First Aid

Seeing someone have a seizure can be scary. Seizures are not always dangerous in and of themselves, but they can be a symptom of a serious medical problem that needs treatment. Sometimes they...

Hearing impairments come in many degrees and can be congenital or the result of an incident later in life. A hearing impaired person may still have full or partial hearing in one of their ears,...

When an emergency situation occurs, it is best to be prepared. Learning simple first aid and CPR techniques will decrease chaos at the incident scene and will aid the injured person, many times...

There is little that can ruin a pleasant outdoor activity like an emergency situation that results in someone getting injured. While you should always be prepared with a first aid kit if you are...

This is a quick way to get someone to throw up if there is an emergency such as someone swallows something that could poison them or even pills that could make them overdose. It should take less...

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, has been known to help save lives when a person's heart and breathing have stopped, known as cardiopulmonary arrest. Administering CPR to a person in...

Hypothermia can result when the body loses more heat than it can generate. Exposure to cold, or even cool, damp conditions may result in hypothermia.

Heat stroke can occur when the heart and vascular system can no longer compensate for high temperatures. Recognizing the signs of heat stroke can enable early treatment and may save the person...

This article will help you rescue someone who is choking, whether if they are sitting or standing. Remember choking is life threatening.

Activated charcoal is used in emergency situations due to the ingestion of poisons or the overdose of medications. The activated charcoal absorbs the medications or poisons to keep them from being...

A seizure can be a scary experience for the person going through it right through to anyone who happens to be around to witness it. Without the proper information it is easy to panic in a...

Heat exhaustion may cause a person to faint, in which case the person should be placed in a cool, shaded area and then receive cold compresses applied to the forehead and body. Rehydrate a person...

Before administering CPR, ascertain if a person is breathing. Find out if a person is conscious by following the steps in this free first-aid video from a professional fireman.

A person chokes when a piece of food slips into the trachea and becomes lodged so securely that it cuts off breathing. Without oxygen, the person may suffer brain damage or die. It is important...

A person never knows when he encounters another individual who needs medical attention. Whether it be a simple knee scrape or a concussion, it's a good idea for anybody who wants to know first aid...

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a medical procedure used during times of emergency. The procedure helps to restore heartbeat and breathing to normal for people suffering from conditions...

Watching a person faint can lead to either quick action or paralysis and fear in a bystander. Learn how to overcome your fear and become a hero by helping someone who is fainting.

Being present when someone has a seizure is a frightening experience for everyone involved. Luckily, regardless of the type of seizure, first aid in these situations is not complicated and anyone...

Seeing someone have a seizure is a very scary experience. Many people in this situation panic, mistakenly assuming that the victim is dying. Seizures are scary, but they are often not fatal....

When a person sustains a head injury, swelling of the brain can result. If the injury is severe enough, a person could experience contusions (brusing) or even a blood clot otherwise called a...

Regardless of where the joint dislocation is on the injured person's body, these are the basic steps you should take to provide first aid. The key to providing first aid in any situation is to...

If a person swallows a small object it's usually just a matter of time to wait for the object to pass. But if the swallowed object is sharp, metallic or something else dangerous such as a battery,...

When someone suffers a violent, or even minor, blow to the head, the brain can be jarred, leading to bruising of the brain, tearing of blood vessels and injury to nerves. This can result in a...

Completing a head-to-toe assessment on an injured person is a necessary first-aid step after an accident of any kind. When headache, confusion, dizziness, and nausea and vomiting are present,...

Every year over 3 thousand people die due to choking. Food normally travels down the esophagus into the stomach. Occasionally it can go down the wrong way and go into the trachea. Choking occurs...

When a person faints, there is the risk of head trauma or other injuries unless someone soften or halts the fall. You must react quickly and know how to catch a slumping body to prevent harm.

If someone faints in your presence, you should know how to react to prevent injury and address first aid needs. Once you secure the person, you can ascertain if professional assistance is needed.

Smelling salts are made from a mixture of chemicals that compel a person to inhale when they are placed under the nose. There are several different situations that smelling salts can be used in.

Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation, commonly called CPR, is the procedure used to supply much-needed oxygen to the brain of a victim whose breathing and heartbeat have stopped. Two-person CPR...

There are two things everyone needs to live: air to breathe and a heartbeat. Without a heartbeat, a person is dead, if only until the heartbeat is restored. Without air, the heart will stop...

If you've come across an accident and found someone seemingly lifeless, you may want to quickly ascertain if the person is dead or simply unconscious. This can determine your next course of...

First Aid skills are best learned from a certified First Aid instructor, but consulting this list will refresh your memory in case you ever need to administer First Aid to a choking person. The...

Frequent measurement of an injured person's vital signs will help the rescuer assess the injury. Vital signs are an important indicator of how the person is responding to treatment. Check and...

Information about illness or injuries can be gathered by asking the injured person a series of questions regarding things that can't easily be observed. Pass this information on to medical...

Monitor yourself and others carefully for signs of heat illness when you're out in high temperatures and high humidity. The signs can be subtle, but try to catch them early.

If you recognize someone as severely hypothermic, his or her life is in serious danger. Begin treatment right away to prevent worsening of the condition.

A lung injury can occur any time a person receives a severe blow to the chest. This is a serious traumatic injury and requires immediate treatment and evacuation to a hospital.

When you suspect a spinal injury, only medical professionals should move an injured person. But when there is more immediate danger (for example, a slippery slope or an icy river), you - and those...

After you perform a primary and secondary survey of an injured person (see Related eHows), it is important to determine whether a spinal injury is involved. If you can rule out a spinal injury,...

If a person is hurt and you suspect a spinal cord injury (see "How to Rule out a Spinal Cord Injury"), take the following steps to ensure the person's safety.

If someone who you suspect has a spinal injury (see "Rule out a Spinal Cord Injury") needs to be moved onto an insulating pad or litter, logrolling is the easiest and safest way to do so.

Changes in the level of consciousness, or LOC, of a person who may have sustained an injury to the head are an important indicator of the way the brain is functioning. The scale used to measure...

One of the most frequent causes of death in the wilderness is injuries to the head, including scalp, brain and skull injuries. Carefully examine the head to assess whether to immediately evacuate...

The spinal cord is what connects the neural pathways from the brain to the rest of the body. Examine the neck, spine and back of an injured person carefully to assess whether injuries have been...

When professional medical care is far away, you may have to evacuate an injured person by litter. Here is the first step: securing the person onto the litter.

If you are the only rescuer of an unconscious person and have to leave for whatever reason, put the person in the recovery position in case he or she vomits while you are away.

The jaw may slip out of its socket during sleep if the muscles become relaxed due to alcohol or sleeping pills. In remote settings, it may be necessary to put the jaw back in line ("reduce" it) so...

A person with a dislocated shoulder will be in a great deal of pain and unable to bring the arm up to the chest. Dislocated shoulders are often recurring and the injured person can help the...

Dislocated knees are serious injuries, and usually prevent the injured person from walking. Reduction of the knee will prevent further injury and alleviate pain, but the person will need to be...

In a wilderness setting, the secondary survey provides crucial diagnostic information for an injured person.