As most parents know you are not just a parent…..no no no to those little cherubs you are also a cook, a taxi, a counsellor, a teacher, a handyman and a diplomatic envoy even the biggest super powers would envy just to name but a few roles.
The scariest job you will inevitably have to perform is that of the “Parental Paramedic”. It happens to the best of us, you turn your back for just a second and that is when the impossible happens. That triple backflip from the top bunk or the death defying slide down the stairs.
You find yourself saying those immortal phrases that your parents bestowed on you. “Don’t come running to me when you break your leg” or “you will poke your eye out if your not careful”
Suddenly cherub is there holding a wrist that’s swelling before your eyes, or that brand new white top looks like something from the exorcist covered in blood from a cut head or nose bleed, you hear screaming after they touch the hot pan you thought was totally out of reach.
More than likely most of your families emergencies will be pretty minor. But it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for the bigger problems, “just in case” is important.
You don’t actually need to have medical training, a little bit of knowledge goes a long way. What you do need to know is how to recognize the serious and what to do.
Over the next few days we will be posting some tips on what to do should something happen….join our group to find out what you can do
Why use a PAD Public access defibrillator. (automated external defibrillator) ?
Would it surprise you to know in the UK alone every year there are approximately 30,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA).
Would it also surprise you to know that the survival rate is only 8.6% where as in other countries such as Holland it is 21% and Norway is 25%.
This is partly down to the fact in the UK we are not very good at recognising a cardiac arrest. For every minute that someone is in cardiac arrest and nothing is being done the chance of survival reduces by 7-10%.
If there is an AED available the chances of survival are significantly increased as much as 30-40%. We must remember though not every cardiac arrest will survive.
What we need to do is increase public awareness and training in the following.
• cardiac arrest
• how to recognise it
• the need to call 999 immediately
• the need to start CPR immediately
• the fact that PADS can be used safely by anyone
Yes that’s right anyone can use a public access defibrillator. They are designed to be used by anyone just follow the instructions.
So the beast from the east is well and truly upon us. Lets head out and have fun……..but wait! What about your asthma. The cold air really sets it off right?
TOP TIP
A breath campaign from Asthma UK, Asthma sufferers are being encouraged to wear a scarf over their nose and mouth to prevent asthma attacks this winter.
Breathing in cold, damp air can make the airways tighten and trigger an attack in three out of four people, charity Asthma UK says. This can leave people coughing, wheezing and gasping for breath. The charity’s #Scarfie campaign says “a scarf can save a life” but it’s not a replacement for asthma medicines.
What is Asthma
Asthma is a long-term condition that affects your airways – the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. You could say that someone with asthma has ‘sensitive’ airways that are inflamed and ready to react when they come into contact with something they don’t like.
Asthma tends to run in families, especially when there’s also a history of allergies and/or smoking
.
how can you recognise it?
The person will have difficulty in breathing
Breathing may sound wheezy.
they may have difficulty speaking (will need to take a breath in the middle of a sentence).
Pale, Clammy skin.
Grey or Blue lips and skin (if the attack is severe).
use of extra muscles in the neck and upper chest when breathing.
Exhaustion in a severe attack.
may become unconscious and stop breathing in a prolonged attack.
How do i help treat them
Sit them upright, leaning on a chair or table may help support them
help the person to use their reliever (blue) inhaler. use every couple of minutes if the attack does not ease.
Winter time is especially difficult as cold air can make the attack worse, try not to take them out in the cold air.
TOP TIP
if you have to go outside use a scarf wrapped round the nose and mouth loosely as this will help warm the air being inhaled.
CALL 999/112 if the patient does not have their inhaler or it is not having an effect.
Try and keep the patient upright – only lay them down if they become unconscious.
If they stop breathing IMMEDIATELY START CPR – Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
So we hope this goes a little way to helping you enjoy the rare occasion the white stuff has stayed. Let’s face the beast from the east with a smile take a breath and let’s go sledging.
upset is an understatement. Are we that scared of litigation that we would rather walk on by? Are we that heartless and removed from reality that when something like this happens we reach for our phones not to call for help but to record the events…….
I was literally driving home when out the corner of my eye I caught something that didn’t look good, a man was knelt on the floor looking panicked and shouting for help. People moved out his way to walk on by. As I came close I could see a little pair of feet and realised it was a child on the floor, his child and they were shaking.
I stopped, jumped out the car and went to him, he was panicked and quite rightly so. His child was unresponsive and shaking violently. Lips blue and making funny noises. His child was fitting.
I shouted for help, people continued to pass by, some gathered around with their phones out but not calling for help but videoing the ongoing emergency blank faces staring at their screens.
In that short period (that felt like a lifetime without my usual equipment)I was able to call 999, tell the ambulance operator what was going on and ask for the appropriate response. I was lucky as I knew what to do. It’s what I do. Would you just walk on by?
So it’s February, the time of year when people focus on the one day of the year we dedicate to Love. St Valentine’s Day.
Who was this man? who was St Valentine? Some say he was a priest who was beheaded by emperor Claudius II for helping Christian couples wed, some say similar but that he was the bishop of Terni who was martyred for similar acts. Whoever he was, his work has survived the centuries for us all to appreciate the matters of the heart. So this months blogs will all be centred round this amazing feat of physical evolutionary engineering THE HEART.
So to start us of here are 14 (see what we did there) fun facts about the heart to help you learn more about this precious organ and learn to look after it.
What is the Heart?
The heart is a powerful organ made of something called cardiac muscle; the function of the heart is to constantly pump blood around the body, it uses the same energy over a lifetime that it takes to lift a battleship out of the water – pretty impressive for a muscle about the size of your fist.
Fact 1
By the time you reach your 70th birthday your heart will beat more than two and a half billion times (2,500,000,000 – that’s a lot of zeros).
Fact 2
The heart pumps blood from veins into arteries; the heart, veins and arteries make up bodily system called the circulatory system
Fact 3
How big is the human heart? The average heart size is about the size of a fist measuring around 12 cm long, 9 cm wide and 6 cm thick
What are the main parts of the heart? The main parts of the heart consist of: the Aorta, the left ventricle and left atrium, and the right ventricle and right atrium. The heart is divided into two parts, left and right.
Fact 4
The word “atrium” means entrance hall in Latin and the word “ventricle” means “little belly” (quite like that “the entrance hall to the little belly).
