Category: First Aid

Earache can be exceptionally painful. It has a number of common causes, including infection, or as a symptom of other conditions such as flu or tonsillitis. Like earache, toothache can cause agonising pain. Usually caused by a decaying or damaged tooth, it can also arise as a result of problems such as an ear infection or sinusitis, or even from jaw tension. In babies and children, there may be pain and discomfort as their teeth come through. Sore throats can be a sign of infection such as tonsillitis or a symptom of colds and flu. There may be swelling and infection around the throat, or swollen glands visible under the jaw.

Painkillers

When used according to the instructions, painkillers such as paracetamol have little risk for a healthy adult. Likewise, medicines such as paracetamol syrup made especially for children can provide safe pain relief.

People in severe pain are at risk from an accidental overdose of painkillers and while paracetamol is generally safe, one of its potential drawbacks is that very few extra tablets are required to risk an overdose.

To reduce the chances of problems with any painkillers:

• Read and follow the instructions carefully.
• Seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist if necessary.
• Do not leave painkillers near the bed while sleeping. It is easy to wake up in pain and forget when the last dose was taken.
• Seek early medical advice if you think that an overdose may have been taken, even if there are no signs and symproms of a problem. Paracetamol poisoning, for example, does not show up immediately but the antidote needs to be taken as soon as possible.

First Aid For Treating earache

1. If there is a fever or discharge, seek urgent medical help, as this may be a sign of serious infection or a burst ear-drum. Seek medical advice if there is any loss of hearing. Check the history of the problem to rule out injury to the ear or skull, or the presence of a foreign object.
2. Help the person into a comfortable position. A hot-water bottle wrapped in a towel placed on the ear may provide some pain relief.
3. Enable the person to take her usual painkillers.
4. If the condition persists or gets worse, especially in children, seek medical advice.

First Aid For Treating a sore throat

1. Check the history of the problem to rule out poisoning or burns.
2. Give the person plenty of cold drinks.
3. Enable the person to take his usual painkillers.
4. Seek medical advice if the condition persists or if sore throats are recurrent, particularly in children.

First Aid For Treating toothache

1. Check the history of the problem to rule out any injury to the mouth or jaw.
2. Help the person into a comfortable position. The throbbing pain associated with an infected tooth is often eased if the person is sitting up.
3. Enable the person to take her usual painkillers.
4. A hot-water bottle wrapped in a towel or hot compress placed alongside the face may help relieve the pain. Oil of cloves applied to cotton wool and placed on the tooth (not the gums) may also help numb the pain. Children may benefit from teething remedies available from pharmacists.
5. Encourage the person to make an appointment with a dentist.

Related topic

• Home remedies for earache
• Home remedies for sore throat
• Home remedies for toothache

Large objects embedded in a wound, or foreign objects near to a vulnerable site such as the eye, need special care and medical treatment. Smaller debris, such as shards of glass or splinters of wood, stuck into minor wounds can usually be successfully managed at home without further treatment.

First Aid For Removing splinters

1. If the splinter is fully embedded in the skin clean the wound, cover gently and seek medical attention. If part of the splinter is out of the skin, you may try to remove it with tweezers.
2. Pass the tweezers over a flame to clean them and reduce the risk of infection.
3. Use the tweezers to grasp the end of the object and to gently pull it out at the same angle that it went in. If the splinter breaks off in the wound or is not easy to remove, treat it as you would a larger foreign body.
4. Once removed, squeeze the wound to encourage a small bleed, clean the site with soap and water and gently cover with a plaster or dressing as appropriate.
5. Splinters can carry infection into the body so check the site for any signs of infection over the coming days. Tetanus is a particular risk, especially if the splinter was obtained while gardening, so check the date of the person’s last tetanus immunisation and seek a booster if necessary.

Fish hooks

While the injuries associated with an embedded fish hook may be relatively minor, they are particularly difficult to remove because of their barbed ends. Only try to remove one if medical help is not readily available, for example if you are on a boat.

When medical help is easy to access

1. Cut the line as close to the hook as possible to prevent it catching on something and causing further damage.
2. Pad around the hook until you can bandage over or around it without pushing it further in.
3. Seek medical help to ensure there is no underlying damage to the tissues.

