Drowning is considered as one of the most crucial accidents that can happen during summer. Hence, a proper knowledge on how to respond when it happens must be obtained.
One of the most common causes of accidental death, drowning is especially common to children. In the fateful event of drowning, the important thing is to keep a clear state of mind. And remember this mnemonic, as per Family Doctor: “Reach, throw, row, go.”
1. Reach.
If the drowning person is near the edge of the pool, dock or bank, one can lie flat on the ground and reach over the person who is drowning. Make use of what’s around to reach the person, like a tree branch, towel or even an oar.
2. Throw.
Throw a safety ring or a floater if you happened to have one.
3. Row.
If a boat is available, use it to save the drowning person.
4. Go.
Swim towards the person to save him/her. In addition, you can bring a floater or safety ring with you to be able to reach out to the drowning person.
Upon saving the drowning person, here is what you should be doing next.
1. Call for help.
See if there’s a lifeguard around or anyone else who can help you with the situation.
2. Check if the person is still breathing.
Place your ear next to the person’s mouth then the nose. Then, if you don’t feel any air on your cheek, check the pulse for at least 10 seconds. If there is still no pulse, proceed with CPR.
3. Call an ambulance.
Seek for a professional help.
In case of emergency, trust Airgurus to deliver. Airgurus Air Ambulance is a 24/7 emergency helicopter service and medical evacuation service provider in Manila, Philippines. Airgurus will truly be there for your emergency needs. Just keep our phone numbers on your contact list to be able to reach us in your emergency. Contact us now!
In our previous blog, we have discussed the importance of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) in saving a life especially in cases of cardiac arrest. Now, we will discuss and equally important emergency lifesaving skill called Heimlich maneuver.
What is Heimlich Maneuver?
It is a rescue procedure administer to choking person due to a foreign object. Heimlich maneuver is the procedure when the rescuer places a fist between the victim’s lower ribs or upper abdomen from behind. Then, he exerts sudden pressure in the form of thrusts. The pressure and the force applied to the abdomen creates an artificial cough that helps in ejecting the object from the windpipe.
Why is it important?
Incidents of choking are like a thief in the night. There is a small percentage that this will occur to you and to your family members, but it could be lethal when no one’s trained to give you’re a Heimlich maneuver. In just a minute, a person could be unconscious. With the 5th minute range, the person could suffer neural damage because of the lack of oxygen in the brain. In the same time frame, the patient’s heart will stop because of the blockage of the windpipe. Reaching this part is already lethal unless someone will administer a Heimlich maneuver.
How to administer Heimlich?
Below are the insightful steps from emedicinehealth.com on how to do abdominal thrust in different situations and different types of victims:
Lean the person forward slightly and stand behind him or her. Make a fist with one hand. Put your arms around the person and grasp your fist with your other hand in the midline just below the ribs. Make a quick, hard movement inward and upward in an attempt to assist the person in coughing up the object. This maneuver should be repeated until the person is able to breathe or loses consciousness. (See diagram in the pictures section.)
* If the person loses consciousness gently lay him or her flat on their back on the floor. To clear the airway, kneel next to the person and put the heel of your hand against the middle of the abdomen, just below the ribs. Place your other hand on top and press inward and upward five times with both hands. If the airway clears and the person is still unresponsive, begin CPR.
* For babies (younger than one year of age), the child will be too small for abdominal thrusts to be successful. Instead, the infant should be picked up and five back blows should be administered, followed by five chest thrusts. Be careful to hold the infant with the head angled down to let gravity assist with clearing the airway. Also be careful to support the infant’s head. If the infant turns blue or becomes unresponsive, CPR should be administered.
When in doubt…
If you are in doubt about what to do, and you are witnessing someone choking, call for emergency help immediately, do not delay. You may be able to successfully stop the choking before help arrives using techniques discussed here, but it is best for the choking person to be evaluated by the emergency medical team when they arrive. If something is still in the person’s throat, the emergency medical team can begin care immediately and take the person to the hospital for further treatment.
