Basic First Aid Skills to Give You the Edge

First aid is usually the first and initial help offered to an individual suffering from some kind of injury or illness, with special emphasis to preserve life, stop the condition from deteriorating, or promote healing. First aid is a wide-ranging field, and there are several different types of it, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rescue breathing, wound care, and emergency first aid. Emergency first aid differs from standard first aid in that it focuses on specific injuries or illnesses and their immediate prevention or treatment. Standard first aid, on the other hand, is typically used for all kinds of injuries. There are some principles that can be useful for both first aid and standard first aid, and these are:

The most important step in first aid is to act quickly, and try to stabilize the situation before the patient loses further oxygen. This is particularly important for patients with severe wounds or illnesses. For every one minute a victim loses air, one minute that person is at risk of developing brain damage or death. It is therefore important to treat wounds as soon as possible, especially wounds to the head and chest, and if at all possible, taking the victim out of the immediate danger zone as soon as possible.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one of the most important first aid skills, because it can save the lives of severely injured victims by restoring at least some functionality to the heart. A person who has suffered a cardiac arrest knows exactly how critical the situation can become if he or she does not receive CPR immediately. People who have suffered cardiac arrest need to receive CPR immediately on the spot, because their heart rate has stopped and they cannot breathe on their own. In addition, unlike most other first aid skills, CPR actually works on a different mechanism than normal: it targets and removes the foreign objects that block the airway. If an individual fails to remove these objects, then more air enters the lungs and the heart have to work even harder, causing more damage to the heart and the patient's chances of living.

One other very significant first aid skill is cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which is commonly referred to as CPR. CPR is effective when airway pressure is restored to normal levels after an injury has occurred, but if the victim's airway has already been severely constricted, then CPR is useless. This is because CPR simply restores the lack of oxygen to the lungs. As air is reintroduced into the blood stream, the heart starts to beat once again, but without the assistance of CPR the person will die from lack of oxygenated blood. As you can see, this is a serious situation that can happen at any time.

One other important first aid skill is the ability to recognize and treat a mild to moderate anaphylactic reaction, which can be caused by the inhalation and consumption of food or drink with an allergic reaction. Anaphylactic shock can cause a severe narrowing of the airway and death can occur within a few minutes. Allergic reactions such as those that result from eating foods with strong anesthetic effects can also lead to death if not treated quickly.

If you are involved in any kind of accident, whether it is a car crash, a motorcycle accident or medical emergency, you must learn the basic skills of first aid. Learning these skills can save your life. There are a number of organizations that provide first aid training at their facilities. Some of these are: American Red Cross, American Heart Association, American Medical Response Association, American Association of Professional Emergency Nurses, and the American Association of Poison Control Centers.