The right side of the heart receives blood from the body in the upper chamber, the blood flows to the lower chamber before it is pumped out of the heart to the lungs. The left side receives blood back from the lungs in the upper chamber, the blood flows to the lower chamber before it is pumped back to the body
Fact 5
You can feel your heart beat in the side of your wrist and to the side of your throat. The feel of your heart beat is called your pulse. Average pulse rates are 75-110 bpm (beats per minute) for a 7-12 year old and 75-100 bpm for ages 12 and above
Fact 6
Why does my heart sometimes beat faster? If you are excited or exercise your heart beats faster, this is because your heart needs to works harder and faster to get more oxygen to your muscles to help them to work effectively
What is the difference between an artery and a vein? Arteries carry the blood away from the heart and veins carry the blood back to the heart.
Fact 7
An easy way to remember the difference is arteries begin with an ‘A’ for ‘away’. Veins begin with a V if you put your fingers into a V shape they point towards your heart
Fact 8
The name of the artery that carries the blood away from the heart to the lungs is the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary vein carries the blood from the lungs to the heart (it is the only vein to carry oxygenated blood to the heart).
Fact 9
It beats around 70 times a minute in the average adult – but it’s the hummingbird that holds the record for the fastest heart rate at 1,200 beats a minute as it flaps its wings. Where as the blue whales heart (which is the the largest heart) beats between four and eight beats a minute.
Fact 10
Your heart pumps approximately 7,200 litres of blood a day, enough to fill a small paddling pool.
Fact 11
Your heart makes your blood travel 19,000 km everyday – the same distance as flying from London to Hong Kong.
Fact 12
The giraffe has a lopsided heart, with their left ventricle being thicker than the right. This is because the left side has to get blood up the giraffe’s long neck to reach their brain
Fact 13
When the body is at rest, it takes only six seconds for the blood to go from the heart to the lungs and back, only eight seconds for it to go the brain and back, and only 16 seconds for it to reach the toes and travel all the way back to the heart.
Fact 14
Grab a tennis ball and squeeze it tightly: that’s how hard the beating heart works to pump blood
So now you have a few amazing facts about the heart. Look after this little power house. It needs you and you need it
Christmas and new year has been and gone for another year. Resolutions and changes are promised to help us live longer and healthier lives, so that we can be around for those that matter to us the most. Our families…….
When I am teaching first aid, one of the questions I get asked most by students is “how can we help them?” We are just first aiders. Firstly you are not “JUST” a First Aider, YOU are the first person in a long line of people who is there to give someone every opportunity and the best chance of survival. YOU are the most important, because without your help and skill that person will feel scared, alone and they will get worse (if not die) without your help.
I tell my students the same story over and over, one that I am sure most of my emergency service family will have experienced at some point in their careers in some form. One that will sit for me forever.
This is a story that shows them that wether you are a First Aider, a medical professional or A&E consultant sometimes holding hands is the best and only thing that you can do. It happened as a result of something that happens all year round, but for some reason over the festive period it feels more poignant and always breaks my heart. It is the tragedy that comes with Alcohol & driving. Yes that tipple that we British love to consume in excess over the festive period added to the danger of driving can only lead to one outcome.
Firstly just watch this video to show you the carnage that is caused by not paying attention on the road, add alcohol to the mix and the consequences are horrific. I make no apology for this video. I truly believe this should be shown to everyone to truly show the impact.
***WARNING GRAPHIC SCENES***
Just imagine. You are driving home from a long shift, you are on a dark country road when you round the corner and you are met with a scene of pure devastation. A car has overturned, rolled and come to rest against a tree. Smoke coming from the car and you can hear a moan. You get out to investigate and realise someone is in there. What do you do? You ring 999 you ask them to send everyone. As you get to the car you can see someone inside trapped and bleeding.
You know it’s going to be some time before the emergency services get to you. Your miles from anywhere…….please help me!! Please can someone help me!! I can’t move. These words are ringing in your ears.
As you peer through what is left of the windscreen, you can see a person looking scared. You tell them help is on the way. You tell them to try and not move because you know that will have injuries that may be life threatening.
Suddenly a hand appears, they ask you to hold it. Because they feel scared, frightened and alone. You take their hand. You tell them you are there. The voice asks “am I going to be ok?” Honestly……you don’t know, but you comfort them by telling them you won’t let anything happen to them, you hold their hand tighter, showing you are there for them. Wishing to hear the sirens, looking for the lights in the darkness.
Suddenly, the grip weakens, you can’t hear them anymore. You SHOUT “ARE YOU OK?” No reply…..you try to grip the hand but nothing. Your heart racing. Anxious because you can’t get in. The night lights up with blue light. The silence broken by the shrill of the sirens. Your moved out the way.
You did the right thing, you did the only thing you could. You gave comfort, you held their hand. They were not alone. Sometimes holding someone’s hand is the most powerful thing you can do. It can convey so much emotion, just the touch alone can bring comfort. just holding someone’s hand is the best thing And sometimes the only thing you can do. Look after each other.
on the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
some grapes that made choke suddenly…………
So here it is. One of the biggest fears of any parent is what to do if your child chokes……weaning is one of the hardest things any parent goes through (alongside those sleepless nights), not only for the fact that most of the food ends up on the wall but for that one major fear, is it small enough? Did I break it down enough? Not to mention all those toys we have with perfect mouth sized pieces. All of this and more will be enough to give any of us nightmares
Now for a bit of harsh reality……. Choking is the third most common cause of infant death in the UK, after road traffic accidents and house fires — killing an average of 24 under-fives a year in England and Wales.
Approximately half the population doesn’t know what to do if someone chokes. This is more worrying when you realise that when it does happen, you must act quickly — you have three to four minutes before death can occur.
Let’s look at the anatomy and reasons children choke so easily. The diameter of a child’s airway is approximately the diameter of their little finger……small isn’t it? Does that surprise you?
How do we recognise someone is choking?
If an adult or small child is choking you may see one or all of these behaviours.
Coughing or gagging
Hand signals and panic (sometimes pointing to the throat)
Sudden inability to talk
Panicked look in eyes.
Clutching the throat: The natural response to choking is to grab the throat with one or both hands. This is the universal choking sign and a way of telling people around you that you are choking.
Wheezing
Passing out
Turning blue: Cyanosis , a blue colouring to the skin, can be seen earliest around the face, lips, and fingernail beds. You may see this, but other critical choking signs would appear first.
INFANTS
If an infant is choking, more attention must be paid to an infant’s behavior. They cannot be taught the universal choking sign.
Difficulty breathing
Weak cry, weak cough, or Wheezing
Passing out
Turning blue: Cyanosis, a blue coloring to the skin, can be seen earliest around the face, lips, and fingernail beds. You may see this, but other critical choking signs would appear first.
