Bleeding

Cover the wound with a clean dressing to keep out dirt and germs. Bandage it on firmly to stop the bleeding. If a wound is bleeding profusely, hold it firmly with your hand until you can secure an emergency dressing. Any thick pad of clean, soft, compressible material large enough to cover the wound will make a good dressing. Clean handkerchiefs, towels, sanitary pads, tissue handkerchiefs or sheets make good emergency dressings.

Bleeding is best controlled by pressure, this can be either applied directly or indirectly. If a first aid kit it available and no foreign bodies are visible within the wound. Apply a pad or dressing directly on to the wound. If the dressing become saturated with blood do not remove it but instead add another dressing over the top.

If a limb is Bleeding severely or a foreign body needs to be removed before a dressing can be applied. Indirect pressure can be used. This is applied to the artery, the points are the same as if you were taking someone's peripheral pulse.

Pedal Pulse Point On the Top of the foot for foot injuries.

Radial Pulse Point on the wrist below the thumb for hand injuries.

Brachial Pulse Point on the inner arm between your arm pit and elbow.

Femoral Pulse Point on your inner thigh near the groin.

Consult a medical textbook before hand for a more detailed description of these and other points. You can practice locating them by finding the pulse, in a real life scenario the pulse may be weak and difficult to detect If a wound is wide try and bring the edges together, using wound closures if available. If not practical, place absorbent materials is the gash, either non fibrous dressings or tampons.

Unconsciousness:
An unconscious patient lying on his back may be strangled by his own tongue which will tend to fall back and obstruct the airway. All unconscious persons should be placed lying half over on their faces, (three -quarter-prone position). If the patient is breathing quietly and easily and his lips are pink and have no froth on them, breathing is not obstructed. If the patient is breathing noisily and with difficulty, if his lips are blue and frothing, or if his chest is sucked inwards when he breathes in, his
airway is obstructed and needs immediate attention. Keep the airway clear by:

Placing the casualty on his back; supporting his shoulders on a pad of any suitable material available; tilting the head back with one hand on the forehead, the other lifting the neck. If his breathing stops you can breathe for the patient by blowing air into his lungs. Take a deep breath. Pinch the casualty's nostrils. Place mouth to mouth tightly. Blow into the casualty's lungs strongly enough to cause his chest to rise. The cycle should be repeated every 3 to 5 seconds for an adult and a little more frequently for a child. Blow more gently for a child or a baby, but strongly enough to make the chest rise.

Burns:
Cover the burned area with large, thick, dry dressing and bandage it on firmly. Encourage the casualty to drink plenty of fluids. A solution of salt and soda is useful to give to casualties with burns and to those who have suffered from serious bleeding.

Broken bones (fractures):
If a limb is very painful and cannot be used, appears to be bent in the wrong place or the casualty says he heard or felt the bone snap, it is likely that a bone is broken.
Sharp ends of a broken bone may damage important structures such as blood vessels and nerves. A broken limb should be steadied and supported to prevent movement of the broken ends before attempting to move the patient.

For any fracture try to imobolise the the fractured part, figers and toes should be strapped or taped to their neighbouring digits. Arms should be placed in bandage or improvised slings and legs will need to be splinted with sticks.

If a person's back or neck is so severely injured that he is afraid to move because of pain, or cannot move or feel his limbs, you should assume that he has a broken back. He should be moved on a hard, firm stretcher taking great care not to "jack-knife" him by picking up his feet and shoulders. Improvised stretchers can be made from boards, branches, etc. Fill in the natural hollows of the track and neck with padding and support the head on both sides to prevent movement.