Basic first aid skills popularization training content

The core content of basic first aid skills popularization training is not complicated. Ordinary people only need to be proficient in four types of skills: cardiac arrest treatment, wound hemostasis bandaging, airway foreign body obstruction first aid, and common accidental injury response. It can cover more than 90% of daily emergency first aid scenarios without the need to deliberately recite complex medical theories.

I have been doing front-line first aid science popularization training for three years, and I have seen too many people ask "I am not a medical student, can I learn it?" when they first come up. There is really no need to have such concerns. Take the most core cardiopulmonary resuscitation + AED (automated external defibrillator) use as an example. There was a sophomore in high school who only participated in one 2-hour community training. Last year, he met an uncle who suddenly fell to the ground while walking in the community. He knelt on the ground and pressed the button for 4 minutes until 120. The person was finally revived. At that time, he was afraid of artificial respiration, so he only performed simple chest compressions, which was completely effective. Here is a different point of view in the industry: The latest guidelines from the American Heart Association make it clear that if non-professionals are unwilling or unable to perform artificial respiration, the therapeutic effect of continuous high-quality chest compressions is not much worse than the combination of "30 compressions + 2 ventilations". However, in order to cover more scenarios, mainstream domestic first aid training will still teach everyone the ventilation actions. You can choose based on the on-site situation and your own acceptance. There is no need to worry about whether "not doing artificial respiration is equivalent to a wasted rescue." As for the rhythm of compressions, there is no need to memorize the number of 100-120 times per minute. Just follow the drum beat of "Little Apple" and press to a depth of about 5 cm. Just press until you can feel the slight elasticity of the patient's sternum. There is also the AED, which everyone always thinks is very high-tech. You really don’t need to be afraid of touching it. There are voice prompts throughout the process after opening it. There are schematic diagrams on the casing where the electrode pads are attached. Even if it is the first time, it will not be wrong. In the case of cardiac arrest, using the AED once earlier will be more effective than pressing it for 10 minutes longer.

As a digression, during the last training, an aunt asked me if I should pinch someone who fainted first. There are indeed differences among schools on this matter: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that pinching the person's throat can stimulate nerves and promote awakening, which is suitable for situations such as hypoglycemia and syncope where there is loss of consciousness but normal breathing and heartbeat. However, the Western medical emergency system generally believes that if the patient is already in a state of cardiac arrest, pinching the person's throat will have no effect at all, and will instead delay the golden treatment time. My general advice to students is to spend 10 seconds patting their shoulders, calling their names, and touching the aorta on the side of their neck. If they can’t wake them up and can’t feel their pulse, just start applying pressure. Don’t waste time trying various “crude methods.”

Let’s talk about hemostasis of wounds. Many people panic when they see bleeding and grab toilet paper to cover the wound. Last time, a young man cut his finger while cutting vegetables and ran over with three layers of toilet paper. When he arrived at the community hospital, the paper fibers were tightly stuck to the wound. When he tore it off, he was sweating in pain. For ordinary small wounds, you can stop bleeding by pressing with clean gauze or sterile cotton balls for a few minutes. Only in severe cases of arterial bleeding, you need to use a tourniquet. There is no unified answer to the question of loosening the tourniquet: If you are in an urban area, it will take more than ten minutes at 120, so don’t loosen it casually after it is tied to avoid another massive bleeding. ； But if you are outdoors in a mountainous area and it takes two or three hours to transfer to the hospital, you still have to loosen the patient every 40 minutes to an hour for 1-2 minutes each time to avoid limb ischemia and necrosis. Both options are correct, and it depends on the situation.

Oh, by the way, the Heimlich maneuver for airway foreign body obstruction is a skill that all mothers must learn. A student told me before that her 3-year-old child got stuck after eating jelly once. At that time, she could only pat her back, and her lips almost turned blue from holding it in. After learning the Heimlich, her baby got stuck after eating a hard candy last month. She held it from behind and pressed it twice before spitting it out. If you encounter a pregnant woman or a particularly fat person who cannot hug her waist from behind, just press the chest directly. If the person is unconscious and lying on the ground, don't lift her up. Just lie down and do chest compressions, which can also flush out foreign objects.

The remaining common accidental injury treatment is actually to avoid pitfalls: if you are burned, don't apply toothpaste, soy sauce, or violet solution. Run cold water directly for more than 15 minutes. If it is serious, wrap it in clean gauze and go to the hospital. Last time, a grandma applied half a tube of toothpaste to her scalded grandson, and the doctor cleaned the wound for half an hour, but it worsened the child's pain. The issue of scratches and bites by cats and dogs is also controversial: if it is confirmed that the scratch is caused by a domestic cat that has been vaccinated against rabies every year and has never been outside, the 10-day observation method can be used. As long as the cat does not die within 10 days, there is no need to vaccinate. ； But if it’s a stray cat or someone who doesn’t know the vaccine status, don’t take any chances and get vaccinated as soon as possible. After all, the mortality rate of rabies is 100%, so you really can’t afford to gamble. When you have a sprain, apply cold rather than heat first, and don't rub it as soon as it comes up. The more you rub it, the worse the swelling will be. These are common sense, but many people will do the opposite if they really encounter something.

I will tell everyone at the end of every training that the most important thing about learning first aid is not how standard the movements are, but how dare you step forward. Many people have asked me before, "Will I be held responsible if my rescue fails?" The "good person clause" in the Civil Code has long been written. Anyone who voluntarily performs first aid and causes damage to the recipient will not bear civil liability. You really don’t need to think too lofty about first aid. It’s just a chance for ordinary people to earn a few extra minutes of survival for those around them before professional medical care arrives. You don’t need to be greedy for more. It’s enough to master these core skills.