First aid for trauma for people with traffic accidents

Traffic accidents have caused many casualties, first aid in place can contribute to keeping the victim's life alive. However, if the first aid is not correct, it may harm the injured person.

Not all cases of traffic accident victims are quickly taken to the hospital. First aid before hospitalization for victims is important, but each case needs assessment and specific treatment, there is no general formula for any case. Ordinary people who do not know how to assess a victim's injury lead to wrong first aid. There have been many cases where the victim's condition deteriorated after moving.

1. Burns

If the vehicle ignites, the first thing is to observe the scene to help the victim, while avoiding hurting yourself. Eliminate the cause of the burn by separating the victim from a flammable object, removing the clothing if it catches fire, soaking the burned skin in clean water or covering a cool towel for 15-20 minutes.

If the victim is still awake, rehydration should be given . In cold weather, keep the victim's body warm, then quickly take it to the nearest medical facility.

Note: The principle of treating burns is to cool the damaged skin as soon as possible. Do not use ice or water that is too cold to soak or apply. When performing must be very gentle, avoid causing pain, avoid breaking the burns because it is easy to make the infection worse, do not apply cream or anything on the wound. If the eye burns, tell the victim not to rub, do not try to remove the object in the eye.

In the case of multiple injuries, if the victim is found to have problems with airway, bleeding, head injury, spinal cord, first aid should be prioritized before being taken to hospital.

2. Wound bleeding

This is the most common injury when a traffic accident occurs. The cause of the impact, was stabbed by sharp objects into the skin, the bone broke out and broke the skin, broken blood vessels, limb. Signs that can be observed by eyes such as crushing or tearing skin and flesh lead to blood flow. Victims feel cold, sweating, pale skin, losing too much blood will lead to shock, unconsciousness, death.

Artwork: Medinet

In the case of a wound with a foreign object, the object should not be removed because it may cause more blood to flow out . Please handle the following steps:

1. Wear clean gloves or plastic bags when giving first aid to avoid spreading infectious diseases from victims (if any).
2. Press the edge of the wound with your hand.Insert bandages and gauze around the object for fixation.Take care not to cover the object.Transfer victim to medical facility.

With a bleeding wound or broken limb, need :

1. Wear gloves .Make the tourniquet by holding it tightly in place on the wound 3-5cm.A clean cloth can be used as a garnet if medical equipment is not available.
2. The garnet twists slowly until the blood runs out.

Note: Need to keep warm and let the person lie in a low head position, high legs to reduce blood flow to the wound. Loosen the tourniquet every 15 minutes and then twist it tightly. When taken to the hospital, the patient should be in a lying position, not using a motorbike.

For bleeding wounds without foreign bodies, need:

1. Wear rubber gloves.Apply a gauze or clean cloth directly to the wound and hold it tightly to stop the bleeding and then bandage.
2. Give the victim a lower head position and warm up.
3. Regularly check the limbs to loosen the bandage accordingly.If blood flow is visible, use another band to overlap.

Note: When first aid, do not make a garnet (tight twist) if it is not a bruised or broken wound. Do not transport the victim to a medical facility immediately but should provide first aid to limit injury and blood loss. In some unforeseen circumstances, such as unsafe scenes, move the victim out of the scene.

3. Fracture

When the bone is broken, the typical sign is pain in the broken area, more painful when touched or moved, reduced or unable to move the injured area, accompanied by swelling and bleeding. In some cases, the skin is bruised. If the bone is broken, the bone can pierce the skin.

The first thing to do is to temporarily fix the broken part . Avoid bone displacement, no further damage to the blood vessels, nerves and muscles. It is possible to use self-made braces from wood, bamboo, bearing to fix the broken bone area. If the fracture is near the joints, the joint must be fixed; For example, fracture of the femoral bone to fix the hip, knee and ankle joints. With the leg bone need to fix the knee and ankle joints; Fracture of the forearm bone should fix the elbow and wrist joints.

Particularly when open fractures, do not wash but only wipe around the wound, apply antiseptic and sterile compression bandages. Absolutely not press the broken bone in the head.

Then quickly take the patient to the nearest medical facility for treatment. You can use a motorbike to carry a fracture victim in a sitting position. However, in the case of fracture of the spine or thigh bone, it is necessary to transport it on the stretcher.

4. Brain injury

When you see the victim being hit in the head area, do not move on your own but ask for help from others. If the victim is in a coma, do not drink any water because it is easy to choke.

Victims of cranial trauma may have a rupture of the skull, penetrating wounds, cerebral palsy, internal bleeding or cerebral edema, convulsions. At that time, the victim should be placed in a well-ventilated place with a higher leg posture about 20 cm above the head if there is no head bleeding, no heart attack. Need to warm the patient . If the victim stops the heart, stops breathing, should give artificial respiration, massage the chest in the heart area.

After managing the initial injury, call an ambulance immediately. If you suspect a victim has a spinal injury, be very careful when carrying the stretcher out of the scene. In the process of moving, it is necessary to fix the victim by inserting cloth, blanket pillow at the head, neck and trunk.

5. Seizures

Need to put the victim on safe ground, support the head, extend clothing, especially in the neck area. If vomiting occurs, turn the victim to a side to avoid inhaling the vomit into the lungs. Then call 115 for assistance.

6. Sprain, dislocated

Parts with sprains and dislocations often show signs of: Pain, difficulty moving, swelling, edema, bruising, deformity.

For sprains, need: Limit movement of the affected area. Tape, lightly press the affected area and apply ice. Occasionally ask the victim if numbness of the head is numb to loosen the bandage. If the limbs are pale, loosen the bandage.

Dislocation: No joint movement that needs to fix the joint in the wrong position. Do not apply hot oil or chiropractic but only cold area. If dislocated at hand, a cloth can be fixed to the body and taken to the hospital.