Variations of abdominal thrusts for special circumstances
* The victim is seated: The maneuver may be performed with the victim seated. In this instance, the back of the chair acts as a support for the victim. The rescuer still wraps his or her arms around the victim and proceeds as described above. The rescuer will often have to kneel down. In the event that the back of the chair the victim is sitting in is too high, either stand the victim up or rotate the victim 90 degrees so that the back of the chair is now to one side of the victim.
* For small rescuers and large victims, particularly children rescuing an adult: Instead of standing behind the victim, have the victim lie down on his or her back. Straddle the victim’s waist. Place one hand on the belly, halfway between the belly button and the edge of the breastbone. Thrust inward and upward. This is the same technique used in unconscious people.
* Pregnant/obese people: Abdominal thrusts may not be effective in people who are in the later stages of pregnancy or who are obese. Thus, chest thrusts can be administered. For the conscious person sitting or standing, take the following steps:
* Place your hands under the victim’s armpits.
* Wrap your arms around the victim’s chest.
* Place the thumb side of your fist on the middle of the breastbone.
* Grab your fist with your other hand and thrust backward.You have to continue this until the object is expelled or until the person becomes unconscious.
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The rule for basic life support is to provide initial aid to keep the patient alive until the medical help arrives. That, in itself, makes it a life-saving skill that doesn’t require a medical degree.
And in times of help in transporting injured individuals, you may need a faster vehicle. AirGurus Air Ambulance is available 24/7! We can provide you with emergency helicopters right where you need it, right when you need it. Visit our website to know more!
Humans have reached an optimal level of expertise into saving lives by treating life-threatening diseases or by putting a halt into an epidemic that threatens the existence of humanity. However, the medical assistance isn’t always around for emergency cases. With a 1:33,000 doctor-to-patient ratio, it is very alarming for our nation to contain casualties and save lives in times of emergencies and disasters.
As a productive member of your community – and of this nation – here are the basic life-saving skills that you need to know in order to save a family member, a relative or a friend who needs an emergency relief.
CPR [Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation]
CPR is probably one of the first things that come into your head when you hear “life-saving skill”. That is mainly because CPR is a must for cases of cardiac arrest. CPR is the manual application of chest compressions and ventilations to patients who suffer cardiac arrest. This procedure is done in an effort to maintain viability until advanced help arrives. This became a top skill for any medical practitioners and even for the emergency response team to be able to save patients who are in the midst of a cardiac arrest.
The preliminary steps of CPR, as defined by the American Heart Association, are as follows:
(1) Calling for help
(2) Establishing unresponsiveness in the victim by tapping or gently shaking and shouting at him or her
(3) Positioning the victim in a supine position on a hard surface
(4) Giving two breaths
(5) Checking the pulse.
This should be done as quickly as possible; prompt action is essential for a successful outcome. The moment the breathing and any heart action stops, “clinical death” ensues. Within four to six minutes the cells of the brain, which are the most sensitive to lack of oxygen, begin to deteriorate. If breathing and circulation are not restored within this period of time, irreversible brain damage occurs and “biological death” takes place.
It is always best to take a class or training, so you know the proper procedures and have practiced them beforehand. However, even without official training, you can save a life if no one with more CPR experience is around. Watching a one-minute instruction video about CPR can make you a better lifesaver.
You can check this video from huffingtonpost.com for reference:
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The rule for basic life support is to provide initial aid to keep the patient alive until the medical help arrives. That, in itself, makes it a life-saving skill that doesn’t require a medical degree.
And in times of help in transporting injured individuals, you may need a faster vehicle. AirGurus Air Ambulance is available 24/7 to provide you with emergency helicopters right where you need it, right when you need it. Visit our website to know more!
A day can go on as routinely as it can. Amazingly, a normal day can also change with just a flick of a second. From routine to disastrous real quick, emergencies can happen on a seemingly calm day, to the very unsuspecting people.
