case of vomiting, bleeding from the nose and ears, balance problems, headaches, and especially if he loses consciousness: lay the victim, immobilize him immediately and call for help.
While waiting for help to arrive, should not move and prevent flexing or rotating the head.
If necessary, you can place your hands flat on each side of his head, to prevent movement of the spine and keep straight axis head-neck- trunk.
Emergency Numbers
To be placed near the phone...
General advices:
