MY SCHOOL - Dr .Nilesh Gopal das Joshi (warren buffett book recommendations TXT) 📗

Every village first-aid kit should have a suction cup for this purpose. In case a cup is not available, suction may be carried out by the mouth. The tongue and lips of the person who sucks the venom out should be free of cuts, fever sores and other abrasions. Antivenom is given by the doctor and is available in dry form (not needing refrigeration and should be available in every dispensary, health centre and doctor’s office) Keep the patient warm. Give the patient hot sweetened tea. Scientifically proven treatment for snake bite is blood transfusion, shock treatment and antivenom injection.

SUNSTROKE

Sunstroke is caused due to long exposure to the hot sun without due protection. The patient becomes livid and the skin hot and dry. The pulse becomes full and pounding and the temperature of the body is raised. Sunstroke can be fatal. It is common in many hot countries, including India.

Treatment

The patient should at once be removed to a cool, shady place where there is free circulation of air. Tight clothing should be loosened and they should be stripped to the waist. They must be fanned vigorously. An ice bag should be applied to the head and spine till the body temperature comes to normal (98.4degree F). The body should be sponged with cold water. The patient may be given Epson salts in a tumbler of cold water where they regain consciousness. Then they should be placed under medical care.

 

Chapter: 35 FIRST AID AND EMERGENCY CARE-Part 3

FIRST AID AND EMERGENCY CARE-Part 3

DEALING WITH UNCONSCIOUSNESS

If you find your child unconscious or semi-conscious, your priority must be to keep the airway open and to keep checking whether they are becoming more deeply unconscious. Open your child’s airway and check the breathing. If necessary, complete the ABC priorities.

Once the child is breathing, check for signs of seriousinjury and control any serious bleeding. Place the child in recovery position. This keeps the airway open and let’s vomit or saliva drain from the mouth without blocking the airway.

Unconsciousness can develop gradually or suddenly, from injury or illness. Common causes include head injury; lack of blood supply to the brain, lack of oxygen in the lungs, for example from electrical injury, or a blocked airway, poisoning, diabetes, heat stroke or hypothermia; or epilepsy.

Checking for Response

Your child may pass through various levels of confusion before becoming unconscious and again while regaining consciousness. Watch them constantly, noting any changes in their state of awareness as this will help the doctor decide on treatment. See if they respond to your voice or to a painful sensation, such as pinch. If the child recovers consciousness, reassure the child and get a doctor.

If you suspect a fracture, support the fracture, but don’t pull the child into the recovery position. Continue to check breathing, pulse and level of response every ten minutes. Never leave the child alone while they are unconscious or give the child anything by mouth. Anyone who has lost consciousness even for a short time, must be seen by a doctor.

CHOKING

Choking occurs when the airway is partially or totally blocked. It can be caused by food going down the “wrong way”, that is down the windpipe rather than the food passage. The obstruction must be removed quickly, so breathing is restored. Symptoms include blueness of the face; the child will be unable to speak or breathe, and unconsciousness may develop.

Remove anything in the child’s mouth with your fingers and get them to cough the obstruction out. If this is unsuccessful, make them bend over so their head is lower than the chest (do this in whatever position you find your child, whether standing or sitting). Slap them firmly between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand; repeat four times. If the object has not moved, try abdominal thrust. Check inside the mouth again. If you can see the obstruction, hook it out with your fingers. If your child is still choking, repeat back slaps and abdominal thrusts, upto four times each. The child may begin breathing at any stage; when the child breathes, sit them up and give sips of water.

For an unconscious choking child

Choking will lead to unconsciousness if the obstruction is not quickly removed. If this happens, you will have to carry out mouth-to-mouth ventilation to try to get air past the blockage and into your child’s lungs.

Turn the child on the back, open the airway and start mouth-to-mouth ventilation. If this doesn’t work, turn them on the side, facing you. Supporting them against your thigh, with their head back, do four back slaps. Look to see if the object has been dislodged and hook it out with your finger. If it has not been dislodged, try mouth-to-mouth ventilation again and repeat the above steps. Continue this procedure. If you succeed in dislodging the object, place the child in the recovery position.

Abdominal Thrust

This technique can be used if back slaps have failed to dislodge an obstruction. However, it can damage internal organs, so use only after treatment for choking has failed.

Stand behind the child. Clench your fist and place it, thumb inwards, over the child’s stomach between breastbone and tummy button. Grasp your fist with the other hand. Pull both hands towards you with a quick inward and upward movement. Repeat up to four times. The obstruction may shoot into or out of the child’s mouth. Get medical help.

