When is airway management required in first aid

When you approach any patient, you automatically scan the patient for indications of airway patency. Is the patient awake and alert? If so, do they appear to be in respiratory distress? Are they exhibiting signs of cyanosis? In the unresponsive patient, your airway assessment can be more challenging.

In the non-trauma patient, this includes:. Once the patient is properly positioned, your next step is to make sure the airway remains patent. This is where a basic adjunct comes in handy: the oropharyngeal airway. In the unresponsive patient who lacks a gag reflex, this useful tool can solve one of the most basic issues in airway obstruction: the tongue falling back and blocking the hypopharynx. Here are some quick reminders:. Many medications or illicit drugs have dangerous side effects, particularly if they are mixed together or taken with alcohol.

A doctor or ambulance paramedic should assess any person who overdoses on any medication. It is very important that you call triple zero if you are aware or suspect that someone you have found has overdosed on drugs or medications, as many overdoses cause death. As well as knowing some basic first aid techniques, it is important that households and workplaces have a first aid kit that meets their needs and is well organised, fully stocked and readily available at all times.

The contents should be appropriate to cope with a range of emergency situations, depending on the setting. First aid kits are available for purchase from a variety of providers, including St John Ambulance Australia Victoria or your local pharmacy. Specialty kits are also available to meet specific needs. In an emergency, these suggestions may not be practical. For example, cleaning the wound might dislodge a blood clot and make the wound bleed again or bleed more.

Immediately apply pressure to a heavily bleeding wound or around the wound if there is an embedded object , and apply a bandage when the bleeding has slowed down or stopped. Call triple zero immediately. This information is of a general nature only and should not be considered a replacement for proper first aid training.

General suggestions include:. After being bandaged, an injured forearm or wrist may require an arm sling to lift the arm and keep it from moving. Steps include:. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. The type of pain felt in the abdomen can vary greatly. Children may feel stomach pain for a range of reasons and may need treatment. When returning to a flood-affected area, remember that wild animals, including rats, mice, snakes or spiders, may be trapped in your home, shed or garden.

When returning to your home after a flood, take precautions to reduce the possibility of injury, illness or disease. Severe allergic reactions anaphylaxis and asthma attacks need urgent emergency first aid. In an emergency, always call triple zero Content on this website is provided for information purposes only.

Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.

The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances.

The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website. Skip to main content. First Aid. The BVM consists of a flexible air chamber, about the size of an American football, attached to a face mask via a shutter valve.

When the air chamber or "bag" is squeezed, the device forces air into the victim's lungs; when the bag is released, it self-inflates, drawing in ambient air or oxygen supplied from a tank. A bag valve mask can be used without being attached to an oxygen tank to provide air to the victim, but supplemental oxygen is recommended since it increases the amount of oxygen reaching the victim.

Some devices also have a reservoir which can fill with oxygen while the patient is exhaling a process which happens passively , in order to increase the amount of oxygen that can be delivered to the victim by about twofold.

A BVM should have a valve which prevents the victim from rebreathing exhaled air and which can connect to tubing to allow oxygen to be provided through the mask. Bag valve masks come in different sizes to fit infants, children, and adults. Some types of the device are disposable, while others are designed to be cleaned, disinfected, and reused. The BVM directs the gas inside it via a one-way valve when compressed by a rescuer; the gas is then delivered through a mask and into the victim's airway and into the lungs.

In order to be effective, a BVM must deliver between and milliliters of air to the victim's lungs, but if oxygen is provided through the tubing and if the victim's chest rises with each inhalation indicating that adequate amounts of air are reaching the lungs , to ml may still be adequate. Squeezing the bag once every 5 seconds for an adult or once every 3 seconds for an infant or child provides an adequate respiratory rate 12 respirations per minute in an adult and 20 per minute in a child or infant.

Professional rescuers are taught to ensure that the mask portion of the BVM is properly sealed around the patient's face that is, to ensure proper "mask seal" ; otherwise, air escapes from the mask and is not pushed into the lungs.

In order to maintain this seal, some protocols use a method of ventilation involving two rescuers: one rescuer to hold the mask to the patient's face with both hands and ensure a mask seal, while the other squeezes the bag. However, to make better use of available rescuers, the BVM can be operated by a single rescuer who holds the mask to the victim's face with one hand using a C-grip , and squeezes the bag with the other.

When using a BVM, as with other methods of ventilation, there is a risk of overinflating the lungs. If they are not breathing normally, carry on performing CPR. If breathing restarts as normal, stay with the injured person until help arrives.

Chest compressions alone can be lifesavers — the crucial factor is time. Make sure you respond quickly. It is important not to let your hands bounce when performing chest compressions. Make sure the heel of your hand is touching the chest throughout chest compressions. You can seek official First Aid certification from the Red Cross by following this link. Here, learn to recognize a heart attack and what to do next. We also describe treatment and recovery and provide tips for prevention. If chemicals come into contact with the eye, it is essential to flush them out immediately.

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If someone nearby was choking on an object would you know what to do?