WHAT TO DO? – ACT FAST
Mild choking: encourage them to cough. If the airway is only partly blocked, the person will usually be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe. They will usually be able to clear the blockage themselves.
Don’t put your fingers in their mouth to help them as they may bite you accidentally.
Severe choking (complete blockage)
back blows and abdominal thrusts
Where choking is severe, the person will not be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe. Without help, they will eventually become unconscious.
To help an adult or child over one year old:
Stand behind the person and slightly to one side. Support their chest with one hand. Lean the person forward so that the object blocking their airway will come out of their mouth, rather than moving further down.
Give up to five sharp blows between the person’s shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. (The heel is between the palm of your hand and your wrist). Check if the blockage has cleared.
If not, give up to five abdominal thrusts.
Important: Don’t give abdominal thrusts to babies under one year old or to pregnant women
Stand behind the person who is choking.
Place your arms around their waist and bend them forward.
Clench one fist and place it right above their belly button.
Put the other hand on top of your fist and pull sharply inwards and upwards.
Repeat this movement up to five times. Checking between each attempt to see if the blockage has cleared.
If the person’s airway is still blocked after trying back blows and abdominal thrusts, get help immediately:
Call 999 and ask for an ambulance. Tell the 999 operator that the person is choking.
Continue with the cycles of five back blows and five abdominal thrusts until help arrives.
If the person loses consciousness and they’re not breathing, you should begin cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with chest compressions at a rate of 30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths.
Infants under 1 year
Back blows for babies under one year
Sit down and lay your baby face down along your thighs, supporting their head with your hand.
Give up to five sharp back blows (checking between each one) with the heel of one hand in the middle of the back between the shoulder blades.
Back blows for children over one year
Lay a small child face down on your lap as you would a baby.
If this isn’t possible, support your child in a forward-leaning position and give five back blows from behind.
If back blows don’t relieve the choking and your baby or child is still conscious, give chest thrusts to infants under one year or abdominal thrusts to children over one year. This will create an artificial cough, increasing pressure in the chest and helping to dislodge the object.
Chest thrusts for children under one year instead of abdominal thrusts
Lay your baby face up along the length of your thighs.
Find the breastbone, and place two fingers in the middle.
Give five sharp chest thrusts (pushes), compressing the chest by about a third. Check between each thrust to see if the blockage has cleared.
If the obstruction has not cleared ring 999 and tell the operator the child is choking, continue until help arrives. If the child goes unconscious start CPR IMMEDIATELY. Five rescue breaths initially then 30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths.
Simple things we can all do will help avoid choking as is reasonably possible. This may sound like common sense and I can only apologise.
1. Cut food up into small pieces for small children. (Mash them up for ones younger than 2).
A big cause of choking is over confidence in a child’s ability to eat, Up to approximately the age of five children are still learning to chew. So even if they seem to be confident eaters it doesn’t hurt to be careful.
2. Watch them eating.
Children can be distracted easily whilst eating and not chew properly and suddenly swallow. Whilst the ability is there to eat it is still an infantile skill so can easily get stuck.
3. Avoid allowing them to eat whilst running around or in the car seat.
Here are some foods to be cautious of or even avoid in children younger than 4.
Hot dogs
Nuts and seeds
Chunks of meat or cheese
Whole grapes
Hard or sticky candy
Popcorn
Chunks of peanut butter
Chunks of raw vegetables
Chewing gum (obvious but common)
I can tell you from personal experience with my own children and the incidents I have dealt with it IS scary. The most important thing is to be confident in your ability to help. Know exactly what to do and when to call for help.
Be safe people……….
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
A seal bark sounding baby😞
Ok day seven, and to be honest not sounding like the greatest of Christmas at the moment. Well thankfully this isn’t real. However if the occasions arises at least you will be able to help someone, and that is what counts. Only a short one today but never the less a very common problem that can be very frightening.
CROUP – What is it?
To give its medical name laryngotracheobronchitis (probably why it’s called croup, easier to say). Croup is a common childhood illness. It is sometimes called Laryngotracheobronchitis. Croup is most commonly caused by a viral infection (85% are viral in origin). The virus causes swelling and narrowing of the upper airways, voice box and windpipe which makes it difficult for your child to breathe and makes breathing noisy (causing a barking cough often described as a seal bark).
Croup usually affects children under five years of age, but can also affect older children and teenagers.Croup is very common during the autumn and early winter, probably due to the increased incidence of flu and cold viruses. Croup tends to occur during the night. This can be very frightening for YOU and your child.
How to recognise CROUP.
(Note this is a very poorly child in this instance call 999/112)
Difficult distressed breathing
A loud high pitched noise as the child breathes
A short ‘barking’ type cough
Pale clammy skin possibly blue tinges to lips
Use of muscles in the neck and upper chest to help breath
When to seek help?
There is a lot you can do yourself. But remember if you are at all worried ALWAYS seek medical advice.
Most children with croup can be cared for at home, as croup is usually a mild, self-limiting disease. There are things you can do to help your child feel more comfortable:
Stay calm and reassure your child
Offer your child their favourite drink in small, frequent amounts to keep him/her hydrated
Keep your child cool.
Give paracetamol or ibuprofen to help with the fever ( dose according tothe guidelines on the bottle)
Rest is very important, as activity may make symptoms worse. Tryreading, watching television or a DVD / video with your child.
if your child symptoms DO NOT ease, or if your child has blue tinged lips or a temperature call 999/112.
on the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
An aspirin and trip to A &E.
So Heart attack!!!! What do you think of when you hear those two words? For most Those two words fill people with Fear. As soon as you hear heart attack, immediately they think of death. Quite rightly because if you do not recognise the symptoms it can rapidly lead to a cardiac arrest.
What is the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest?
a popular misconception is that they are one in the same. This is not true, whilst they are linked they are also two different entities.
Heart Attack
A heart attack happens when there is a narrowing/blockage in the arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle itself. The heart like any other muscle in the body needs a good supply of oxygen rich blood to survive. If this flow is interrupted then the muscle cells start to die making the heart less efficient in pumping. Eventually if this is not rectified it will stop completely (cardiac arrest).
Cardiac Arrest
A cardiac arrest is time critical and immediately life threatening condition. It can be caused by a number of factors including drugs, trauma and heart attacks. A cardiac arrest is defined as the cessation of the heart pumping blood around the body.
Signs and symptoms of a Heart Attack.