And with this nature of emergencies, knowledge, and preparation do come handy. It’s best to have a clear state of mind and have a set of wisdom to save your life and the lives of others when emergencies strike.
1. Keep calm.
It sure is easier said than done to keep calm in the event of an emergency. But for so long, maintaining your own composure during emergencies is a big help. When people panic, the situation almost always take a turn for the worse. Keeping calm and putting on a clear state of mind lets you assess the situation better, allowing you to think of a solution or a temporary remedy.
2. Survey the scene.
Once you have established your calm, keep an eye out on the surroundings. Check the impact of the emergency on the environment. Assess if the impact has been minimal or great. Also, see if the place is still safe to stay at or it would be the best for everyone to leave and evacuate.
3. Call for help.
While you need to be your own hero when an emergency happens, you need to let the right people handle the whole situation as much as possible. Arm yourself with first-aid knowledge, just until help comes. Taking the whole situation into your hands is not really advisable, as it can lead to more disastrous outcomes. Know what you can handle and know what you should leave alone.
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There is no way to prevent emergencies. Preparation is the best tool to at least make it safely through an emergency or uneventful circumstance that will surely get the best of us.
Help is always on the way. Airgurus is a 24/7 Air Ambulance helicopter and fixed wing service provider. We ship medical supplies and relief goods. We also provide evacuation services. Keep our hotlines with you for emergency purposes.
Danger is inevitable, it can happen anytime, anywhere. That is why it is very important that you are prepared for any accidents, injuries, or even life-threatening situations. One of the best ways possible to keep you equipped in times of need is having first aid skills through training.
First-aid is an emergency care or treatment being given to an ill or injured person before regular medical aid can be obtained. This normally includes skills on applying pressure to alleviate excessive bleeding, putting up bandages or support to injured body parts, and the most common skill CPR or Cardiopulmonary (mouth-to-mouth) Resuscitation.
There are three key applications of first-aid that makes it a very important skill that needs to be learned and honed, even at the early age:
1.) Household safety
For instances of accidents at home, having a first-aid kit is very important. Normally, it includes bandages, gauze, alcohol, and pain relievers. There are also several first aid skills that are valuable to you and your housemates, especially your children. Teaching them at an early age may not just save them, but also you in times you’re the one who is at risk. Knowing the Heimlich maneuver in times of choking is a very important skill that may save lives. Don’t forget that it is also important that you know all the emergency hotlines available. First-aid effects are just for the emergency procedure and the relief is temporary. So, an expert medical assistance should still be prioritized. (Read our Blog about Why it is important to know the different hotlines)
2.) Work safety
Having someone who is knowledgeable in first aid is a must. Be prepared for such is important even at work. Knowing some first-aid skills may extend the consciousness of a certain ill or injured person. This is applicable in case an immediate access to medical support cannot be obtained.
3.) Disaster risk reduction
One more thing that is inevitable is the weather. You may never know how injurious or damaging a hurricane, flood, or an earthquake will be. (Read our blog about How to Prepare for the ‘Big One’). Keeping your first-aid kits with you and your loved ones will always be a must. Moreover, in certain cases of bleeding, bruises or dislocated body parts of your loved ones due to impact. Hence, knowing the proper way of putting pressure and leveling of the injured limb will be very beneficial.
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First-aid skills might not be an absolute and an expert way of treating injuries and alleviating risks, however, it is still an important knowledge that may save or at least extend the lives of many as the needs arise. Many people suffer from heart attacks, loss of consciousness, severe wounds, burns, and even drowning, almost every day. That’s why being knowledgeable of the risks and the ways to give temporary relief to the person at stake through First Aid is very significant.
Help is always on the way. Airgurus is a 24/7 Air Ambulance helicopter. We ship medical supplies and relief goods. We also provide evacuation services. Keep our hotlines with you for emergency purposes. Visit our website to know more!
