The foremost thing a first aid giver needs to know when dealing with a victim of electric shock is not to touch them. Instead, the first aid measures begin with keeping the caregiver safe enough to give help to the victim. The appliance that has caused the electric shock needs to be unplugged or the first aid giver can turn off the power from the control panel of the appliance.

Ways to prevent further damage if attending to electric shock victims

• The first aid giver needs to first separate the victim from the source of danger by turning off the power, before attempting to physically help the victim. If the power switch is not accessible for any reason, the first aid giver can use a piece of wood- brooms handles are handy in such a situation as are walking sticks-or even a dry rope or dry clothing, and disconnect the victim from the power source. If the electric shock victim has touched a high voltage wire, touching or moving them can be fatal for the rescuer as well.
• In such a situation, the first aid giver should call 911 or any emergency medical service for immediate help and keep the victim lying down. If the person is no longer connected to the wire and is unconscious, he/she should be placed on their side to allow drainage of fluids. However, in case an injury to the neck or spine is suspected, the victim should not be moved.
• If the victim shows signs of respiratory distress or is not breathing, the first aid giver needs to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be applied in case of no pulse recorded in the electric shock victim and his/her head be covered with a blanket to maintain body heat, keeping it low while awaiting medical attention.
• Electric shocks are very common and mostly fatal so the first aid giver needs to be aware of the dangers of such a situation and keep a cool head while attempting rescue operations or first aid techniques. It is crucial to first establish the site of entry and exit of the electric shock and break this contact, between electrical source and patient, using dry non-conductive object, such as a wooden stick.
• The first aid giver should be alert in tending to a victim of electric shock and check for visible signs of the source and burns on the victim. If electric shock is caused due to a wire, the rescuer must stay at least 20 feet away and make the emergency call to the power company immediately and state the location of the high voltage wire. Acting fast in a situation so distressing calls for staying calm and thus helping the victim towards recovery by thinking straight and acting intelligently.

Poisoning is a condition that can occur due to a person swallowing, injecting, breathing in, or otherwise being exposed to a poisonous substance.

Vital first aid steps: recognizing signs and symptoms of poisoning
Symptoms of poisoning vary according to the poison, but generally include abdominal pain, a blue tinge to the lips, chest pain, confusion, coughing, diarrhea and difficulty breathing, dizziness, double vision and drowsiness. Victims of poisoning may develop fever, headaches, heart palpitations and become irritable; complaints of loss of appetite, loss of bladder control and excessive muscle twitching, nausea and vomiting along with numbness or tingling and occasional seizures, shortness of breath and visible skin rashes that look like burns are common signs too. Severe poisoning cases may cause the victim to be in a state of stupor, fall unconsciousness or dispel unusual breath/odor whereas the one common link is always a feeling of weakness in all victims of poisoning.

Emergency first aid steps if poisoning occurs by swallowing

• Call the local poison control center for advice first or dial 911 for medical help.
• The first aid give must check and monitor the victim’s airway, breathing and circulation and attempt rescue breathing and CPR immediately.
• Since poisoning may not always be obvious, it is wise to ensure the situation calls for necessary measures. Smelling the victim’s breath for chemicals, burns around the mouth or any strange odors emanating from the person may help in identifying the poison.
• It is not advisable to try and induce vomiting unless advised by the poison control center.
• If the victim throws up, the first aid giver needs to be alert to help protect the victim’s airway; wrapping a cloth around the fingers before cleaning out his/her mouth and throat is a handy way to do so.
• If the victim has vomited a plant part, save the vomitus because it can help in identification by an expert who can likewise determine the antidote for the poisoning.
• If the poisoning victim gets convulsions, the first aid giver needs to protect him/her from injury and give convulsion first aid. This includes speaking soothingly to the patient to reassure him/her and turn them on their left side while awaiting medical help.
• If the poison spills on the victim’s clothes, he/she should be stripped of them and their skin flushed with water to get rid of any possible residue.

