The Sidney herald., 1956-01-12

through the skin, IL you move
the patient; any move for =
person with q broken neck or q
broken back Is highly dangerous,
II 1t Is not done by a person
who knows how to do 1t - a
physician or ambulance attend
ants.
"a Decide what needs to be
done - promptly but not hastily.
Do whatever Is necessary to pre-
vent further injury IT to save
the victims life, and to keep
him quiet and comfortable, but
no lore. (Jack-knifing the vic
tim into the seat of a car to rush
him to a hospital may actually
cost his life.)
go Send for a doctor. Be sure
he is told the nature of the in
juries, where the victim is, and
what has been done.
To some extent, shock is pres
ent when there is any serious in
jury due to an accident. Shock
is the condition in which normal
activities of the body are in a
depressed state. 1t is a condition
associated with failure of circu-
lation. 1t may occur with the loss
of blood, damage to tissues, or
even because of emotional upsets.
Signs of shock vary with the
cause and degree of shock. The
persons face is pale and his skin
cold and clammy. Breathing is
rapid and shallow, the pulse rate
is rapid. The victim may lose
interest in what is happening
around him, he may be partly
or totally unconscious.
What to do about shock? Keep
the victim lying down, warn and
comfortable. If he says he's cold,
apply hot water bottles or some
other heating device, taking care
not to have them too hot. If a
victim is unconscious, never try
to pour liquid down his throat.
If the doctor will be there soon,
it's better not to give any liq-
uids, even if the patient is con-
scious. If the doctor cannot come
for a matter of hours, it is all
right to give a conscious patient
coffee or tea, as warm as he can
drink it. Fear can aggravate the
condition of shock, so assure the
patient he will be all right, even
if he does have to wait for the
doctor; il he has an open wound,
try to keep him from seeing it.
When the skin is broken, there
is always danger of infection. The
first aid job is to try to keep
dirt from getting into the wound,
and to stop the flow of blood, If
it is excessive. II 1t is not Excess
sive, carefully remove any ma
terial that may be touching the
wound, then cover the area with
sterile gauze, if it is available,
or a clean, ironed handkerchief,
freshly folded. Then put a band
age over the dressing and do
nothing else. Never wash the
wound or apply an ~antiseptic, for
it only makes the doctors treat
ment more difficult. Severe bleed
ing is dangerous and your first
job is to stop it. Lift away any
material touching the wound,
then put a bandage over the
dressing and do nothing else.
Never wash the wound or apply
a antiseptic, for it only makes
the doctors treatment more diff
ficult. Severe bleeding is dan
gerous and your first job is to
stop it. Lift away any material
touching the wound, then put on
the clean pad, as described, and
press it down firmly. When the
bleeding stops, a bandage may be
put on over the dressing. If an
artery is cut, the blood flows in
spurts. Apply pressure close to
the artery. These points are
on the upper leg. Press finger
eAPo W VIC POAillS, Tic
sound and the heart. If this does
not stop the bleeding a tourni-
quet may be necessary. This
should be done only as a last
resort, as a tourniquet is danger
Gus. 1T MUST NOT CUT OFF
ALL THE BLOOD FOR ANY
LENGTH OF TIME and should
be loosened at least every Is
After the bleeding is
stopped, a pad or dressing may
be placed over the wound. Bleed
from the vein is not so hard
to control, and can usually be
stopped by pressure on the band
age.
Remember - in first aid, it is
important not to try to do much
keep the patient quiet, COM
Portable, and warm until the doc