Monthly Archives: March 2017

First Aid Techniques

Environmental Emergencies – Part 3 “Heat Exposure”

Following our previous posts about Environmental Emergencies we will now go into “Heat Related Emergencies” and how they can go from bad to worse in only a short period of time.

Just remember that Thermal energy in either direction Hot or Cold will result in levels of severity and symptoms that are very similar but on opposite ends of the spectrum “Fire / Ice“, Lets focus on Heat exposure within the core of your body for this article and explain how a High core temperature can effect treatments.

To help with the explanation of Hyperthermia we must also bring in your “Normal Body Temperature 37C / 98.6F“. “Hyper” literally means “High” and “thermia” temperature, put them together and you get high temperature within your body. Your body has three stages of Hyperthermia “Heat Cramps / Heat Exhaustion & Heat Stroke” and each stage has its own symptoms until you reach about “41C or 106F” which would typically be unconsciousness.

Heat Exposure & What it looks like:

  1. Heat Cramps -“37C to 38C” -Mild muscle contractions that can become severe, usually in the legs and abdomen but can be in other body parts, moist skin.
  2. Heat Exhaustion – “38C to 40C” – Raised Body temperature, moist skin, skin that is redder or paler than normal, nausea, dizziness, weakness, exhaustion, head aches and feeling ill. “Most people think this stage is Heat Stroke or Sun Stroke“
  3. Heat Stroke – “39C to 41C” – High body temperature, Red, Hot, Dry skin “no longer sweating“, irritable, bizarre, or aggressive behavior, rapid, weak pulse becoming irregular, Rapid, shallow breathing, seizures & progressive loss of consciousness.

Causes:

  • Exposure to hot temperatures for too long.

Prevention of Hyperthermia:

“High body temperature”

  • Drink plenty of cool fluids – This is the most important action you can take to prevent heat related emergencies “Not Energy Drinks“
  • Avoid being outdoors during the hottest part of the day “around 3 pm“
  • Slow down your activities as it gets hotter and don’t work or exercise for too long at a time.
  • Take frequent breaks in a cool or shaded area to let your body cool off. This will help you cope better with short periods of extreme heat.
  • Dress for the heat and for your activity level.
  • Wear a hat when you’re in the sun. Wear light colored cotton clothing to absorb sweat and let air circulate and heat escape.
  • Avoid caffeine and alcohol because they can cause dehydration, which stops your body from controlling its temperature properly.

How to Treat Hyperthermia: “High body temperature“

  1. Check the area, once the area is safe, Check the person and ensure the persons ABC’s are present “Airway / Breathing / Circulation” REMEMBER – Wear gloves if available to avoid bodily fluids.
  2. Call 911 and get an AED if the heat related injury includes seizures, altered personality, vomiting, unconsciousness or possible heat stroke, or EMS may be delayed.
  3. Care for the Heat Exposure by:

Always follow recommendations by your Emergency Response professionals and 911 Dispatch personnel. “Never endanger yourself, you may not need to move the person”

  • a) If the patient is conscious and able to drink water, have them sip some cool water or electrolyte drinks. “Not energy Drinks“
  • b) If the patient is conscious have them then rest in a cool place
  • c) Have the person loosen any tight clothing and if you are fanning remove any clothing that is soaked with sweat.
  • d) Cool the person by putting cool water on the skin and fanning them to increase evaporation.
  • e) If you suspect Heat Stroke remember “Hot is Fast / Cold is Slow” If cool water bottles, ice packs, or other cold sources are available put them in each armpit, the groin and the back of the neck. Cool the body any way you can, immerse the body in cool “not cold” water from the neck down. Or you can sponge the entire body with tepid or cool water or fan the person. “Cold water may put the person into shock“
  • f) If the person is alert, give him or her cool liquids to drink “No alcohol or caffeine“
  • g) Continue care until EMS arrive or you seek further medical attention.