Emergency first aid for inhalation poisoning

• The first aid giver should only attempt to rescue a victim of inhalation poisoning if it is safe for him/her to do so without danger of toxic gas, fumes or smoke. Holding a wet cloth over the nose and mouth and opening windows and doors to remove the fumes is the first step to letting in fresh air to counter the toxicity of the poison.
• Never light a match as this may ignite poisonous gases.
• After rescue, check the victim’s breathing and circulation. Give CPR if necessary and call for medical help.

Drugs, whether prescription based or non-prescription drugs, can be dangerous when taken as an overdose. Drug overdose can also cause severe renal and kidney impairment from ingesting and Paracetamol is one example that though an excellent analgesic, if taken as directed, can be fatal if taken as an overdose.

Risk of drug overdose: checking for indicative signs
Many a time people looking for quick relief use another person’s medication, which is a very dangerous practice and may prove to be an overdose for someone whom the medication does not suit. Where drug overdose is concerned, a risk group is elderly people as they are prone to memory lapses as are unsupervised children, who may take drugs accidentally or just as a prank. In both cases, serious consequences can be expected, which may be life threatening as well, if left unchecked.

A person suspecting a victim of drug over dose needs to first check for the related symptoms of the condition, which includes:

• Any signs of empty containers of pills, altered level of consciousness and slurred speech
• Difficulty breathing, slow pulse and rapid or erratic heartbeat
• Irrational behavior, abnormal pupil activity or unconsciousness
• A suicide note
• Injection marks on the arms, behind knees, thighs and groin area of the victim that look like ‘tracks’.

First aid measures when drug overdose is suspected
If the caregiver suspects that a person is suffering from a drug overdose and exhibits the above-mentioned symptoms, he/she needs to give psychological support and immediate resuscitation may be required. The first aid giver needs to contact any emergency medical services telephonically, like 911 and give details of the outward signs of the drug overdose victim and await further instructions. In case this is not immediately possible, the first aid giver needs to ascertain whether the overdose was an attempt at self-harm and prevent the victim from trying to repeat this by moving him away from any danger.

• Symptoms often depend on the drug, the amount taken and the person’s bodily constitution. Some poisons are weak and cause minor distress, while others may be potent and can lead to serious health risks and possible death.
• Calling up the Poisons Information Center for advice is the best option as first aid measures may call for removing the drug from the body in many situations, this can mean giving activated charcoal which binds the drug so the body does not absorb it.
• The poison information center may also guide the first aid giver about administering an antidote, which is possible for some drugs till admission to a hospital for further treatment is possible.
• In the event that activated charcoal is given, it is usually passed with the next bowel motion in a day or two.
• If the victim of the drug overdose gets violent, call the police.
• Do not attempt to make the victim vomit.
• If pills have been the cause of the overdose, keep the container to show the medical team so they can decide the best course of treatment.

Learning the basics of first aid and associated techniques can help save precious lives or at least prevent a health situation from posing more danger, if left untreated. Knowing about first aid measures that can be followed for dental emergencies is a necessity for individuals and family people as these are common problems one faces at some stage in life or another.

Some common dental problems: relate first aid measures
Among the most common everyday occurrences related to dental problems are injuries to the mouth. These may include teeth that are knocked out (avulsed), forced out of position (extruded) or broken (fractured) and children as well as grown ups may suffer from it. Dental problems are very non-discriminatory as far as age, sex or weight go. On a more serious note, these dental emergencies may at times extend to injuries to the lips, gums or cheeks and these may be wounded or have cuts. Oral injuries are often painful and need immediate medical treatment by a dentist as soon as possible.

