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E.M. Acronyms...
Some helpful acronyms to guide you in an emergency situation....One point to always remember: Whenever you enter a scenario where someone has been injured, there is ALWAYS a potential for you to become the second victim...observe your scene and decide whether you'll truly be able to offer needed assistance, or just become another casualty of circumstance...you're no help at all if the scene is not secure and safe. Look around....how did this person become injured? Does the cause of injury pose a current, significant threat to anyone who enters the scene? Use your eyes, nose, ears, touch, and brain to identify possible hazards.
ABC - The all-encompassing acronym which tells you immediately if a person is in stable condition, or grave straits which may require life-saving measures...
Airway...If your patient's airway is blocked, they can't breath, hence they can't metabolize oxygen, or expel carbon dioxide, hence they are suffocating or suffering pulmonary arrest. Either clear the blockage with a finger sweep, heimlich maneuver, repositioning, or chest thrusts. If a sweep is attempted, be careful not to push the blockage further into the airway.
Breathing...Just because a person is not breathing doesn't mean that they need chest compressions, first off...that comes later. ;) Check not only for breath, but depth of breath and irregularities or wheezing, or even rattling sound coming through the chest walls. Extremely shallow breathing could indicate any number of conditions which require immediate medical attention....when in doubt, call 911 immediately before rendering any further aid.
Circulation...If your victim is breathing, it's safe to say they have a pulse, but check it anyway....feel for weak or thready pulse at the extremities, or the absence of one in any extremity which appears to be injured...it could be a sign of internal blood loss or shock. A rapid pulse, while better than none, is also an indicator that the victim may require immediate medical attention...if neither breathing nor pulse is present, BCLS must be initiated while another first-responder (if available) calls for medical assistance. BCLS refers to Basic Cardiac Life Support, or CPR (cardiopulminary resussetation), and it's counterparts, which should only be learned in a certified class given by your local instructor.
HEENT - A first-response acronym which should help you to remember the important observation points upon initial contact with an individual in need of assistance. The head houses our CPU, of sort, and so barring any other obvious life-threatening condition, should be your first point of examination.
H...Head...observe the head in general...is it in an odd shape or position...are there any obvious injuries or discharges....
E...Eyes...at first glance, do the eyes appear normal...are there any obvious injuries, swelling or discharge....if open, do they appear focused, glazed, or at odd position within the eye sockets, etc...
E...Ears...again, check for obvious injuries, and especially discharge of blood or clear fluid (cerebrospinal fluid), which could be indicative of internal head injury...
N...Nose...same as previous...check for injuries, discharge, and blockage of the nasal orifice...
T...Throat...primarily, check for airway obstructions and secretions/discharges which could enter the airway due to positioning...
PEARL - Should be incorporated into the second step of HEENT, if no other obvious injury requires precedence.
Pupils Equal And Reactive to Light...an obvious indication of possible brain damage or stroke is unequal pupils and the inability of one or both pupils to react (constrict and dilate) to light....the easiest way to check for this is to open the eyelids fully and shine a pen light into each pupil, observing for PEARL, or lack thereof.
DEATH - The order in which countermeasures against exsanguination (bleeding out) should be taken...
Direct Pressure...place a pressure bandage (often times a bandage, held firmly in place with a hand or snug dressing) directly over the wound to stem the loss of blood...
Elevation...raise the position of the injured area or extremity above the level of the heart to relieve blood pressure in the area.
Arterial Pressure...in the event of severe bleeding in an extremity, which is not responsive to the previous measures, locate and apply direct pressure to the artery directly medial of the wound. For example, a severe bleeding cut in the wrist which does not respond to direct pressure or elevation could be controlled by direct constrictive pressure to the brachial artery pressure point, which is along the medial side of the arm just below the armpit....basically anywhere you can feel a pulse is a viable pressure point for arterial pressure. The one exception to this rule is the carotid artery....you absolutely cannot/must not attempt to apply pressure to this point to stem blood loss from the head.
Tourniquet...If all else fails, a bleeding wound in an extremity may be controlled by use of a tourniquet. Apply snug enough to stem blood loss, but not so tight as to cause further injury or disruption of blood flow through other vessels in the area. Release and reapply every 10-15 minutes until clotting occurs, or medical assistance is procured.
