First aid Scenarios

DRABC

Danger- the first thing you need to do is assess the dangers to yourself to prevent yourself from becoming hurt. Then assess the danger to others and lastly the danger to the victim.

Response- check if the victim is responsive, you can do this by asking them verbally ‘can you hear me?’ visually checking the victim to see if they are moving or if their eyes are open. Checking the victim physically by asking them to squeeze your hand or shaking them gently.

Airways- check the victim’s airways to see if they are clear. You can do this by gently pulling down the chin to see the victim’s airways. If there is an object caught immediately move the victim into the recovery position.

Breathing- Check to see if the victim is breathing, this can be achieved by checking for a pulse, feeling the victim’s chest or nose for movement. If the victim is breathing you may need to monitor the breathing (depending on the injury)

Circulation- Check the victim’s circulation, this is achieve by looking for a pulse. You also need to check for open wounds, swelling and bruising.

1)   Adam is walking through the woods and trips over a tree root sticking out of the ground. He immediately begins screaming for help because his shin bone is poking through the skin, and he is bleeding profusely. What can you do to help Adam?

After following DRABC as stated above, to help Adam you would need to apply a donut bandage on Adam’s leg, and brace his leg in a splint for support. A donut bandage would be perfect for this situation because it is a great bandage for absorbing heavy blood loss and creating a barrier around the bone sticking out to prevent any further knockings of the bone and further injury.  

2)   Megan is building a snow fort with her younger siblings. It is very cold outside, and they have been outside for about four hours. Ben, Megan’s little brother, comes in and says he can’t feel his fingers. You look at it, and see that it is very white. When you touch it, it feels hard and waxy. What is wrong with Ben’s finger and what should you do?

Ben has developed hypothermia in his fingers. To treat Ben’s hypothermia you should immediately try to warm his body temperature. Hot water bottles and warm fluids are the most effective way. You should then remove any wet or frozen articles of clothing from Ben. Ben should then be placed in warm blankets or sleeping bags with another person. Body warmth of another person is also an effective way of increasing Ben’s body temperature.

3)   It is the middle of summer; Erin and Reba have decided to paint their house. They put on the radio and their swimming suits, heading outside to paint. When they are about finished with the first coat, Erin begins to feel faint. Reba checks her pulse, finding it to be weak and fast, but her skin is sweaty, and cool. What has happened to Erin, and what can be done to save her?

Erin has developed Hyperthermia (heatstroke). You would need to follow DRABC as stated above, after that you would need to focus on first aid treatment for hyperthermia. Erin would slowly need to rehydrate and cool her body temperature down, drinking cool fluids is effective. After this you should sponge Erin’s skin with cool water. Removing any heavy or dark clothing is the next step you should take in cooling Erin’s body temperature, and then followed by situating Erin in a cool and shady area.

4)   Matt is trying his hand at cooking again. He has decided to make spaghetti for his parents, but when he goes to take the lid off of the boiling water for the noodles, his hand gets burned by steam. What degree of burn does Matt have, and what could possibly stop the pain?

After following DRABC as stated above, you would need to take particular care to Matt’s burn. Considering the burn was a steam burn I would say it’s only a superficial burn. Meaning it only damaged one layer of skin. These are the steps to care for a superficial burn.

-   Cool burn under cool water for 20 minutes.

-   Remove any jewellery in case swelling occurs.

-   Cover the burn with a non stick bandage. Specifically a non stick bandage so the bandage doesn’t rip the layer of skin trying to heal when removing it.