In addition to calling an ambulance, the first thing you should try before a medical emergency is to observe the symptoms that the person or you have, in order to correctly inform the doctor who will assist you. This information is essential to establish your diagnosis and thus treat your case as it should.
We are often alarmed by a health emergency, but experts say that knowing how to act can make a difference, as it will help you better explain your symptoms so that the doctor makes a better diagnosis. Here they explain how to act in a medical emergency.
We are often alarmed by a health emergency, but experts say that knowing how to act can make a difference, as it will help you better explain your symptoms so that the doctor makes a better diagnosis. Here they explain how to act in a medical emergency.
The second, if you must wait for help, is to find that the person is as comfortable as possible and in a resting position: lying on the floor, but slightly inclined (or lying down, or sitting).
You should also take off your shoes so that the blood circulation remains stable. The key, however, is to remain calm, even if it is you who is suffering from a stroke or a heart attack. If you do, you can breathe better and follow the instructions while receiving help.
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A stroke or a heart attack
Rodney Gin, a specialist at the American Academy of Home Care Physicians, explains that the symptoms you should pay attention to are:
If the discomfort that is generated from the centre of the chest to the arm, which is not necessarily pain, can also feel like burning or numbness.
Difficulty breathing, excessive sweating, a feeling of indigestion or suffocation, nausea and vomiting and a high or irregular heartbeat, are other signs that may indicate that you begin to have a heart attack.
In the case of women there may also be jaw pain, severe fatigue and problems with sleep. 78% of patients have presented any unusual symptoms even months before a heart attack occurs. They often do not tell their family.
How to act if you are alone?
Although it may seem one of the logical steps, calling an ambulance, despair and anguish can cause you to ignore this detail, but the faster you report, the sooner help will arrive. Also, if you are as calm as possible, you can better attend to the recommendations.
People who have a heart attack need 325 mg of aspirin, for best results it is ideal to chew it before taking it, as this will release their assets directly into the stomach. This should be done only in case of emergency. It is only your cardiologist who can recommend you to take a pill of this type or not to maintain the health of your heart. All cases are different.
Because of how scary a heart attack is, walking in a hurry or panicking will make the problem worse. Relax as much as you can to keep your heart rate stable and allow air to reach your lungs.
You can lie on the floor on your back and put your feet up. Using the bed as a backup is a good idea, this will open the diaphragm, making it easier for you to breathe and provide oxygen to your blood.
Once you have taken the most important steps, you can call a family member to accompany you.
If a wound occurs
Usually, a puncture wound does not cause excessive bleeding. Often, the wound closes almost instantly. However, this does not mean that no treatment is needed. A puncture wound – such as stepping on a nail – can be dangerous due to the risk of infection.
This is how you should act:
- Wash your hands. This helps prevent an infection and stop the bleeding. Apply gentle pressure with a bandage or with a clean cloth.
- Clean the wound. Wash the wound with clean water. If dirt or debris remains in the wound after washing, use tweezers disinfected with alcohol to remove particles. If residues remain, consult a doctor. Clean the area around the wound with soap and a cloth.
- Apply a thin layer of a cream or an antibiotic ointment (Neosporin and Polysporin). In some people, certain ingredients found in some ointments can cause a mild rash. If a rash appears, stop using the ointment.
- Cover the wound. Bandages can help keep the wound clean and ward off harmful bacteria and change the bandage. Do this at least once a day, or when the bandage gets wet or dirty.
- Look for signs of infection. Check with your doctor if the wound does not heal or if you notice redness, increased pain, drainage, heat or swelling.
When should you go to the emergency room?
If you continue to bleed after direct pressure for a few minutes: If it is the result of an animal or a human bite. If a cat or dog caused the injury, try to confirm that your rabies shots are up to date. If caused by a wild animal, seek medical advice to find out which animals are most likely to transmit rabies.
It is deep, dirty or performed with a metallic object: If the injured person has not been vaccinated against tetanus in the last five years and the wound is deep or dirty, the doctor may recommend the application of a reinforcement. The injured person must receive reinforcement within 48 hours of the injury.
How to act in case of drowning or suffocation?
- It is important that the person is placed on a hard surface, you should look in his mouth if there is any foreign element and take his pulse to determine how his breathing is.
- In the case of a foreign object, you can perform the “Heimlich manoeuvre”: get behind the person, pass a fist over the navel with the thumb towards the abdomen and cover the fist with the other hand. Press in and up quickly.
- If it is a respiratory arrest, try mouth-to-mouth breathing. Then call an ambulance as it is a medical emergency.
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