Heart attack symptoms vary from one person to another. The most common signs of a heart attack are:
chest pain
Chest tightness
heaviness in the chest
pain or a burning feeling in your chest
pain in arms
neck
jaw
back or stomach
for some people, the pain or tightness is severe, while other people just feel uncomfortable also they may experience
sweating
feeling light-headed
become short of breath
feeling nauseous or vomiting.
grey looking skin
clammy
Watch how quickly it can happen, it can happen anywhere and to anyone.
these symptoms are not exhaustive and if you suspect someone is having a heart attack you need to ring 999 for an ambulance.
Treatment
Call 999 or 112 for an ambulance and tell them you think someone is having a heart attack.
Make the person comfortable,
help move them into the most comfortable position.
The best position is on the floor leaning against a wall with knees bent and head and shoulders supported.
This should ease the pressure on their heart and stop them hurting themselves if they collapse.
Give them a 300mg aspirin, if available make sure they are not allergic to it by asking them, and tell them to chew it slowly.
Be aware that they may become unresponsive and collapse before help arrives if this happens
If they lose responsiveness at any point, stay clam and open their airway, check their breathing, and prepare to treat someone who has become unresponsive. You may need to do CPR. Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation at a rate of 30 chest compressions to 2 breaths.
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
The skills for CPR & an AED……..
Not always the best subject and completely terrifying to a lot of people. What is CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
CPR is the mechanical manoeuvre required to give someone the best chance of survival when in cardiac arrest. It is designed to artificially pump blood round the body and oxygenated the blood.
What is an AED?
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm. AEDs are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). More and more are becoming publicly available. You can find them in supermarkets. Village centres, shopping centres etc……
So what do we do. We go back to basics like all medical professionals do.
DANGER
Check for danger to you or the patient make sure you and your patient are safe.
RESPONSE
check for a response, gently shake the shoulders and loudly ask “are you ok?”
AIRWAY
open the airway, place one hand on the forehead and two fingers under the chin and gently tilt the head back.
BREATHING
Lean near the mouth and check for breathing for no more than 10 seconds. Look for the chest to rise and fall, feel for breath on your cheek and listen for breath sounds.
(Note, in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, the patient may make infrequent and noisy attempts to breath if in doubt start CPR).
CALL 999/112 and send someone for a defibrillator (if one is available).
How to do CPR.
Over the years CPR has changed and more recently it has been both improved and simplified to make it easy to remember. Watch tilly do CPR.
EVERYBODY gets the same ratio of 30 heat compressions to 2 rescue breaths. There are some slight changes for children but we will mention that in a moment.
CHEST COMPRESSIONS
kneel at the side of the patient .
Place the heel of your hand in the center of the chest, put your other hand on top and interlock the fingers.
Keep your arms straight, and position yourself vertically above the the patients chest.
Push down on the chest to a depth of approximately 5-6cm. Release the pressure without losing contact to the chest.
Do 30 chest compressions at a rate of approximately 100-120 per minute (yes the song staying alive has a rhythm similar to that).
Rescue Breaths
Once you have completed 30 chest compressions you need to do rescue breaths (mouth to mouth).
Pinch the soft part of the nose, also allowing the mouth to open whilst maintaining the chin lift.
Take a normal breath and seal your lips round the patients mouth.
Blown steadily into the patients mouth. At the same time watch for a ride and fall of the patients chest. Breath should be about 1 second.
Repeat this for the second breath. Once completed, with minimal delay put your hands back on the chest and continue CPR at a ratio of 30:2
30 chest compressions.
2 rescue breaths.
If an AED arrives, open it and switch it on. put the pads on the chest (follow the instructions) the pads will have a picture on where to place them. One on the upper right chest area and one on the left axillary area of the chest. Don’t worry if you place them the wrong way round the AED WILL STILL WORK. Follow the instructions.
Child & Baby CPR.
One reason children do not receive timely
CPR is the fear of hurting them. Firstly and most importantly the worst has already happened. Even if you do not know know child CPR, it is better to do the adult style than none at all on a child who is not responsive and not breathing.
The main differences are as follows.
Give children and babies 5 initial rescue breaths before starting CPR. After the initial rescue breaths continue with the ratio of 30:2.
Compress the chest approximately on third of its depth.
For babies instead of using the full hand, use 2 fingers (see below)
For children use one or two hands as required (see below)
Remember it is not uncommon for ribs to break during CPR.
Patients may also vomit during resuscitation. Turn them on their side let it drain out and continue.
These are the basics to help until the professionals arrive.
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
The skills to make seizures not so scary…..
So this post is a little late as Mr Jingles and I have been helping Mrs KBT wrap all the presents for young KBT. Fighting through the boards of shoppers to get this years must have toys. Anyway here we go.
”Tis the season to be snotty tra la la la la la la la la. Yup as winter has set in those bugs love to set up home in all of us causing coughs and sniffles and generally unwell.
One thing that worries a lot of parents is temperatures in children when they are unwell. The main problem with the temperature is they can cause seizures in younger children (febrile convulsions).
To understand febrile convulsions it helps to understand the brain a little. In young children and babies, the part of the brain that regulates body temperature (the hypothalamus) is infantile and not yet fully developed. This in turn mean when the body has an infection the core temperature can reach dangerously high levels thus causing a seizure.
Nothing is more frightening to a parent than the inability to help their child. When they are unwell all they want to do is care for them. When a child has a febrile seizure although generally they do not last very long, the length of the seizure feels like a lifetime to a parent. This is further impacted when other symptoms along with the shaking/jerking appear. For example they may have stop breathing as the diaphragm goes rigid, with that the lips and face may go blue. Once the seizure finishes the go floppy. All of this will be terrifying. However there are a few things you can do in the first few minutes to help.
Firstly and most importantly TRY to stay calm for both you and your child.
Protect them from harm during the seizure.
Move objects that may cause harm from around them. Lay them on the floor if possible.
Pay particulate attention to protecting the head.
Remove outer clothing to help cool them down.
CALL 999/112 for emergency medical care
Tr and time the seizure (approximately).
Provide plenty of cool fresh air (fan for example)
Careful not to cool them too much.
Whilst help is on route. And once the seizure had stopped open the airway and check for breathing.
Look for chest movement.
Constantly monitor the child’s airway and breathing until further help arrives.
On the Third day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The acronym DR ABC…….
I know right, I can hear you thinking this is one lucky guy. Not only does he have a beautiful fiancé, but she also gives him these amazing First aid gifts……
Ok so maybe that’s not the case, well about the first aid gifts anyway. However it is so important to have a plan of action when dealing with any emergency. Most times things go wrong when people panic and don’t have a plan.
