Thanks to scientific and technological progress, the rapid development of mechanical engineering, the mechanization of production processes, agriculture, the pace of human life has accelerated, and the quality of life has increased. Unfortunately, the chances of getting injuries, including fatal ones, have also increased. To save a life of a person, he alth workers must clearly and smoothly follow the algorithms of emergency care for injuries. Moreover, for each damage - its own algorithm. The life of a person depends on how quickly and competently first aid is provided. First aid knowledge is taught in schools, factories, and other organizations. This allows citizens to provide competent first aid to the victims.
A person can be injured in the following situations:
- due to traffic accidents: traffic accidents, railway, shipping, aircraft accidents;
- in case of violation of safety regulations at home and duringwork;
- during natural disasters;
- when in contact with animals;
- inadvertently, during game events;
- in fights.
Depending on the amount and depth of damage, injuries carry a serious risk. To prevent it, a person needs to provide emergency care as soon as possible and more competently. In case of injuries, depending on the location, clinic and the state of he alth of the victim, therapeutic measures are taken.
Types of traumatic injuries
Injuries are classified by type:
- Mechanical - occurs when open or closed damage is caused to a person from the outside by mechanical objects (blows, knife wounds, injuries when falling, etc.).
- Physical - when a person receives damage through temperature (burns, frostbite), electrical (lightning, current) effects, ultraviolet, infrared and radioactive radiation.
- Chemical - injuries caused by exposure to chemicals (acids, alkalis, solvents).
- Biological - serious harm to the human body is caused by toxins of pathogens.
- Psychological - as a result of fears, nervous breakdowns, a reflex irritation of the human nervous system occurs. Emergency first aid for injuries of this type is provided by specialized psychological services. There are special hotlines in the brigades of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. But at a critical moment in a person's life nearby,do not turn out to be an experienced psychologist. In this case, the actions of others play a major role. It is important to be able to control oneself in such situations and provide support to those in need with the strength of mind.
Emergency care for injuries also depends on the severity of the injury.
Pattern of injury
The nature of the injury plays a role in first aid tactics. It happens as follows:
- isolated - occurs when one organ or part of the body is damaged;
- multiple - when two or more organs or parts of the body are damaged;
- combined - when exposed to the body of several types of factors (burn and fracture);
- open - in case of damage to the skin or mucous membranes;
- closed - without damage to the skin.
Severity
All types of injuries are divided by severity into three categories:
- light;
- medium;
- heavy.
Only in the classification of burns, 4 degrees of severity are distinguished, depending on the depth of the lesions.
Psychology of behavior when providing assistance
As mentioned above, in case of injuries, the victim needs psychological support in addition to medical care. Considering that injuries can lead to death, one should not give in to panic, show fear. In this case, it is required to calm the patient, instill confidence in him. And if there are doubts about the correctness of the actions, it is better to wait for a specialized service.
Tranio-cerebral injuries
Skull injuries are considered seriousfor any degree of damage. Violations of the integrity of the brain lead to irreversible consequences, up to the death of a person. Depending on the type of injury, emergency care will vary.
Skull injuries are:
- Light. In this case, the victim loses consciousness for a maximum of 20 minutes. When he wakes up, he complains of nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness. There is a slowing of the heartbeat, an increase in blood pressure. There may be mild manifestations of anisocoria (unequal pupil size: one freezes, and the other reacts to stimuli), pyramidal insufficiency (due to violations in muscle tone, the victim walks on toes).
- Average. In which the victim loses consciousness for a period of up to several hours. Having regained consciousness, a person experiences repeated bouts of vomiting, and disturbances in memory and psyche are possible. In such people, persistent manifestations of bradycardia and increased blood pressure are noted. On the neurological side, manifestations of meningeal symptoms, asymmetry of muscle tone, paresis (decreased tone) of the limbs, and speech disorders are possible.
- Heavy. In which the victim is unconscious for up to one month. In these cases, there are severe violations of the activity of vital functions, which, without emergency assistance, lead to death. To determine the patient's condition, first of all, you should pay attention to his eyeballs. In severe forms of TBI, floating movements of apples are noted, their divergence, pupils dilate (mydriasis). Violations occurrespiration, hypertonicity or paresis of the limbs, convulsions. The victim is in a coma.
