First Aid

232 Pages·1985·7.21 MB·English

by  V. M. Buyanov

B. M. EyflHOB
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MeAHUHHCKaa
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H^aTe.ibCTBo «Me.iHmwa» MocKBa
V. M. Buyanov
First Aid
Translated
from the Russian by
Elena Koltsova
Mir Publishers Moscow
First published 1985
Revised from the 1982 Russian edition
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© H3.iaTe.ibCTBo «Mej.nuHHa». 1982
© Englich translation. Mir Publishers. 1985
Contents
Introduction 9
Chapter I. Essentials of Antisepsis and Asepsis 13
Antisepsis 14
Chemical Antisepsis 14
Biological Antisepsis 18
Asepsis 19
Sterilization of the Dressing Material 20
Sterilization of Surgical Instruments 23
Sterilization and Application of Syringes 25
Sterilization of the Hands and Disinfection of the
Gloves 28
Chapter 2. Techniques for Applying Bandages (Desmur-
gia) 31
Soft Bandages 31
Rules for Applying Soft Bandages on Individual
Body Parts 44
Hard Bandages 53
Chapter 3. General Principles for Rendering First Aid 54
Chapter 4. Shock 75
Chapter 5. Principles and Methods of Resuscitation 80
Disturbances in the Organism in Terminal States 81
Essentials of Resuscitation 83
Resuscitation in Respiratory Arrest 83
Resuscitation in Circulary Arrest 92
5
Intensive Therapy 97
Organization of Resuscitation 100
Chapter 6. First Aid for Haemorrhages 101
Types of Bleeding 102
First Aid in External Haemorrhages 104
First Aid in Certain External and Internal Haemor-
rhages 113
Blood Transfusion 119
Chapter 7. First Aid in Wounds
Wounds 125
Wound Infection '29
Features of the First Aid in Injuries to the Head,
Chest, and Abdomen 135
Chapter 8. First Aid in Injuries to the Soft Tissues,
Joints and Bones 138
First Aid in Contusions, Sprains, Ruptures. Compres-
sion, or Dislocations 139
First Aid in Fractures 142
Chapter 9. First Aid for Burns and Frostbite 152
Burns and Scalds 152
Thermal Burns 153
Chemical Burns 156
Frostbite 158
General Freezing 160
Chapter 10. First Aid for Accidents and Sudden Illness 161
Injuries Caused by Electric Shock and Lightning 161
Drowning. Asphyxia and Accidents in Falling
Earth 165
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning 168
Food Poisoning 169
Poisoning with Toxic Chemicals 172
Poisoning with Concentrated Acids and Alkalis 173
Alcohol and Drug Poisoning 175
Heart-stroke and Sun-stroke 177
Bites bv Rabid Animals. Poisonous Snakes or Insects 178
6
Foreign Bodies of the Ear, Nose. Eye. Respiratory.
and Gastro-intestinal Tract 181
Acute Diseases of the Abdominal Organs 187
Renal Colic and Acute Ischuria 189
Insult (Cerebral Haemorrhage), Epileptic and Hyster-
ical Fits 190
Acute Cardiovascular Failure 192
Pulmonary Oedema 195
Myocardial Infarction 197
Emergency Labour 198
Chapter 11. Care of Patients: Elements of Rendering
First Aid 200
Supplement 1. Table of Common Poisons and Their
Antidotes 206
Supplement 2. Specific (Antidote) Treatment of Acute
Poisoning 211
Supplement 3. Hypothetical Situations for Studying
the Principles of First Aid: Tasks for Self-control 214
Subject Index 224

Introduction
Essentials of first aid. First aid is a combination of the
emergency medical measures used in case of sudden ill-
ness or accident. The first aid rendered on the spot or as
the victim is being transported to medical facilities may
vary and is classified as follows:
(1) unskilled first aid rendered by a layman who often
has none of the necessary means or medicines;
(2) qualified first aid (before the arrival of a doctor)
rendered by a specially trained medical worker (medical
technician", nurse, laboratory or dental technician);
(3) first aid rendered by a doctor who has the necessary
instruments, apparatus, medicines, blood and blood sub-
stitutes, and so on at his disposal.
An accident is an injury to a body's organs or an impair-
ment of their functions as the result of an unexpected effect
of the environment. It is often impossible to notify the
emergency ambulance service promptly after an accident
and so the first aid rendered on the spot or before the vic-
tim is moved to medical facilities is extremely important.
Accident victims, their relatives, neighbours or pas-
sers-by often seek help at the nearest medical institution
such as the chemist's shop, the dentist, laboratory, epide-
miological station or kindergarten whose workers must
render help immediately. For this reason, the curriculum
11 The term in Russian and German is feldscher, which
indicates a medical worker who has specialized medical
training. A feldscher can render first aid before the arrival
of a doctor at obstetrical units and can act as an assistant
physician in therapeutic and prophylactic institutions. Tr.
9
for training this category of workers includes a special
course on the main symptoms and complications of var-
ious injuries and sudden illnesses.
First aid (before a doctor arrives) includes the following
three steps.
1. Either the external hazard (electrical current, high
or low temperature, compression with heavy objects)
must be removed or the victim must be removed from the
hazardous environment (water, burning premises,
premises with accumulated poisonous gases).
2. First aid must be rendered to the victim according
to the seriousness and type of injury, accident, or sudden
illness (this may involve arresting the bleeding, dressing
the wound, artificial respiration, heart massage, or
administration of antidotes).
3. The victim or patient must be immediately trans-
ported to medical facilities.
The general first-aid measures listed in step 1 com-
monly involve the effort of the victim alone or with help.
Since the victim may die if not removed from the hazard-
ous environment, first aid must begin with the measures
outlined in step 1. The longer a victim remains in the
hazardous conditions, the more serious the injury will be.
The first aid measures in step 2 are rendered by medi-
cal workers or by people who have learned the main
symptoms of injuries and special first aid techniques.
Step 3 is of particular importance. The transportation
must be prompt and correct, i. e. the patient or victim
must be transported in the safest position for the given
illness or injury. An unconscious or a vomiting patient,
for instance, should be transported on his side; bone
fractures must be immobilized. Victims are transported
in special transport facilities-ambulance vans or air-
planes. When these are not available any means found in
a given situation may be used. In extreme cases an in-
jured person may have to be carried in the arms, or on a
10