So who is this Dr ABC I hear you say. It’s not a who but a what. It’s a plan of action when dealing with any patient. All medical professionals stick to this basic plan when dealing with an emergency, the only difference is they have more knowledge and skill to deal with it. If you follow these basic rules you will help massively until the professionals arrive.
D is for DANGER.
look for danger to yourself and the patient. Is it safe for you to approach them?
DON’T put yourself in danger one patient is enough.
R is for RESPONSE.
Quickly see is the patient is conscious
Of their eyes are closed gently tap the shoulders and ask loudly “are you ok?” You never know they may just be asleep.
If they are unconscious and on their back the AIRWAY could be at risk.
A is for AIRWAY.
Quickly identify any life threatening problems for example vomit in mouth
Choking, burns, anaphylaxis etc.
If they are unconscious tilt the head back to open the airway.
When the AIRWAY is open move on to BREATHING.
B is for BREATHING.
Again quickly identify any life threatening breathing problems for example asthma, chest injury, cardiac arrest etc….
If the patient is NOT conscious and NOT breathing, perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) watch Tilly doing CPR.
Once life threatening breathing problems have been ruled out or being treated, the next stage is CIRCULATION.
C is for CIRCULATION.
Look for and treat any life threatening circulatory problems such as severe bleeding, cardiac arrest, heart attack etc…..
Ok so your patient is alive but still poorly, if you haven’t already then call 999/112 and wait for help in the meantime keep going over DRABC as things may change and you need to be ready.
Mr Jingles would like to take the opportunity to thank Tilly for her help in showing you what he means.
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
A bandage for my hurty knee.
OK day two, what can it be. Well let me tell you how to deal with bleeding so you don’t have to flee.
THE FIRST RULE OF BLEEDING
IT ALWAYS STOPS!!
Well it does eventually. Either you run out of the red stuff, or you stop it. The best outcome would be the latter as blood is meant to be on the inside.
So when to worry. Let’s first look at the types of bleeding.
Arterial – BAD this type of bleeding is easy to recognise as it is under direct pressure from the heart and squirts out.
Venous – Almost as bad. This type of bleeding is not under direct pressure but can still carry the same amount of blood. Trauma to a major vein can OOZE profusely.
Capillary – OMG call the helicopter, the army anyone, send everyone….. kidding, this type of bleeding is easily controlled and just trickles at best (a paper cut).
How much blood can you lose?
The human body is an amazing machine. It has the ability to compensate when things are going wrong, The quicker you stop the bleeding the better. Children have far less blood than adults.A person has approximately 0.5 litres of blood per 7 kg of body weight or one pint of blood per stone (although this does not increase if someone is over weight). An ‘average’ adult has roughly 10 pints / 6 litres of blood – if they lose about a 5th of their blood volume it can cause the body to shut down and go into shock. OK so now we need to deal with the bleeding. What do we do. Well that is entirely dependant on the type of bleeding. For example there is no point in pulling out the major trauma bag for a paper cut. At the same time a plaster won’t cut it for an arterial bleed. Follow these rules and you won’t go far wrong.
SIT OR LAY
Sit or lay the patient down appropriate to the location of the wound and extent of bleeding,
EXAMINE
quickly note the type of bleeding. Find out where it’s coming from so you can put direct pressure on the wound (if any foreign objects protruding put pressure round the wound or a pressure point).
PRESSURE
apply direct pressure continuously for 10 minutes. If embedded object put pressure round the wound.
DRESS
Cover the wound with a sterile dressing. You may be able to put a dressing on directly when putting pressure on. If the bleeding does not stop or the patient is pale, clammy Nauseous Or fall unconscious or if you are worried call 99/112 for emergency help.
PHEW!! that was a close call, we almost lost all the ketchup Mr Jingles is feeling much better after his ketchup accident.
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to meeeee.
A blue inhaler to help me breeeeathe.
here we are as promised the first of the 12 first aid tips of Christmas. Mr Jingles has been working hard to help you enjoy the Christmas period, but should something happen you will know how to help.
He Has discovered from Asthma UK Asthma sufferers are being encouraged to wear a scarf over their nose and mouth to prevent asthma attacks this winter.
Breathing in cold, damp air can make the airways tighten and trigger an attack in three out of four people, charity Asthma UK says. This can leave people coughing, wheezing and gasping for breath. The charity’s #Scarfie campaign says “a scarf can save a life” but it’s not a replacement for asthma medicines.
What is Asthma
Asthma is a long-term condition that affects your airways – the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. You could say that someone with asthma has ‘sensitive’ airways that are inflamed and ready to react when they come into contact with something they don’t like.
Asthma tends to run in families, especially when there’s also a history of allergies and/or smoking
.
how can you recognise it?
The person will have difficulty in breathing
Breathing may sound wheezy.
they may have difficulty speaking (will need to take a breath in the middle of a sentence).
Pale, Clammy skin.
Grey or Blue lips and skin (if the attack is severe).
use of extra muscles in the neck and upper chest when breathing.
Exhaustion in a severe attack.
may become unconscious and stop breathing in a prolonged attack.
How do i help treat them
Sit them upright, leaning on a chair or table may help support them
help the person to use their reliever (blue) inhaler. use every couple of minutes if the attack does not ease.
Winter time is especially difficult as cold air can make the attack worse, try not to take them out in the cold air.
TOP TIP if you have to go outside use a scarf wrapped round the nose and mouth loosely as this will help warm the air being inhaled.
CALL 999/112 if the patient does not have their inhaler or it is not having an effect.
Try and keep the patient upright – only lay them down if they become unconscious.
If they stop breathing IMMEDIATELY START CPR – Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
Mr Jingles hopes this goes some way to help you and hopes you will be back tomorrow to find out how else you can help if the need arises.
If you haven’t got a ha’penny, then God bless you!
If you hadn’t noticed Christmas is on its way, yes folks that means time to eat way too much, time to invite round the relatives and spend time with everyone. Appreciate the important things in life “FAMILY”.
With that in mind “Mr Jingles” has kindly made time in his busy Christmas schedule to Join us here at KBT First Aid Training as our newest “ELF” & Safety and First Aid instructor.
Starting on the 12th of December he will be posting one first aid tip a day to help us out until Christmas when he then has whizz back and start his own 12 days.
So we hope you will join us and spread the word. Let’s all be safe and look after each other
It is something most of us do as part of being an adult. We wake up, we get dressed, then we do the workplace rally.
Yes you know the one, its that time in the morning when we delay leaving for work for as long as possible before we kiss our loved ones goodbye and race out the door to work. What ever way you leave the house we all expect to come home in one safe piece and carry on with our lives, no one expects it to be any different. Take a little look at the following video.
