Accidents happen. Someone chokes on an ice cube or gets stung by a bee. It is important to know when to call 9-1-1 -- it is for life-threatening emergencies. While waiting for help to arrive, you may be able to save someone's life. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation ( CPR) is for people whose hearts or breathing has stopped and the Heimlich maneuver is for people who are choking. CPR should only be done if you have had the training.
You can also learn to handle common injuries and wounds. Cuts and scrapes, for example, should be rinsed with cool water. To stop bleeding, apply firm but gentle pressure, using gauze. If blood soaks through, add more gauze, keeping the first layer in place. Continue to apply pressure.
It is important to have a first aid kit available. Keep one at home and one in your car. It should include a first-aid guide. Read the guide to learn how to use the items, so you are ready in case an emergency happens.
- First-Aid Guide(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/FirstAidIndex/FirstAidIndex
- What to Do in an Emergency(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26024
- Home First Aid Kits(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26036
- Anaphylaxis(American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology) - http://www.acaai.org/public/advice/anaph.htm
- Automatic External Defibrillators(American College of Emergency Physicians) - http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26022
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Cuts, Scrapes and Stitches: Caring for Wounds(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/firstaid/after-injury/041.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/firstaid/after-injury/041.printerview.html
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Nosebleeds: What to Do When Your Nose Bleeds(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/firstaid/basics/132.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/healthy/firstaid/basics/132.printerview.html
- Seizures(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/seizure.html
- Shock(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec03/ch024/ch024a.html
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Shock
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Shock%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Six days in the delta. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18515413&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Water safety in the bush: strategies for addressing training needs... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18498202&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: First aid for complications of infectious keratitis. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18417823&tool=MedlinePlus
- First Aid -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=first+aid[majr]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])+AND+english[la]&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Shock -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(shock[majr]+NOT+shock,septic[mh])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- National Safety Council Training Center Directory(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/training/
- Prepare for Emergencies with American Red Cross First Aid, CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Courses(American Red Cross) - http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/
- American College of Emergency Physicians - http://www.acep.org/
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American Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cruzrojaamericana.org/
- First Aid and Safety(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/
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Knocked-Out Tooth(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/sheets/tooth_sheet.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/folleto/tooth_sheet_esp.html
- Teaching Your Child How to Use 911(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/911.html
- What You Need to Know in an Emergency(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/home/healthin.html
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When It's Just You in an Emergency(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/er/emergency.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/seguridad/emergency_esp.html
- Dealing with an Emergency(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/safety/safebasics/911.html
- Animal Bites - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/animalbites.html
- Burns - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/burns.html
- Choking - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/choking.html
- CPR - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cpr.html
- Disaster Preparation and Recovery - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/disasterpreparationandrecovery.html
- Emergency Medical Services - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/emergencymedicalservices.html
- Heat Illness - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heatillness.html
- Hypothermia - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hypothermia.html
- Insect Bites and Stings - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/insectbitesandstings.html
- Injuries and Wounds - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/injuriesandwounds.html
- Safety Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/safetyissues.html
First Aid - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/firstaid.html