CONVULSIONS

These are fits and are most common in children under 5. They can be caused by a very high temperature, a bad tummy upset, a fright or a temper tantrum, or epilepsy. Convulsions look frightening, but are not dangerous. Symptoms include high fever with a very hot forehead; stiffened body and arched back; twitching muscles; rolling eyes or a squint; face may look blue if holding their breath; froth may appear in mouth.

Loosen any tight clothing and make sure they have plenty of fresh air. Clear a space around them if the convulsions are severe and wipe away any froth. Cool the child by removing any bedding and sponging them down with tepid water. Take care not to let her get too cold. When the convulsions stop, place them in recovery position and put a light blanket over them.

DEHYDRATION

Dehydration is the result of an abnormally high loss of salt and water from the body. This can happen as the result of a severe attack of diarrhoea or vomiting or because of heavy sweating. To avoid dehydration, give children plenty to drink and keep them cool in hot weather. Dehydration can lead to heat exhaustion.

HEAT EXHAUSTION

Symptoms include cramp-like pains and headache; feeling exhausted but restless; dizziness and nausea; pale, moist skin; shallow, fast breathing; rapid, weak pulse.

Lay your child down in a cool place. If the child is conscious, give them sips of cold water. If they are sweating a lot, has cramps, diarrhoea or vomiting, make sure they keep drinking as much as possible. If they become unconscious, open the airway and check breathing. Complete ABC priorities if necessary and get medical help.

FOREIGN BODIES

These are small objects that enter the body through a wound or an opening such as the eye, ear or mouth. A foreign body in a wound may sometimes be plugging the wound and preventing blood loss. Children often swallow small items, such as coins or beads, or push them up their noses or into their ears.

In the Eye

Bits of dust or grit, eyelashes or insects are the foreign bodies most commonly found in the eye. They usually stick to the outer surface of the upper eyelid, making the eye painful, watery and red. However, they can be fairly easily removed. Never try and remove anything that is on the coloured part of the eye or stuck in the eyeball. If the child has such an injury, cover their eye with a sterile eye pad and take them straight to hospital.

Try and stop the child from rubbing the eye. Make them sit in a chair facing the light and lean them back slightly. Wash your hands. Stand behind them, with their head resting against you. Use your thumb and index finger to gently separate the lids and look into their eye. Ask them to look from side to side and up and down so you can see all the eye. If you can see the foreign body, try and wash it out by pouring cold water over the eye. If this doesn’t work or there is no water, use a damp swab or corner of a clean handkerchief or tissue to lift the body off. If you think the foreign body is on the upper lid, try and get the child to look down. Holding the lashes of the upper lid, pull the lid down and out over the lower lid.

In the Ear

This is the most common in young children, who have a tendency to put small objects into their ears. The child will have a pain in the ear and hearing on that side may also be affected. Sometimes an insect may fly into the child’s ears and they may also feel vibrations. Never poke anything in the child’s ear. You could very easily push the insect or object in even deeper, causing damage to the eardrum.

Reassure the child as much as you can. If you know it is an insect in the ear, sit the child down or lay them down on their side with the affected ear uppermost. Gently pour tepid water into the ear; the insect should float out. If the child has pushed something into the ear, try tilting the head so that the affected ear is facing downward; the foreign body may then just drop out without any further problem. If you cannot remove the foreign body easily, take the child straight to hospital.

In the Nose

This is most likely to happen with very young children, who will often try putting things, such as beads, pebbles or marbles, up their noses. If the object is smooth, it may simply become stuck, but a sharp object could damage the delicate tissues in the nose. If something does get lodged, your child may have a swollen nose and difficulty in breathing through the nose; there may also be a discharge.

Keep the child as calm as possible and, if they are old enough to understand, tell them to breathe through the mouth. Stop them from rubbing the nose. Don’t try and remove the object yourself as you could push it further in. Get the child to a hospital as quickly as you can.

SWALLOWED FOREIGN BODIES

Small children often swallow objects like coins, buttons, pieces of toys or pins. If the object is small and smooth, there is not much cause for concern- it is unlikely to cause choking or damage to the intestines as it passes through your child’s body. Sharp objects, however, can cause internal injuries. Don’t let the child run with pens or pencils in the mouth or play with the closures used on plastic bags.

If the object has become lodged in the child’s throat, the child may be choking- treat this as a matter of urgency. Reassure your child. Unless you are certain that the swallowed object is unlikely to cause any internal damage, get the child to hospital as quickly as you can. Don’t give them anything to eat or drink.

HEAT STROKE

This happens when the body is unable to control its temperature by sweating, and can occur in hot, humid whether when there