Common Emergencies

                  Common Emergencies

Brain Hemorrhage

Lay the patient on his back with the head and shoulders slightly raised. Apply cold cloths or ice bag to the head. Insist on absolute quiet. Use great care in moving the patient. Do not use stimulants.

Drunkenness

Patient will usually sleep off the condition m a few hours. If the patient can be aroused, make him vomit and then give coffee. Apply artificial respiration if patient stops breathing.

Fainting

If a person feels faint make him lie down with his body level. Keep him lying down, and lower his head. If he is in a chair tilt the chair back ward. If it is impossible to lower his head, elevate his legs. Loosen tight clothing. Smelling salts inhaled may be helpful, but do not use ammonia. Sprinkle the face with cold water. After consciousness returns, give stimulant by mouth.

Heart Failure

Keep the patient absolutely quiet, lying down. Never give stimulants or drugs, unless prescribed by the doctor. Keep the patient warm and quiet. Reassurance will prevent fear.

Convulsions

Prevent the patient from injuring himself. Place a pencil wrapped in cloth or a folded cloth or other suitable material between the teeth to prevent the tongue from being bitten. Put a pillow, coat, or any other soft material under the head. Do not try to hold the patient rigid to prevent convulsive movements.

Convulsions in Children

Loosen constricting clothing. If the convulsions do not stop promptly, apply hot packs, wrapping the child in a blanket or in large heavy towels wrung out of warm water, not hot water. Following the pack, put the child to bed between warm blankets.

Earaches

Any earache that persists for even a short time demands the attention of a doctor. Apply a hot water bottle to the painful ear. Cold may give relief in cases not relieved by heat. Early puncture of the eardrum when there is internal pressure is important in preventing secondary infection in the mastoid.

Hiccups

Try holding the breath as long as possible, or drink a glass of cold water slowly. Breathe in and out of a paper bag that fits tightly over the face.

Foreign Bodies in Ear or Nose

Never push any pin or piece of wire or instrument into the ear or nose. Try syringing the ear with warm water. Leave removal of foreign bodies in the ear or nose to the doctor.

Insect Bites

Remove the sting if it is still present. Apply a paste made of baking soda and cold cream or a compress moistened with ammonia water. Cold applications help relieve pain. Calamine lotion with one-per-cent menthol relieves itching of mosquito and chigger bites.

Drowning

Remove the victim from the water and place him in a prone position with his head lower than the rest of his body. Make a quick inspection of his mouth and remove any sand, muck, or weeds. Pull the lower jaw forward. This brings the tongue forward and helps to keep it from plugging the upper air passages. Start prone-pressure artificial respiration. The preliminary steps should not take more than ten seconds.

Don't attempt to remove water from the lungs. There is usually a little in them, but that is readily expelled by the action of artificial respiration. Rolling a person to get the water out is a waste of precious time. Remember, the conservation of body heat is important. A person rescued from the water under normal conditions loses body heat rapidly. Even on a hot day water evaporation from wet clothing has the effect of cooling the body at a dangerous rate.

Hanging

Cut the rope holding the person suspended. Loosen it immediately from around the neck. Start artificial respiration at once.

Poisons

Give immediately four to seven glassfuls of soap suds, salt water, soda water, lukewarm water or milk. After the patient has had several glassfuls, tickle the back of the throat to induce vomiting. This washes out the stomach. For acid poison, neutralize with alkalis like magnesium, chalk, baking soda, or lime water. Keep the patient warm. For alkaline poison, neutralize with weak acids such as lemon juice or vinegar, and keep the patient warm. Call a physician.

Burns

Shock and infection are the chief dangers from burns. For small bums apply sterile petrolatum ointment or burn ointment over the burned area. Cover with fine-mesh gauze. Remove all loose clothing from the burned area, but not if it sticks to the burned area, cut around it, and leave the clothing that has stuck to the wound for the doctor to remove. Dip strips of clean, freshly-laundered sheeting into a solution made of warm water, one quart containing three tablespoonfuls of baking soda, and apply to burned area. Do not use absorbent cotton directly on a bum.

Serious Sunburns

Calamine lotion is soothing and does not stain clothing. Wet dressings of baking soda or Epsom salts prevent pain. For severe blisters apply a dressing of sterile, petrolatum-coated gauze.

Sunstroke

Get the victim into the shade and into as cool a place as possible. Remove the clothing. Lay the patient on his back, with the head and shoulders somewhat elevated. Start treatment immediately. Apply cold to the head-wet cloths, ice bag, ice.

Cool the body by one of these methods:

1. Wrap the patient's body in a sheet and pour on cold water. This method is probably best. Don't cool the body too much at a time. Continue treatment for several minutes, then stop and observe the patient. If the skin becomes hot again, the treatment must be renewed. Rubbing the limbs toward the heart aids the circulation, and it is important. Rub through the wet sheet. Give no stimulants. Call a doctor at once. Give cool drinks after consciousness returns.

2. Give a cool bath, up to twenty minutes long, with brisk rubbing of the limbs and trunk to stimulate circulation. One of the most effective ways of cooling the body is an ice-water tub bath.

3. Apply cold, wet cloths or ice bags, with rubbing. If the patient is taken to a hospital in an ambulance, treatment should be continued during transportation.

Halitosis, or Bad Breath

Bad breath, now politely referred to as "halitosis" is offensive. There is little excuse for permitting oneself to become obnoxious for this reason to everyone around him, since it is possible to prevent the presence of such odors. The most frequent cause is related to the teeth, which may be subject to cavities or which may simply be surrounded with accumulations of decaying food-particles.

Cavities should be filled and tartar deposits should be removed at least once every six months. The teeth may be kept clean by the use of dental floss and by the regular use, after eating, of a toothbrush with proper powder or paste. There are innumerable mouth washes containing antiseptics, alkalis, or acids, that may be used after the teeth have been brushed. Weak hydrogen peroxide solutions are sometimes of value. Use strong solutions only on the advice of a competent physician or dentist.

After the teeth have been eliminated as the cause of bad breath, the tonsils must be examined for infection. Another frequent cause of bad breath is infection in the nose or in the space behind the nose. The formation of crusts and of accumulations of infected material is bound to produce foul odor of the breath. If the tongue is constantly coated, if there is eruction (the expulsion of stomach gases through the mouth) of sour material from the stomach, consult a physician.

Seasickness

Recent discoveries in the control of seasickness mean that almost anyone may now take a voyage on an ocean or a lake and, even when the boat rocks, still not be too sick to enjoy the voyage. Many a person used to get sick even before the ship left the dock. Avoid heavy meals, going-away dinners, and indigestible food. If you start out free from difficulty with your digestion and with a stomach that is reasonably empty, you are less likely to be sick.

When confronted with sickness lie down; do not try to make everybody believe that you are feeling wonderful, because, actually, you will look green and everybody will wonder why you are up anyway. Good air is important, and that means plenty of air. However, do not get chilled. Put on a warm coat, cover yourself with a rug, lie back, inhale good air, and be comfortable. Now and then a short, brisk walk will be helpful.

Do not, however, spend your time watching the waves, because this tends to produce eructation or vomiting. The stewards know that a little weak tea or a warm drink and a dry biscuit helps to settle a queasy stomach. Usually, on board the larger vessels tea is served each morning around eleven, each afternoon around three, in addition to the usual meals.

About The Author - David Crawford is the CEO and owner of a Male Enhancement Products company known as Male Enhancement Group which is dedicated to researching and comparing male enhancement products in order to determine which male enhancement product is safer and more effective than other products on the market. Copyright 2010 David Crawford.

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