OK it is a little extreme but shows what can happen when safety nets are not in place and people are not concentrating on what is happening. This is WHEN incidents happen, this is when people either get seriously life changing injuries or worse DIE.
according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) IN 2015 – 2016 144 (fig 1) workers were killed at work
Fig1
and approximately 622,000 (fig 2) received non fatal injuries.
Fig2
These are scary numbers, even worse is that although the numbers are decreasing the types of accidents that are occurring are continuously similar. Although it is agreed that “accidents” do happen most of the incidents that are occurring are generally a fault on a human level IE corners cut, safety measures circumnavigated or inadequate training.
Would you have confidence in the first aid skills your staff have, can they cope with being first on scene and managing patients with potentially life threatening injuries. Would you be confident that your employees would be able to cope with and confidently manage the scene.
First aid training is much more than just “passing” a course it’s having the responsibility of someone else’s loved one, the life of a colleague in your hands. It’s having the right skills, knowledge and confidence to manage the scene.
Kbt can can give you these skills. All our instructors are from an emergency service background. We have been there. Let us give your staff the training they really need.
So it has been a while since we last posted, summer has passed, children are back at school and people have gone back to work. Life Goes on……….But what happens when life suddenly stops? more specifically when the heart stops! Would you know what to do? would you be able to recognise it.
Lets start with some figures and i am sure this will surprise you quite a bit. A new report, Resuscitation to Recovery, reveals that currently just 8 per cent of patients survive a cardiac arrest in England, and less than half (30-40%) of bystanders intervene when they witness someone collapse. (www.bhf.org.uk) Scary isn’t it? would you be confident enough to help someone who collapsed in the street? would you be able to help a loved one if this happened at home? A cardiac arrest can happen anytime, anywhere. Sometimes even the professionals can get caught out….
What is a Cardiac Arrest?
Many people use the term heart attack and Cardiac arrest interchangeably but a heart attack and a cardiac arrest are very different and are not the same thing.
BOTH are life threatening and can be deadly, but a heart attack and a cardiac arrest are very different. A cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest, happens when your heart suddenly stops pumping blood around your body. this can be as a result of a heart attack, drugs, illness or from a traumatic incident.
Someone who has had a cardiac arrest will collapse unconscious.
Their breathing will stop sometimes it may be noisy or irregular (this is known as agonal breathing, if in doubt start CPR) , and they will be unresponsive.
When a cardiac arrest happens there is no time to lose, it is a life-threatening emergency and calling 999 is vital. While waiting for an ambulance performing CPR (Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) can help keep a person alive.
How to perform CPR
Although it can be very scary, you MUST remember what you are doing will be helping give the person the best possible chance of survival. Get yourself on a quality assured course become proficient in the simple skills.
Check for Danger – to you and the patient
Check For a Response ARE THEY AWAKE? TALKING TO YOU
Check Airway – Tilt the head back gently (Head tilt, Chin Lift)
Check Breathing – are they breathing (no longer than 10 seconds)
If NOT breathing Shout for help/Call 999 and start CPR immediately
Chest Compressions
Put your hands on the centre of their chest (one hand over the other) push down hard 30 times
Rescue Breaths
Tilt the head back, pinch the nose closed and make a seal around their mouth with your mouth and blow – watch for their chest to rise and fall and repeat. (Twice ONLY) then continue the cycle until help arrives.
In the majority of cases, the killer reason causing the cardiac arrest is caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF).
VF is an electrical fault, where the electrical activity of the heart gets so chaotic the heart stops pumping suddenly, and quivers instead.
This CAN be rectified either by the Paramedics and now YOU. yes YOU……. More and more we are seeing publicly available defibrillators also known as AED (Automatic External defibrillator). If one is available get someone to get it and follow the instructions.
Unlike television people do not normally regain consciousness and get up after a little bit of CPR so do not be surprised if nothing seems to have changed whilst you are waiting for help. DO REMEMBER that what YOU are doing is giving them every chance of survival.
Summer is here and that means 6 glorious weeks of YOU trying EVERYTHING in your power as a parent to stop your little bundle of joy from getting bored. Because if they get bored, they get mischievous. If they get mischievous things get broken and that includes bones.
So firstly let’s look at the terminology and cover one of the most commonly asked questions. What is the difference between a FRACTURE and a BREAK? Well you will be pleased to know there is no difference at all. They both mean the same thing, it seems that doctors like to use the term fracture to come across more educated when in fact they are one in the same. If a bone has a crack in it it is broken, if it is shattered into lots of pieces it is still broken. Those most at risk of broken bones are children and the elderly due to the frailty of the bone at these ages.
I’m sure you have watched the TV and all the medical programmes like Casualty or Holby City. Have you ever wondered “what the hell does that mean” as the Paramedics , Doctors and nurses are babbling on, well here is a little insight into the types of broken bones you can come across.
Closed Fracture
A closed fracture is when your bone breaks or cracks, but it doesn’t break through your skin.
Open fracture
An open fracture (also called compound fracture) is when a broken bone breaks through your skin. These are more serious because you might develop an infection in the bone and wound.
Comminuted Fracture
A comminuted fracture is where your bone breaks into three or more pieces.
Green Stick
Most common for children is a green stick fracture this is where your bone breaks on one side but is bent on the other. Only children get these fractures because they have softer bones.
What causes bones to break?
You have over 200 bones in your body that make up your skeleton. That is a massive choice to break. Thankfully they are generally quite strong however sometimes due to genetic reasons, age or a traumatic event the integrity of your bone is compromised and it breaks.
How do we recognise a broken bone? LIP DUST (signs & symptoms of a fracture)
Loss of movement
Irregularity
Pain
Deformity
Unnatural Movement
Swelling & Bruising
Tenderness
What to do?
It can be difficult to tell if a person has a broken bone. Some sprains or strains can be as painful if not more so than a broken bone If you’re in any doubt, treat the injury as a broken bone.
Always remember.
Danger – to you and the patient
Response – awake or unconscious?
Airway – is it clear?
Breathing – are they breathing?
Circulation – Control any bleeding.
If the person is unconscious, has difficulty breathing or is bleeding severely, these are life threatening and must be dealt with first, by controlling the bleeding with direct pressure and performing CPR.
If the person is conscious, prevent any further pain or damage by keeping the fracture as still as possible until you get them safely to hospital.
Assess the injury and decide whether the best way to get them to hospital is by ambulance or car. if the pain isn’t too severe, you could consider transporting them to hospital by car. get someone else to drive, so that you can deal with the casualty if they deteriorate – for example, if they lose consciousness as a result of the pain or start to vomit.
