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5 Lifesaving Skills Everyone Should Learn

You do not need to be a health professional to save someone’s life. The difference between someone living or dying could be your knowledge – or lack of it. For this reason, we are providing the five lifesaving skills everyone should learn.

CPR

The first lifesaving skill people consider learning is CPR. That’s because this knowledge can help you save the life of a person who has collapsed, drowned or is under cardiac arrest. It is often beneficial to take a CRP class to learn and practice the right procedures. You can also click here to learn more about CPR and what to do in an emergency.

The Heimlich Manoeuvre

A person can easily start to choke if their airways are blocked by food or another object. The best way to dislodge the blockage is by performing the Heimlich Manoeuvre. Before performing the first aid technique, give five blows to a person’s back using the heel of your hand. If this does not remove the object you should then perform the abdominal thrusts.

Heart Attack Response

The symptoms of a cardiac arrest often vary. Sometimes they can be obvious and dramatic and will require CPR. Yet, a heart attack may also come in the form of heartburn. It’s important you learn how to spot the signs of a heart attack, so you can ring the emergency services. If a person is over the age of 16 and is not allergic to aspirin, or isn’t taking medications that could interfere with aspirin, offer them an aspirin tablet to reduce damage to their heart.

Bleeding Treatment

There are many forms of bleeding a person can experience, such as a small scrape to arterial bleeding. It’s important that everyone knows how to stop bleeding as soon as possible.

Before you attempt to treat a wound, you should wash your hands and put on gloves. If you do not have any gloves, use a plastic bag. Ask a victim to lie down and cover them with a blanket, while elevating the area. You should remove any dirt or debris in the wound; however, you should never attempt to remove any large or embedded objects that may cause additional bleeding.

The next step is to apply continual pressure to the area using either a bandage or clean cloth for a minimum of 20 minutes, and add more gauze if necessary. If the bleeding persists, apply pressure to the artery, which are pressure points on the inside of the arm, below the armpit, behind the knee or in the groin. You should apply pressure by squeezing the main artery against the bone, while ensuring your fingers are flat. Use your other hand to apply pressure to the wound. Once the bleeding has stopped, leave the bandages where they are and immobilize the injured area.

Burn Treatment

All large or severe burns should only be treated by a qualified medical professional. However, there are some steps you can take to ease a person’s pain.

The first step is to run the burn under cool tap water for ten to 20 minutes, before cooling the skin with a moist compress. Do not attempt to add ice, butter or other cold objects onto the skin. Once you have run the skin under cool water, clean it gently with mild soap and tap water. You should then ensure the victim takes ibuprofen or acetaminophen for the pain and inflammation.

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