Help...If none of these conjure any desirable results, the best you can do is make the victim as comfortable as possible and seek immediate help.
That's enough from me.....while there are many others, I'd rather see some of our fine members add to the list, than blow my own horn all night...hope this was helpful...:D
ABC - The all-encompassing acronym which tells you immediately if a person is in stable condition, or grave straits which may require life-saving measures...
Airway...If your patient's airway is blocked, they can't breath, hence they can't metabolize oxygen, or expel carbon dioxide, hence they are suffocating or suffering pulmonary arrest. Either clear the blockage with a finger sweep, heimlich maneuver, repositioning, or chest thrusts. If a sweep is attempted, be careful not to push the blockage further into the airway.
Breathing...Just because a person is not breathing doesn't mean that they need chest compressions, first off...that comes later. ;) Check not only for breath, but depth of breath and irregularities or wheezing, or even rattling sound coming through the chest walls. Extremely shallow breathing could indicate any number of conditions which require immediate medical attention....when in doubt, call 911 immediately before rendering any further aid.
Circulation...If your victim is breathing, it's safe to say they have a pulse, but check it anyway....feel for weak or thready pulse at the extremities, or the absence of one in any extremity which appears to be injured...it could be a sign of internal blood loss or shock. A rapid pulse, while better than none, is also an indicator that the victim may require immediate medical attention...if neither breathing nor pulse is present, BCLS must be initiated while another first-responder (if available) calls for medical assistance. BCLS refers to Basic Cardiac Life Support, or CPR (cardiopulminary resussetation), and it's counterparts, which should only be learned in a certified class given by your local instructor.
HEENT - A first-response acronym which should help you to remember the important observation points upon initial contact with an individual in need of assistance. The head houses our CPU, of sort, and so barring any other obvious life-threatening condition, should be your first point of examination.
H...Head...observe the head in general...is it in an odd shape or position...are there any obvious injuries or discharges....
E...Eyes...at first glance, do the eyes appear normal...are there any obvious injuries, swelling or discharge....if open, do they appear focused, glazed, or at odd position within the eye sockets, etc...
E...Ears...again, check for obvious injuries, and especially discharge of blood or clear fluid (cerebrospinal fluid), which could be indicative of internal head injury...
N...Nose...same as previous...check for injuries, discharge, and blockage of the nasal orifice...
T...Throat...primarily, check for airway obstructions and secretions/discharges which could enter the airway due to positioning...
PEARL - Should be incorporated into the second step of HEENT, if no other obvious injury requires precedence.
Pupils Equal And Reactive to Light...an obvious indication of possible brain damage or stroke is unequal pupils and the inability of one or both pupils to react (constrict and dilate) to light....the easiest way to check for this is to open the eyelids fully and shine a pen light into each pupil, observing for PEARL, or lack thereof.
DEATH - The order in which countermeasures against exsanguination (bleeding out) should be taken...
Direct Pressure...place a pressure bandage (often times a bandage, held firmly in place with a hand or snug dressing) directly over the wound to stem the loss of blood...
Elevation...raise the position of the injured area or extremity above the level of the heart to relieve blood pressure in the area.
Arterial Pressure...in the event of severe bleeding in an extremity, which is not responsive to the previous measures, locate and apply direct pressure to the artery directly medial of the wound. For example, a severe bleeding cut in the wrist which does not respond to direct pressure or elevation could be controlled by direct constrictive pressure to the brachial artery pressure point, which is along the medial side of the arm just below the armpit....basically anywhere you can feel a pulse is a viable pressure point for arterial pressure. The one exception to this rule is the carotid artery....you absolutely cannot/must not attempt to apply pressure to this point to stem blood loss from the head.
Tourniquet...If all else fails, a bleeding wound in an extremity may be controlled by use of a tourniquet. Apply snug enough to stem blood loss, but not so tight as to cause further injury or disruption of blood flow through other vessels in the area. Release and reapply every 10-15 minutes until clotting occurs, or medical assistance is procured.
Help...If none of these conjure any desirable results, the best you can do is make the victim as comfortable as possible and seek immediate help.
That's enough from me.....while there are many others, I'd rather see some of our fine members add to the list, than blow my own horn all night...hope this was helpful...:D
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