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First aid - Q & A

This article lists a range of questions on first aid which were posted by visitors to the Better Health Channel. Our experts provided the answers.

Q. How do I know when to call 000 for an emergency ambulance?
Call 000 for an emergency ambulance when there is:

  • A person unconscious for any reason, who doesn’t wake when shaken.
  • Possible heart attack, which can be characterised by crushing chest pain, possibly leading to pain into the arms and jaw, that lasts more than five minutes.
  • Difficulty breathing, especially if the person is unable to speak more than a few words, or has blue lips or mouth.
  • Severe abdominal pain causing fainting, especially in females aged 12 to 50 years.
  • Bleeding that doesn’t stop with direct pressure on the bleeding area.
  • Severe back pain after a fall, or sudden onset of back pain if aged over 50 years.
  • Burns that are bigger than the size of a hand, or burns associated with difficulty breathing.
  • Severe pain that isn’t relieved with simple painkillers.
  • Choking, especially if the person is unable to talk, cry or breathe.
  • Convulsions or fitting.
  • Drowning, near drowning or a diving or scuba accident.
  • Severe headache that isn’t of usual type, either with or without loss of function of an arm or leg.
  • Motor vehicle accidents, where you believe someone could be injured.
  • Industrial accidents where a person is trapped or injured.
  • Severe vaginal bleeding with possible or confirmed pregnancy.
  • Any suicide attempt.
  • Severe pain after a fall or injury where the person is unable to stand, sit up or walk.
  • Any known or suspected drug overdose or poisoning.
  • A person with diabetes who is not fully awake or not behaving normally.
  • A person with an allergic reaction, especially with difficulty breathing and/or who is not completely awake.
  • Any person who has suffered an electrical shock.
  • Any person suffering severe trauma (injury) - especially to the head, neck, chest or abdomen - which may be penetrating (for example, stabbed, shot, impaled) or blunt (for example, hit by an object, ran into an object).
Q. What is required in a first aid kit?
First aid kits need to be well organised, fully stocked and readily available at all times. A basic first aid kit will contain:
  • 1 packet of 50 individually wrapped adhesive dressings
  • 4 sterile eye pads
  • 4 sterile coverings for serious wounds
  • 4 triangular bandages
  • 12 safety pins
  • 8 small sterile unmedicated wound dressings
  • 4 medium sterile unmedicated wound dressings
  • 4 large sterile unmedicated wound dressings
  • 1 roll adhesive tape, 1.25cm wide (preferably micropore tape)
  • 2 crepe bandages
  • 2 elastic bandages
  • 1 pair scissors
  • 1 pair disposable gloves
  • 1 resuscitation mask
  • 1 pair tweezers
  • First aid booklet.
If you are on a farm or in a workplace, additional items may be required. First aid kits are available for purchase from the Metropolitan Ambulance Service by calling (03) 9840 3508.

Q. What are the most important first aid techniques that I can learn?
First aid is as easy as ABC - Airway, Breathing and Circulation. For your personal safety and to help you assess the seriousness of the situation, we suggest you put a DR first; that is, DR ABC. This acronym means:
  • D stands for Danger - always be aware of danger and ensure you do not put yourself in danger when going to the assistance of another person.
  • R stands for Response - is the person conscious? Do they respond when you call out or gently shake them?
  • A stands for Airway - clear the airway of any obstruction (for example, the tongue rolled back and blocking the airway, vomit or food) and keep it clear by placing the person on their side with their chin tilted back. This can be enough to save a person's life.
  • B stands for Breathing - learn how to check if a person is breathing and, if not, how to breathe for them. This is known as Expired Air Resuscitation (EAR) or the Kiss of Life.
  • C stands for Circulation - learn how to check for a pulse. Practise on yourself, friends and family. Feel for the carotid pulse on the neck, below the jaw line next to the Adams Apple.
Learn how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to keep vital blood flow and oxygen getting to the brain.

Q. Where is the best place to learn CPR resuscitation skills?
You can undertake a CPR training course with non-profit organisations such as Ambulance Victoria, St John Ambulance, Royal Life Saving Society, Red Cross and YMCA.

Q. How old do you need to be to learn CPR?
Grade five and six students can certainly learn CPR techniques and so can grandparents. It is a skill for life, which should be a life skill for everyone in the community.

Q. Would I be at risk of catching AIDS, hepatitis or other diseases if I had to perform CPR on an infected person?
The person who is most likely to need your CPR skills is a loved one where transmission of infection would be a minor issue or not an issue at all compared with the priority to save that person's life. We would recommend that everyone with training in resuscitation carry in their purse or wallet and first aid box a resuscitation mask to take the worry out of helping someone in a life threatening situation. These masks are available from pharmacies.

Q. I've heard that moving someone after an accident can cause injury to their spine. But what if they are choking?
Patients with spinal injuries and airway problems are difficult to manage. The principle is ABC - Airway, Breathing and Circulation. You have to manage the choking or clear the blocked airway while minimising any movement of the spine. It is not easy, but a patient may die from a blocked airway.

Q. What are you supposed to do when someone overdoses on drugs? Should they just sleep it off?
Drugs are very unpredictable. A doctor or ambulance paramedic should see a person who overdoses on any drug. Many overdose patients die alone and there have been some cases where the patient's friend or family has thought the patient was sleeping it off, but the patient has died. Many drugs (prescription or illicit) have dangerous side effects, particularly if they are mixed together. The rule is to always call for skilled help in the case of overdose.

Where to get help
  • Your doctor
  • Always call an ambulance in an emergency Tel. 000
  • Metropolitan Ambulance Service Tel. (03) 9840 3508
  • Ambulance Victoria First Aid Training Tel. 1800 248 859

    Related articles:

Asthma.
Bites and stings - first aid.
Burns.
Electric shock explained.
Emergency numbers - who to call in a crisis.
First aid kits.
Head injury - home care tips.
Heart attack explained.
Suicide and mental illness explained.


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Metropolitan Ambulance Service

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Article publication date: 26/05/2003
Last reviewed: 31/05/2004

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This article, like all health articles on the Disability Online, is sourced from Better Health Channel and has passed through a rigorous and exhaustive approval process. It is also regularly updated. For more information see Better Health Channel quality assurance page.


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