• Avulsed teeth occur when a tooth get knocked out. In such a situation, the first aid giver needs to call the dentist for emergency advice and try and find the tooth. If found, the tooth needs to be rinsed under water, but not scrubbed to remove dirt or debris that may be lodged in it. The clean tooth should be put back in the mouth between the cheek and gum, but not into the socket without advice as this could cause further damage. If the first aid giver acts fast and the tooth is located within half-hour of the injury, it is possible to re-implant the tooth. In the event that avulsed teeth occur in a young child and it is not possible to store the knocked out tooth in the mouth, it can be wrapped in a clean cloth/gauze and immersed in milk.
• Extruded teeth occur when a tooth is pushed out of place, inward or outward, and need to be repositioned to its normal alignment with very light finger pressure. Forcing the tooth into its socket is not advisable; instead, the first aid giver needs to hold the tooth in place with a moist tissue or gauze and seek dental advice within half an hour about the next step.
• Fractured teeth do not really come under the scope of dental emergencies unless they cause the victim immense pain. Depending on how badly the fractured tooth is broken, the first aid measures are decided and these too are in concurrence with a dentist’s advice as soon as possible.
• Injuries to the soft tissue in the mouth can result in tears, puncture wounds and lacerations to the cheek, lips or tongue. The first aid measures call for cleaning of the affected area and depending on the wound, possible suturing by a dentist.
• Bleeding from the tongue is another complaint that can be dealt with by pulling the tongue forward and using gauze to place pressure on the wound area.

If a person is choking before your eyes, there is a lot you can do to prevent the condition from worsening or becoming life threatening, which it has a strong possibility of turning into if not dealt with in a timely manner. Choking can lead to unconsciousness and cardiopulmonary arrest and are many a time the result of food or other foreign bodies getting lodged in the airway or the throat. Fatal figures point to about 3,000 deaths per year due to choking caused by foreign body airway and therefore, it becomes even more necessary for responsible citizens to know simple first aid measures to turn these statistics around to a minimum. With recognition and proper management of choking, there can be greater safety in homes, restaurants and other public places where choking is a health hazard that can take precious lives.

Preventing choking: guide to first aid givers and family safety
Cutting food into small pieces is necessary for both children and adults and the old rules for not talking with food in the mouth is a wise one when one considers the greater possibilities of choking severely on it are greater. Food needs to be chewed slowly and thoroughly, especially for those wearing dentures. People need to be restrained during meal-consumption and avoid laughing and talking during chewing and swallowing and limit intake of alcohol before and during meals. Grown ups need to track children and their actions during meal times and supervise play activities with special attention paid to keeping things like marbles, beads, thumbtacks and other small objects out of their reach. There is nothing like prevention to beat choking and guiding children to sit in one place and eat keeps them from walking, running, or playing with food or toys in their mouths.

First aid steps on noticing someone choking

• Ask the person if they are choking and observe the reaction, whether vocal or physical.
• Allow the person time to speak, if he/she can or cough, breathe in the suspected choking scenario without immediately interfering as many a time, the person manages to get over the temporary event.
• If the person choking cannot speak, cough or has difficulty breathing, the first aid measure to be followed is the Heimlich maneuver, which is a sub diaphragmatic abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich maneuver) until the foreign body is expelled or the victim becomes unconscious.
• If the victim who is choking is an extremely obese person or is in the late stages of pregnancy, give chest thrusts instead of abdominal ones.
• If the choking victim falls unconscious, the first aid giver needs to position him/her on the back with arms by the side.
• Call other persons present for assistance and dial an emergency medical service or 911 for help.
• Performing a tongue-jaw lift and finger sweep to remove the foreign body is a good technique as it helps the person breathe by opening the airway. It also makes the airway more accessible to attempt rescue breathing.

Chest pain and its causes are many a time not easy to interpret and may be due to minor or major internal problems. In the first category would be chest pain arising due to indigestion or stress while in the serious medical emergency situation, chest pain can be indicative of a heart attack or pulmonary embolism.

What constitutes a heart attack: reading the signs of chest pain right
A heart attack takes place when an artery that supplies oxygen to the heart muscle gets blocked and the resultant causes chest pain lasts for several minutes, in many reported cases, for more than 15 minutes. However, on the other hand are equal instances of silent heart attacks that do not show any outward symptoms or complaints of chest pain. Health experts opine that chest pain is the earliest predictor of an attack, particularly if it is recurrent in nature, triggered by exertion and relieved by rest.