When medical help may take some time to arrive

If you can see the barb:

1. Cut the line as close to the hook as possible.
2. Cut the barb away and carefully remove the hook by its eye.
3. Clean and cover the wound and elevate if it is on a limb.
4. Check the wound for signs of infection over the coming days and check that the tetanus booster is up-to-date.

First Aid for Treating a larger embedded object

• Do not attempt to remove the object.
• Apply pressure to the wound by padding around the base of the object over the top of sterile gauze or a piece of clean material.
• Bandage over the padding to apply pressure withour moving the object.
• If the object is embedded in an arm or leg, elevation may help to reduce bleeding and pain.
• Seek medical help.

If the object is very long, provide additional support at its base to prevent it moving.

If you cannot see the barb:

1. If you are able, push the hook quickly and firmly forward through the skin until the barb can be seen.
2. Cut the barb away and then treat as outlined above.

If the barb cannot be easily removed, do not attempt to remove the hook – instead, treat as for a larger embedded object.

Cramp is a muscle spasm generally caused by exercising and loss of fluid, for example through heatstroke. However, it can also occur spontaneously, often at night, particularly in older people. Common sites for cramp include the sole of the foot, the calf and the thigh. If the abdominal muscles are affected, the condition is known as a stitch.

First Aid for Treating cramp

A gentle stretching and massage of the affected area will help to relieve cramp. Give the affected person plenty of fluids and something salty to eat.

For the thigh

1. Straighten the knee and raise the leg if the cramp is in the back of the leg.
2. Bend the knee if the cramp is in the front of the thigh.
3. Massage the affected muscle firmly.

For a foot

Often if the affected person stands on the foot with the sole flat on the ground this will relieve the pain. If this does not work, accompany this with gentle massage.

For the calf

Straighten the person’s knee and gently push the foot up towards the shin. Massage the affected muscle.

Useful References

• https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-heat-cramps/basics/art-20056669
• https://www.emedicinehealth.com/muscle_cramps/article_em.htm

There is a risk of infection with any animal bite, no matter how small. The bite should be assessed by a doctor as soon as possible to see if a tetanus or rabies injection, or a course of antibiotics, is required First aid treatment for bites is to keep the wound clean and control any bleeding.

Animal bites

Any animal bite requires medical attention. Deep bites can cause serious wounds, severe bleeding and tissue damage, while all animal bites can cause infection. Puncture wounds from teeth carry infection deep into the tissue, while scratches are also an infection risk. The human bite is among the most infectious.

Checking for infection

Warn the injured person to watch for signs of an infected wound over the coming days. Seek immediate medical attention if any combination of the following signs and symptoms develops:

• Increased pain
• Swelling
• Redness around the site of the wound
• Discharge from the site
• Unpleasant smell from the site of the wound
• Red tracks from the site of the wound to the heart
• Swollen glands

First Aid Treatment

The priority is to ensure the safety of yourself and bystanders. lf the animal is still a risk, do not approach it but call the emergency services instead.

For serious wounds

1. Sit the injured person down to help reduce shock.
2. Treat any bleeding by: Looking in the wound, Applying direct pressure, Elevating the site if it is a limb.
3. Take or send the person to hospital.

For smaller wounds and scratches

1. Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water.
2. Dry the wound with clean gauze or other non-fluffy material and cover with a dressing.
3. Seek medical advice.

Specific infections spread by bites

Rabies

Rabies is an increasingly rare but potentially very serious, even fatal, condition carried by animal bites. Rabies in the UK is rare, but if the bite is from an animal that may have come into the country without going through normal checks, or if you are bitten overseas, then seek immediate medical attention. There is no cure for rabies but early vaccination following a bite can help develop immunity.

Hepatitis B and C

There is a small chance that hepatitis B and C may be transmitted by a human bite. If concerned, seek medical advice.

Tetanus

Tetanus bacteria carry a particular risk when carried deep into a wound with jagged edges or a puncture wound. Animal bites carry a potential risk of tetanus. Tetanus affects the central nervous system and can cause muscle spasms, breathing problems and sometimes death. It is also known as lockjaw because it may tense up the jaw muscles. There is a vaccination for tetanus but immunity is not lifelong and anybody suffering a potentially hazardous injury should seek medical advice on having a booster injection.