To classify damage for emergency care for traumatic brain injuries can be open and closed. With open injuries, violations of the integrity of the skin of the head are visible, sometimes affecting the skull, brain. If on examination only damage to the skin is visible that does not affect deep-lying tissues, they speak of a closed TBI. The most common type of injury is a concussion. Their severity is judged by the presence of memory loss, the duration of the patient's stay unconscious.
TBI symptoms
Outward signs speak of an open injury. With closed injuries, the correct diagnosis is more difficult. But all injuries share the same general symptoms:
- person experiencing drowsiness;
- weakness;
- headaches and dizziness;
- both short-term and long-term loss of consciousness are possible;
- nausea, vomiting;
- amnesia;
- neurological manifestations of TBI, the most formidable of which is paralysis.
Both with open and closed injuries, hematomas may form, compressing the brain, requiring the intervention of a neurosurgeon.
TBI First Aid
Emergency care for traumatic brain injury includes the following actions:
- Lay the patient on a flat hard surface.
- Turn your head to the side to prevent retraction of the tongue, aspiration of vomit from the respiratory tract. This is especially important if the casu alty is unconscious.
- As a pre-medical first aid for brain injuries, the most important step will be to call an ambulance.
- Before the doctor arrives, monitor the victim's breathing and heartbeat. In the absence of these vital signs, it is urgent to carry out an indirect heart massage and artificial ventilation of the lungs. If the person who happened to be nearby does not know the technique of artificial respiration, only an indirect heart massage is allowed. This right also applies to cases in which there is a risk of infection. Ambulance teams are equipped with a special device (Ambu bag) for these purposes. The number of chest compressions should be at least 60 per minute, the ratio with artificial lung ventilation is 30:2.
- In case of open TBI, it is necessary to apply a sterile dressing to the wound. During the provision of emergency care for a traumatic brain injury, it is necessary to carry out the following actions: cut the hair around the injury; the edges of the wound, so as not to aggravate the patient's condition, are laid with a bandage; foreign objects should not be removed from the wound; apply a bandage.
- Apply an ice object to the damaged area.
- Painkillers administered upon arrival only by he althcare workers.
First aid for abdominal wall injuries
Injuries to the abdominal wall are both superficial,as well as penetrating. Only a doctor can answer the question of what kind of damage a person has during the primary surgical treatment of the wound, and, if necessary, laparoscopic diagnostics of the abdominal cavity.
Visual signs of damage to the abdominal wall
These include:
- Abrasions, swelling of the skin in places of damage, accompanied by hematomas, hemorrhages in fatty tissue.
- When internal organs are damaged, symptoms of peritonitis will appear: muscle tension in the anterior abdominal wall, pain, gas retention, constipation, nausea and vomiting.
- When abdominal bleeding occurs, often resulting from damage to the spleen, liver, a person complains of weakness. Pain in the abdomen. Paleness of the skin, lowering of blood pressure, pulse quickens.
What to do
As an emergency for injuries of the abdominal organs, you must:
- call an ambulance;
- lay the victim on a flat surface with raised legs, bent at the knees;
- unfasten tight clothes in the abdominal area;
- put cold on stomach;
- if a person has an open injury, apply an aseptic dressing.
Under no circumstances
Here's what not to do:
- self-administer painkillers to the patient;
- reset the organs that fell into the gaping wound (in this case, it is necessary to applythey are covered with a sterile bandage lubricated with aseptic petroleum jelly);
- change position, move the patient;
- give the patient something to drink or eat.
For chest injuries
Distinguish between non-penetrating and penetrating injuries that only a doctor can accurately diagnose.
They are often accompanied by heavy bleeding, as well as pneumothorax: air accumulates in the chest, squeezing the lung, because of this, a person risks dying from respiratory and heart failure.
50% of these injuries are fatal. They can damage the spine, sternum, ribs, heart, lungs, and mediastinum.
With such injuries, the victims complain about:
- shortness of breath, shortness of breath;
- severe pain at the injury site;
- lower blood pressure;
- heartbeat;
- feeling of fear, anxiety.