Things to consider and if necessary call 999 for an ambulance.
• they’re in a lot of pain and in need of strong painkilling medication, don’t move them and call an ambulance
• it’s obvious they have a broken leg, don’t move them, but keep them in the position you found them in and call an ambulance
• you suspect they have injured or broken their back, don’t move them and call an ambulance
Don’t give the casualty anything to eat or drink, because they may need emergency surgery to fix the break when they reach hospital.
Ok so all the boring stuff is out of the way here is a video NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED.
Once you have watched this you will be more than competent in recognising broke bones and also for those of you with boys will probably never let them out again.
Heart attack!!!! Those two words fill people with Fear. As soon as people hear heart attack immediately they think of death. Quite rightly because if you do not recognise the symptoms it can rapidly lead to a cardiac arrest.
What is the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest?
a popular misconception is that they are one in the same. This is not true, whilst they are linked they are also two different entities.
Heart Attack
A heart attack happens when there is a narrowing/blockage in the arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle itself. The heart like any other muscle in the body needs a good supply of oxygen rich blood to survive. If this flow is interrupted then the muscle cells start to die making the heart less efficient in pumping. Eventually if this is not rectified it will stop completely (cardiac arrest).
Cardiac Arrest
A cardiac arrest is time critical and immediately life threatening condition. It can be caused by a number of factors including drugs, trauma and heart attacks. A cardiac arrest is defined as the cessation of the heart pumping blood around the body.
Signs and symptoms of a Heart Attack.
Heart attack symptoms vary from one person to another. The most common signs of a heart attack are:
chest pain: tightness, heaviness, pain or a burning feeling in your chest
pain in arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach: for some people, the pain or tightness is severe, while other people just feel uncomfortable
sweating
feeling light-headed
become short of breath
feeling nauseous or vomiting.
grey looking skin
clammy
these symptoms are not exhaustive and if you suspect someone is having a heart attack you need to ring 999 for an ambulance.
Treatment
Call 999 or 112 for an ambulance and tell them you think someone is having a heart attack.
Make the person comfortable,
help move them into the most comfortable position.
The best position is on the floor leaning against a wall with knees bent and head and shoulders supported.
This should ease the pressure on their heart and stop them hurting themselves if they collapse.
Give them a 300mg aspirin, if available make sure they are not allergic to it by asking them, and tell them to chew it slowly.
Be aware that they may become unresponsive and collapse before help arrives if this happens
If they lose responsiveness at any point, stay clam and open their airway, check their breathing, and prepare to treat someone who has become unresponsive. You may need to do CPR. Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation at a rate of 30 chest compressions to 2 breaths.
Nothing is more scary to a parent than seeing their child have a seizure, it comes on suddenly and can leave you feeling helpless and very very scared.
The fact that you will be already stressed and worried with them being unwell and having a temperature just increases the fear factor. What can you do to help this? Well firstly understand what a febrile seizure is and then learn what to do if it happens. By knowing what’s happening and being able to do something will give you more control and allow you to help your child until the ambulance arrives.
What are febrile seizures?
Febrile seizures (febrile convulsions) are fits that can happen when a child has a fever. They most often happen between the ages of six months and three years. Generally they are harmless (if not very frightening) and last less than 5 minutes.
***warning viewers may find upsetting***
What causes a febrile seizure?
The are many thoughts on what causes a febrile Convulsions, some experts believe it’s the degree of fever whilst others believe it is the rate of rise of temperature is a trigger in febrile seizures. There are some genetic factors are involved i.e. If there is a family history of febrile seizure.
Some causes of seizures
The vast majority are:
• Viral infections
• Otitis media
• Tonsillitis
Other causes of fever with seizure are:
• Gastroenteritis
• Post immunisation
what to expect
Febrile seizures usually last fewer than 5 minutes; however, they may last from a few seconds to 15 minutes or longer. seizure symptoms can vary. In mild cases, the child’s eyes may roll or his or her limbs may become rigid (stiff). During a febrile seizure, children are unable to respond (i.e., unresponsive) and may lose consciousness. If the child is standing, he or she will fall.
Some Other symptoms of febrile seizures include the following:
Breathing difficulty (e.g., apnea; the child may turn bluish in color)
Contraction of the muscles of the face, limbs, and body
Involuntary moaning, crying, and/or passing of urine
Shaking
Twitching
Vomiting
After a period of time (usually a few seconds to a few minutes), the muscles relax, causing rhythmic jerking. Once the seizure is over, the child may be sleepy or confused. Although very frightening these are normal and resolve very quickly.
What can I do if a seizure happens?
firstly and most importantly YOU need to try and stay calm, talk to your child and reassure them.
Protect them from harm or injury (move objects away)
Remove outer clothing, bedding or covers that may be on them. Provide plenty of fresh air but be careful not to over cool them.
Stay with your child and try to make a note of how long the seizure lasts.
Call 999/112 for emergency help.
Don’t put anything into your child’s mouth during a seizure – including medication – as there’s a slight chance they might bite their tongue.
If your child is having a fit for the first time
the seizure lasts longer than five minutes and shows no signs of stopping or
you suspect the seizure is being caused by another serious illness – for example, meningitis don’t waste time call 999/112
When the seizure stops, open the airway and check breathing. If your child is breathing out them in the recovery position. Constantly Monitor the airway and breathing until help arrives.
So here it is. One of the biggest fears of any parent is what to do if your child chokes……weaning is one of the hardest things any parent goes through (alongside those sleepless nights), not only for the fact that most of the food ends up on the wall but for that one major fear, is it small enough? Did I break it down enough? Not to mention all those toys we have with perfect mouth sized pieces. All of this and more will be enough to give any of us nightmares
Now for a bit of harsh reality……. Choking is the third most common cause of infant death in the UK, after road traffic accidents and house fires — killing an average of 24 under-fives a year in England and Wales.
Approximately half the population doesn’t know what to do if someone chokes. This is more worrying when you realise that when it does happen, you must act quickly — you have three to four minutes before death can occur.
Let’s look at the anatomy and reasons children choke so easily. The diameter of a child’s airway is approximately the diameter of their little finger……small isn’t it? Does that surprise you?
How do we recognise someone is choking?
If an adult or small child is choking you may see one or all of these behaviours.
Coughing or gagging
Hand signals and panic (sometimes pointing to the throat)
Sudden inability to talk
Panicked look in eyes.