Useful References

• https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-animal-bites/basics/art-20056591
• https://www.emedicinehealth.com/animal_bites/article_em.htm
• https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/animal-bites-treatment

An allergy is hypersensitivity to a substance (allergen) that is not normally considered to be harmful. The body’s response can be mild but irritating or severe, quick and life-threatening. The most extreme response is anaphylaxis, which can result in anaphylactic shock that, if untreated, can kill. The number of allergy sufferers is increasing in the developed world.

First Aid For Treating mild reactions

Mild reactions usually involve skin irritation, minor swelling and a rash. Some reactions take the form of red irritated eyes and sneezing. If the sufferer shows signs of breathing difficulty or impaired consciousness, assume that the reaction is severe and call for immediate medical help.

Common allergens causing mild reactions include insects bites or stings, long grass, flowers and long ­ haired animals.

1. Offer reassurance and find out if the person has a history of allergic reaction.
2. Apply a cold compress or calamine lotion to any rash or itchy skin.
3. Try to identify the source of the allergy so that it can be avoided. Reactions can become more extreme if the person is exposed to the same allergen in the future.
4. Seek medical advice because tests may be needed to identify the allergen.

Using an auto-injector

If you have been trained to do so, you may help somebody administer her own medicine. Ensure that the medicine belongs to the casualty. Help her to expose an area of skin and to take the lid off the injector. Place the injector on the skin and help the casualty push to administer the medication into the body.

[ Read: Home remedies for Allergies ]

Allergic rhinitis, hay fever and urticaria

If a person experiences an allergic reaction after inhaling a specific airborne substance, the membrane lining the nose, throat and sinuses becomes inflamed, a condition termed allergic rhinitis. This increases mucus production and causes sinus congestion. Symptoms may include blocked or runny nose, itchy, red, watery eyes, sneezing, drowsiness and a sore throat. Depending on the allergen, symptoms may be experienced year-round or seasonally, when the disorder is known as hay fever. Urticaria, also known as nettle rash or hives, is an intensely itchy rash that usually occurs as the result of an allergic reaction. The rash consists of white lumps and red, inflamed areas that may affect the whole body, and usually clears up after a few hours.

Treatment for all these conditions depends on the use of antihistamines and avoiding the allergen when possible.

Useful References

• https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/allergic-reaction-treatment
• https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/8612-allergy-medications
• https://www.allergy.org.au/images/stories/anaphylaxis/ascia_first_aid_for_anaphylaxis_2010.pdf
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-anaphylaxis/basics/art-20056608

Pain in the abdomen can range from mild discomfort to agony. There are many causes of abdominal pain. Most are not serious but others may be an indication of serious injury, such as internal bleeding, of a potential medical emergency such as appendicitis or a stomach ulcer, or of problems with the muscles, for example, a hernia or muscle strain. If stomach pain in an infant is accompanied by fever, diarrhea or vomiting, seek prompt medical advice.

Causes of Abdominal Pain

• Excessive gas
• Indigestion
• Bladder infections
• Endometriosis
• Sickle cell crisis
• Excess fructose or sorbitol ingestion
• Food allergy
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• Chronic constipation

Symptoms of Abdominal Pain

• Be sharp, dull, stabbing, cramp-like, twisting or fit many other descriptions
• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) is associated with gallstones, some medications, or heavy alcohol intake.
• Make you throw up (vomit)
• Pneumonia may be associated with fever, coughing, and shortness of breath.
• Gallstones cause crampy pain in the right upper portion of the abdomen. Pain becomes worse with eating, especially after eating fatty foods.

First Aid For Treating abdominal pain

1. Check the history of the pain to rule out recent injury, potential poisoning or an underlying medical condition.
2. Help the person into a comfortable position and provide a covered hot water bottle to provide some relief from the pain.
3. If the pain is severe or does not ease within half an hour, seek medical advice.

Seek early medical advice or an ambulance if the pain is accompanied by:

• Vomiting red blood (a potential burst stomach ulcer).
• High temperature (possible infection, such as peritonitis, caused by a burst appendix).
• Rigid (inflexible) abdomen (may indicate internal bleeding).
• Signs of shock.