Thoracic injuries, like abdominal injuries, can be either closed or open. With open injuries, the symptoms are supplemented:
- coughing up blood;
- impaired breathing;
- development of emphysema.
How to behave
Emergency care for chest injuries will be as follows:
- call a doctor;
- on arrival, medical workers administer painkillers to avoid pain shock;
- put the patient in a sitting or semi-sitting position;
- stop visible bleeding;
- if availableopen pneumothorax - turn it into a closed one: apply a tight, airtight bandage to the wound;
- in case of rib fractures - while inhaling, apply a compression bandage with a bandage, temporarily immobilize the chest;
- in a sitting position, urgently transport the victim to a medical facility.
For eye injuries
Eye injuries are damage to the organs of vision under the influence of various factors, both household and industrial, chemical, mechanical and thermal effects. Immediate first aid can play a key role in saving a person's vision.
In case of mechanical damage
The patient experiences:
- severe pain;
- excessive lacrimation;
- involuntarily close and blush eyelids;
- the victim complains of visual impairment.
If a penetrating wound is inflicted on the eye by any object, in no case should it be pulled out! An urgent need to contact the ophthalmology department.
Actions in case of damage
Emergency care for an eye injury will be the removal of a foreign body that got there. At the same time:
- you can not rub the injured eye, so as not to increase the damage;
- examine the condition of the mucous membrane of the lower eyelid;
- gently, using a cotton swab, remove the foreign body;
- if a foreign object has fallen under the upper eyelid, it is turned out: to do this, pull the edge of the eyelid with your fingers and press on the eyelid with the fingers of the other hand;
- drop eye with 30% solutionalbucida.
If a foreign body is visible within the cornea of the eye, then you cannot remove it yourself!
First aid for thermal and chemical injuries
Such injuries are caused by steam, flames, molten metal and hot liquids. Action required:
- stop the damaging factor;
- rinse eyes with plenty of clean water;
- if there are solid chemicals in the eye, remove them with a cotton swab;
- see an ophthalmologist immediately.
With radiation exposure
Such injuries are often obtained when welding without a mask, while working without goggles with quartz lamps on. Sometimes bright solar radiation has a negative effect in mountainous areas, on snow-covered plains.
For such injuries, apply:
- cold lotions for both eyes;
- special UV protection goggles.
Which symptoms should immediately contact an ophthalmologist? At:
- unexpected visual impairment;
- appearance of a dark spot;
- limited visual field in the periphery;
- acute pain in the eye and head;
- appearance of iridescent streaks while examining luminous bodies;
- pain while moving the eyes.
First aid for fractures
Fractures are violations of the integrity of bone tissues that occur under increased mechanicalimpact.
Types of fractures:
- closed without displacement of bone fragments;
- offset closed;
- open (with such injuries, soft tissues are injured by bone fragments).
General symptoms:
- pain in the area of injury;
- hematoma;
- visual deformation;
- for limb fractures - shortening;
- crunching sensation in the damaged area;
- puffiness;
- decrease in motor functions.
First aid
Things to do:
- Call an ambulance immediately. It is advisable to inform the dispatcher about the nature of the damage, the presence or absence of bleeding.
- Emergency workers administer narcotic painkillers upon arrival.
- The injured limb is fixed in one position. Two joints should be deprived of movement: one - located above the damage, the other - below. Try not to let the splint touch the skin and the damaged area.
- You can't match fragments yourself.
- If there is bleeding, decide what it is. With an outpouring of dark blood from a wound, they are limited to a bandage. If scarlet blood pulsates from the wound, a tourniquet should be applied above the injury site (you can use a belt or other improvised means; the main thing is that after the manipulation the pulsation from the vessel stops). When using a tourniquet, write a note indicating the exact time of application and the date. In the summer, a tourniquet is applied for 2 hours,in winter - 1.5 hours. Ideally, remove the tourniquet for 5 minutes every 30 minutes.
- Emergency care for closed injuries is different in that in this case there is no need to stop the bleeding, apply a bandage.
- Next - an ambulance transports the victim to a medical facility.
We've broken down emergency care options for various injuries.