NOTES TO REMEMBER:

  • Heat related emergencies will get worse without treatment and can change from one level to another very quickly. Never let someone with heat exhaustion or heat stroke “go to bed” without treatment.
  • Febrile Seizure – A febrile seizure occurs when infants and children experience a rapid increase in temperature “Usually up to 40C or higher“. Infants with an “Armpit” temperature of 38C or higher and children with 40C and higher are in “Immediate danger!” Call 911 and seek medical attention immediately!
  • If the person is having a seizure, and has a fever, call 911, keep the person in a safe position, and cool them down any way possible. The seizure often will stop spontaneously within 15 minutes or when the person is cooled down. “Always seek medical attention to rule out further damage“

As you can see, the treatment for heat Exposure in this tutorial is the same regardless of the name “Heat cramps / heat exhaustion or heat stroke“. Once you master the First Aid technique on how to aid a Thermal injury caused from a Heat source you can aid anyone who has been exposed to too much Heat energy. Just remember that it does not matter what the name of the Heat exposure injury is, the treatments are often the same “Hot is Fast & Cold is Slow“. You can help by remembering to “Treat the heat, with cool running water for 10-20 minutes, place cool packs in the armpits, groin and back of the neck, and if the patient is conscious have them sip cool water or electrolyte drinks..”

In any emergency just remember to Protect Yourself!!! Call 911!!! Don’t Waste Time!!!

Swoop into First Aid and give a breath of Life, let first aid training in Edmonton be your Saving Grace.

#ChemicalBurns #HeatCramps #HeatStroke #Burns #Hyperthermia #HeatRelatedInjury #ThirdDegreeBurn #FireSafetyTips #FirstAidCourse #FirstAidCourseEdmonton #H2SAlive #BasicLifeSupport #BLS #BLSforHCP #H2sAliveEdmonton #EnformH2S #BCLS #BCLSCourseEdmonton #ACLS #AdvancedCardiovascularLifeSupport #EMR #EmergencyMedicalResponder #HeatExposure #FebrileSeizure #HeatExhaustion

First Aid Techniques

Environmental Emergencies – Part 2 “Cold-Hypothermia”

To continue our detailed explanation of how to handle environmental emergencies including exposure to both “Heat” and “Cold“, and explain how we can help, we must again refer back to a previous post about “Burns“, as we are talking about a “Thermal Dynamic Energy” your body can take damage from to much exposure to both heat and cold, it always depends on the amount you are exposed to that will detail the severity of the injury. The slogan from our post about Burns is, if “Hot is Fast, then Cold must be Slow“. Once again this will help us distinguish the difference in the injuries and potential treatments we can use to help the patient.

Just remember that Thermal energy in either direction Hot or Cold will result in levels of severity and symptoms that are very similar but on opposite ends of the spectrum “Fire / Ice“, Lets focus on Cold exposure within the core of your body for this article and explain how a low core temperature can effect treatments .

To help with the explanation of Hypothermia we must also bring in your “Normal Body Temperature 37C / 98.6F“. “Hypo” literally means “Low” and “thermia” temperature, put them together and you get low temperature within your body. Your body has three stages of Hypothermia “Mild / Moderate & Severe” and each stage has its own symptoms until you reach about “30C or 86F” which would normally lead too unconsciousness.

Hypothermia What it looks like:

  1. Mild -“37C to 35C” -Shivering and complaining of the cold, numbness, body temperature slightly below normal.
  2. Moderate – 35C to 33C – Shivering and sometimes complaining of the cold, Numbness, Lack of coordination and / or speech “Slur“, Confused or unusual behavior, impaired judgement.
  3. Severe – 33C to 27C – Person has stopped shivering, persona has stopped complaining of the cold, Numbness, lack of coordination and / or speech, confused or unusual behavior, impaired judgment, breathing has slowed down or stopped, possible unconsciousness and body feels stiff.

Causes:

  • Exposure to cold temperatures for too long.