Clutching the throat: The natural response to choking is to grab the throat with one or both hands. This is the universal choking sign and a way of telling people around you that you are choking.
Wheezing
Passing out
Turning blue: Cyanosis , a blue coloring to the skin, can be seen earliest around the face, lips, and fingernail beds. You may see this, but other critical choking signs would appear first.
INFANTS
If an infant is choking, more attention must be paid to an infant’s behavior. They cannot be taught the universal choking sign.
Difficulty breathing
Weak cry, weak cough, or Wheezing
Passing out
Turning blue: Cyanosis, a blue coloring to the skin, can be seen earliest around the face, lips, and fingernail beds. You may see this, but other critical choking signs would appear first.
WHAT TO DO? – ACT FAST
Mild choking: encourage them to cough. If the airway is only partly blocked, the person will usually be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe. They will usually be able to clear the blockage themselves.
Don’t put your fingers in their mouth to help them as they may bite you accidentally.
Severe choking (complete blockage)
back blows and abdominal thrusts
Where choking is severe, the person will not be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe. Without help, they will eventually become unconscious.
To help an adult or child over one year old:
Stand behind the person and slightly to one side. Support their chest with one hand. Lean the person forward so that the object blocking their airway will come out of their mouth, rather than moving further down.
Give up to five sharp blows between the person’s shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. (The heel is between the palm of your hand and your wrist). Check if the blockage has cleared.
If not, give up to five abdominal thrusts.
Important: Don’t give abdominal thrusts to babies under one year old or to pregnant women
Stand behind the person who is choking.
Place your arms around their waist and bend them forward.
Clench one fist and place it right above their belly button.
Put the other hand on top of your fist and pull sharply inwards and upwards.
Repeat this movement up to five times. Checking between each attempt to see if the blockage has cleared.
If the person’s airway is still blocked after trying back blows and abdominal thrusts, get help immediately:
Call 999 and ask for an ambulance. Tell the 999 operator that the person is choking.
Continue with the cycles of five back blows and five abdominal thrusts until help arrives.
If the person loses consciousness and they’re not breathing, you should begin cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with chest compressions at a rate of 30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths.
Infants under 1 year
Back blows for babies under one year
Sit down and lay your baby face down along your thighs, supporting their head with your hand.
Give up to five sharp back blows (checking between each one) with the heel of one hand in the middle of the back between the shoulder blades.
Back blows for children over one year
Lay a small child face down on your lap as you would a baby.
If this isn’t possible, support your child in a forward-leaning position and give five back blows from behind.
If back blows don’t relieve the choking and your baby or child is still conscious, give chest thrusts to infants under one year or abdominal thrusts to children over one year. This will create an artificial cough, increasing pressure in the chest and helping to dislodge the object.
Chest thrusts for children under one year instead of abdominal thrusts
Lay your baby face up along the length of your thighs.
Find the breastbone, and place two fingers in the middle.
Give five sharp chest thrusts (pushes), compressing the chest by about a third. Check between each thrust to see if the blockage has cleared.
If the obstruction has not cleared ring 999 and tell the operator the child is choking, continue until help arrives. If the child goes unconscious start CPR IMMEDIATELY. Five rescue breaths initially then 30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths.
Simple things we can all do will help avoid choking as is reasonably possible. This may sound like common sense and I can only apologise.
1. Cut food up into small pieces for small children. (Mash them up for ones younger than 2).
A big cause of choking is over confidence in a child’s ability to eat, Up to approximately the age of five children are still learning to chew. So even if they seem to be confident eaters it doesn’t hurt to be careful.
2. Watch them eating.
Children can be distracted easily whilst eating and not chew properly and suddenly swallow. Whilst the ability is there to eat it is still an infantile skill so can easily get stuck.
3. Avoid allowing them to eat whilst running around or in the car seat.
Here are some foods to be cautious of or even avoid in children younger than 4.
Hot dogs
Nuts and seeds
Chunks of meat or cheese
Whole grapes
Hard or sticky candy
Popcorn
Chunks of peanut butter
Chunks of raw vegetables
Chewing gum (obvious but common)
I can tell you from personal experience with my own children and the incidents I have dealt with it IS scary. The most important thing is to be confident in your ability to help. Know exactly what to do and when to call for help.
Be safe people……….
So it’s the weekend and my family and I have decided it would be nice to visit a a quant little village near us and visit the fete and give our support. The sun is shining, everyone is happy!
We set off on our journey and arrive in no time. In fact we arrived a little early. So whilst waiting for the rest of the family to turn up we decided to have a little play on the outside gym equipment (that is a sight on its own as I’m not usually known for my gym enthusiasm) and much to the amusement of my daughter who took great pleasure on highlighting my lack of fitness.
In our little bubble suddenly an almighty scream, and someone laying on the floor. No it wasn’t me, no! nor my daughter, in fact the blood curdling scream in question had come from a lady who had come to the fete with her husband and as he was pushing the wheelchair down the hill she had slipped out and onto her knees on the grass.
Now you may think, this would be just a mechanical fall and a simple pick up off the floor and in their merry way. Unfortunately not. Somehow she had managed to do some serious damage.
A quick assessment and it became apparent without any equipment we would need help. A quick call to my friends in green 999 a short call and the help was on its way (Eventually). Now having worked in the emergency services for years I am used to waiting on scene waiting for back up for extended periods of time because the service is lacking in funding. The difficulty today was I had no ambulance, meaning I had no pain relief, meaning my poor patient was in agony for sometime.
Luckily they did have their own. Which she was able to self administer. As we sat there (luckily it was sunny and I did manage to top up my tan). I was able to look around and notice a few things.
The most apparent was the lack of help!! Yep that’s right most people would do the side ways rubberneck, whisper to the person next to them then wander on by. Some stopped to try and take pictures (swiftly moved on). Which got me wondering, why is First Aid not a national requirement?
Why dont we teach it in schools like they do in some European countries? Lucky for the lady In question we were there at the right time as she literally fell at my feet. Someone there to help. We all need to know the basics. Without equipment, drugs and and an ambulance there is not much most of us can do. Comfort, talk, continuously assess and give support. By having the knowledge on how to do this and recognise injuries in itself gives confidence on how to help someone when it’s needed.
Here is a video from the BBC that I found. It really does show if everyone has the knowledge then if the worst happens to you then you can have the best chance of survival.
WARNING…this video may cause upset as it is very emotional. LEARN CPR (click link)
Then you don’t need to walk on by. YOU can then make a difference. Help someone.
Stay safe people…………..
If they stop breathing IMMEDIATELY START CPR – Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
KBT FIRST AID TRAINING 