• Chest pain linked with a heart attack causes an uncomfortable pressure, fullness or squeezing pain in the center of the chest and lasts more than a few minutes.
• If the chest pain spreads to the shoulders, neck or arms and the person feels weak after that, first aid measures need to be put in practice according to heart health necessities.
• Complaints of lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath in a person are regular signs pointing to a strong possibility of a heart attack and emergency measures need to be administered immediately.

First aid for chest pain: heart health and the caregiver?s lifesaving steps
The first thing a person dispensing first aid to a patient complaining of chest pain along with the above mentioned symptoms needs to do is dial 911 or any relevant emergency medical assistance. This is vital in the event that the chest pain is related to cardiac problems and the timely arrival of trained paramedics helps start emergency treatment quicker than getting to the hospital many a time. Often, those in far-off areas or crowded localities benefit from telephonic guidance and emergency medical assistance personnel that advise the first aid giver to act faster than a drive to the hospital could help.

• Giving the patient aspirin to chew while waiting for emergency assistance helps the victim of chest pain to speed absorption.
• Beginning CPR in case a heart attack is suspected or the person falls unconscious is the safe thing to do after a person complains of severe chest pain, lingering for more than a few minutes. This cardiopulmonary resuscitation can be administered with telephonic tips by emergency service personnel and is not difficult to administer for those who may not even be trained until such time that medical help arrives.

Other possibilities of a chest pain include strained muscles from overuse or excessive coughing or muscle bruising from minor trauma. These also require medical attention and expert opinion for correct diagnosis and first aid measures only extend to helping the person get some rest in a comfortable position till doctors can attend to the patient.

Everyone loves to sing out loud when spring is in the air; however, along with the colors of spring and the lightness of being able to enjoy those, the fly in the ointment-and literally so sometimes- may be the issue of spring visitors of the winged-variety. Bee stings are as common as the outside activities that people love to plan during spring (and every other seasonal holiday mood) and need to be dealt with in a smart and timely manner, to prevent the possibility of infection and allergic reactions. Though most insect bites can be irritating, they are usually not dangerous; but, for some people, bee stings can cause an allergic reaction that can become serious and even life threatening.

First aid tips for inspecting bee stings: steps

• The person administering first aid needs to examine the sting area closely, look for the stinger as it may still be in the skin.
• If the bee’s stinger is sighted and one can access it, it needs to be removed carefully by scraping it along with the attached poison sac from the skin. Health experts advise against using tweezers, fingers or anything similar as this can squeeze more poison into the body.
• If the person stung by a bee complains of severe irritation on the sting site, a mild application of alcohol or a paste of baking soda and water may be rubbed gently onto the skin. Ice is another good healer and gives instant relief for the soreness after a bee-sting. Caution must be exercised though, in applying alcohol to relieve itchiness and avoid sensitive skin near the eyes.
• If the bee stings near the mouth or in it, a mouthwash comprising one teaspoonful of baking soda in a glass of water, or a piece of ice to suck on may be given to the affected person. The first aid giver needs to monitor the victim for any signs of swelling or difficulty breathing. If either symptom occurs, one needs to get immediate medical help.

Checking for allergic reaction to bee stings: first aid facts
The caregiver extending first aid to a victim of a bee sting needs to check for signs of any allergic reactions to the sting. These include one or more of the following symptoms: itching/rash around the bite that spreads all over the body; a white, pink or red-blotchy bump on the skin, general swelling or near the airway, any complaints of weakness and headaches. Particularly alarming would be signs of post-bee sting fever, breathing difficulties, attacks of anxiety and abdominal cramps and vomiting.

Other factors to keep in mind while tending to bee-sting victims
A person may or may not have severe reactions to bee stings, however, the first aid giver needs to be aware of the possibilities of what may happen and alert the victim likewise. Casualties are known to develop hives and severe breathing difficulties wherein immediate measures of rescue CPR can make the difference between life and death.