Prevention of Hypothermia:

“Low body temperature”

  • If you are in, on, or around a cold environment, prepare properly, wear layer of clothing and warm yourself if you feel cold.
  • Wear a tuque and layers of clothing made of tightly woven fibers, such as wool or synthetics like fleece. “AVOID COTTON!”
  • Cover Up vulnerable areas such as your fingers, toes, cheeks, ears, and nose “But don’t cover them too tightly”
  • Drink plenty of warm fluids to help your body stay warm, if warm drinks are not available, drink plenty of plain water or electrolyte drinks “Not energy drinks“.
  • Avoid caffeine & alcohol because they can cause dehydration, which stops your body from controlling its temperature properly.
  • Take frequent breaks from the cold to let your body warm up. This will help you cope better with short periods of extreme cold.
  • Check the weather forecast before you plan an outdoor activity.
  • Shivering is your body’s first response to cold, Blue lips and vigorous shivering are warning signs of hypothermia.
  • Be extremely careful around water. Hypothermia can occur in any body of water, warm or cold. If you clothes get wet and you are in the cold, change into dry clothing immediately.

How to Treat Hypothermia: “Low body temperature“

  1. Check the area, once the area is safe, Check the person and ensure the persons ABC’s are present “Airway / Breathing / Circulation” REMEMBER – Wear gloves if available to avoid bodily fluids.
  2. Call 911 and get an AED if the cold related injury includes frost nip or frost bite, the person is in a great deal of pain, there is blackening on the wound, the person has stopped shivering or has wet clothing and EMS may be delayed.
  3. Care for the Hypothermia by:

Always follow recommendations by your Emergency Response professionals and 911 Dispatch personnel. “Never endanger yourself and maintain a safe distance from the source of the injury”

  • a) Treat the person gently and monitor breathing carefully.
  • b) Get the person away from the cold environment and into some kind of shelter, if possible.
  • c) Remove any wet clothing and dry the person.
  • d) Warm the person by wrapping him or her in blankets or putting on dry clothing. Cover the head and neck. Warm the person slowly. Warming too quickly can cause heart problems and lead to shock.
  • e) “Hot is Fast / Cold is Slow” If hot water bottles, heating pads, or other heat sources are available put them in each armpit, the groin and the back of the neck. If you use a heating pad, make sure the person is dry. Keep a blanket, towel, or clothing between the heat source and the skin to avoid burns.
  • f) If the person is alert, give him or her warm liquids to drink “No alcohol or caffeine“
  • g) Continue care until EMS arrive or you seek further medical attention.

Freezing of Skin to Metal Objects:

“This is a common injury in children during winter, the tongue, lips and other moist parts of skin can freeze to cold metal objects”

How to Help:

  1. Ensure the ABC’s are present “Airway, Breathing, Circulation”
  2. Pour warm water on the surface of the object and/or the skin that is stuck to the object. “DO NOT USE HOT WATER!”
  3. Gradually and gently help release the person from the metal object
  4. Treat any non life threatening injuries “Any torn skin is an open wound” and provide continual care.

NOTES TO REMEMBER:

  • Don’t rub the frozen area or put snow on it. Warm the area only if you are sure it will not freeze again.
  • Avoid “Direct” heat as this may damage the tissue further, use heat sources closer to the core above the injury. “Put the Hot Pack at the Point, Nearest the coldest Joint“
  • Never aggressively warm with friction or patting, the injured person may go into shock with sudden movements.

As you can see, the treatment on Cold Exposure in this tutorial are the same regardless of the name “Frost Nip / Frost Bite” or even “Hypothermia“. Once you master the First Aid technique on how to aid a Thermal injury caused from a Cold source you can aid anyone who has been exposed to too much Cold energy. Just remember that it does not matter what the name of the cold exposure injury is, the treatments are often the same “Hot is Fast & Cold is Slow“. Put a heat source at the joint nearest the coldest point and gradually warm the cold exposure related injury.

In any emergency just remember to Protect Yourself!!! Call 911!!! Don’t Waste Time!!!

Swoop into First Aid and give a breath of Life, let first aid training in Edmonton be your Saving Grace.

#ChemicalBurns #FrostBite #FrostNip #Burns #Hypothermia #ColdRelatedInjury #ThirdDegreeBurn #FireSafetyTips #FirstAidCourse #FirstAidCourseEdmonton #H2SAlive #BasicLifeSupport #BLS #BLSforHCP #H2sAliveEdmonton #EnformH2S #BCLS #BCLSCourseEdmonton #ACLS #AdvancedCardiovascularLifeSupport #EMR #EmergencyMedicalResponder #FrozenSkin #FrozenToMetal