Ch. 1 - Foundations
Before giving first aid care, what must you first obtain from the injured or ill person (or the person’s parent or guardian if the person is a minor)?
Consent
Where should you tap a child or adult that appears to be unresponsive? Where should you tap an infant who appears to be unresponsive?
You should tap an adult or child on that person’s shoulder, and you should tap an infant on the bottom of the infant’s foot.
In one set, how many compressions should you give, and how many breaths should you give?
In one set, you should give 30 chest compressions and 2 breaths.
Name 5 choking hazards for children younger than 5 years old.
Food Examples: nuts and seeds, hot dogs and sausages, chunks of meat or cheese, chunks of fruit (such as apples) and whole grapes, raw vegetables (such as carrots and celery), popcorn, and peanut butter
Other Examples: coins, buttons, “button” batteries, magnets, marbles, beads, pebbles, pen or marker caps
Name three potential symptoms of sudden illness.
Trouble breathing, pain (chest pain, abdominal pain, headache, etc.), light-headedness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, pale or very flushed skin, blurred vision, slurred speech, numbness, weakness, paralysis, seizures, etc.
What are the three simple steps to guide your actions in any emergency situation?
Check the scene and the person; Call 911 or the designated emergency number; Care for the person.
In a young or frightened child who does not appear to have a life-threatening illness or injury, should you check from head to toe or from toe to head? Why?
You should check from toe to head. Checking in this order gives the child a chance to get used to the process and allows him or her to see what is going on.
Is it safe to use an adult AED on a child or infant? Can you use a pediatric AED on an adult?
You can use the adult AED pads and levels of energy on an infant or child, but you cannot use the pediatric pads or levels of energy on an adult.
When an adult or child is choking, what should you do?
You should give a combination of 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts, and continue this until either they are no longer choking or they become unresponsive.
What is the difference between an acute illness and a chronic illness?
An acute illness is an illness that strikes suddenly and usually only lasts for a short period of time. A chronic illness is an illness that a person lives with on an ongoing basis and that often requires continuous treatment to manage.
What do “Good Samaritan” laws do?
They protect responders from financial liability and were developed to encourage people to help in emergencies. They protect responders who act the way a “reasonable and prudent person” would act if that person were in the same situation.
You should check for responsiveness and breathing for no more than how many seconds?
You should check for responsiveness and breathing for no more than 5 to 10 seconds.
What are the steps on the Adult Cardiac Chain of Survival? What are the steps on the Pediatric Cardiac Chain of Survival?
Adult: Recognize emergency and call 911, Early CPR, Early Defibrillation, Advanced Life Support, and Integrated Post-Cardiac Arrest Care.
Pediatric: Injury Prevention and Safety, Early CPR, Early Emergency Care, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Integrated Post-Cardiac Arrest Care
In what situations would you give chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts?
The person is too large for you to wrap your arms around to give abdominal thrusts. The person is obviously pregnant or known to be pregnant. If the person is in a wheelchair and the features of the wheelchair make it difficult to give abdominal thrusts, you should give chest thrusts instead.
What are some of the signs and symptoms of a stroke? Name at least 3.
Trouble with speech and language, including slurring of words, being unable to form words or being unable to understand what others are saying
Drooling or difficulty swallowing
Drooping of the features on one side of the face (for example, the eyelid and the corner of the mouth)
Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Weakness
Paralysis or numbness of the face, arms or legs, especially on one side of the body
A sudden, severe headache
Dizziness or loss of balance
Confusion
Loss of consciousness
Your role in the EMS system includes what four basic steps?
Recognizing that an emergency exists, deciding to take action, activating the EMS system, and giving care until EMS personnel take over
When interviewing a person, the American Red Cross recommends using the mnemonic device “SAMPLE.” What does each of the letters stand for?
Signs and Symptoms, Allergies, Medications, Pertinent medical history, Last food or drink, and Events leading up to the incident
Is cardiac arrest the same thing as a heart attack? If not, what is the difference?
Cardiac arrest is not the same thing as a heart attack. A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a part of the heart muscle is blocked, causing part of the heart muscle to die. Cardiac arrest, on the other hand, occurs when the heart stops beating or beats too ineffectively to circulate blood to the brain and other vital organs.
What do you do if you are alone and choking?
Call 911 - even if you are not able to speak, the open line will cause the dispatcher to send help. Give yourself abdominal thrusts, using your hands, just as you were giving abdominal thrusts to another person. Alternatively, bend over and press your abdomen against any firm object, such as the back of a chair or a railing.
How do you check for the signs and symptoms of a stroke?
Use the “FAST” method.
F: Face. Ask the person to smile, and look for weakness or drooping on one side of the face.
A: Arm. Ask the person to raise both arms, and look to see if one arm drifts downwards or appears weak.
S: Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, such as “The sky is blue.” See if they have trouble speaking or if their speech is slurred.
T: Time. If the person has trouble with any of these, note the time the symptoms started and call 911. Prompt medical attention may reduce the amount of disability the person experiences as a result of the stroke.
Name 3 situations where you should call 911 before giving care. Name 3 situations where you should give immediate care, and then call 911.
Call first: any person about 12 or under who is unresponsive; a child or infant whom you witnessed suddenly collapse; an unresponsive child or infant known to have heart problems.
Care first: An unresponsive infant or child younger than about 12 years whom you did not see collapse; a person who is choking; a person who is experiencing a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) and has an epinephrine auto injector; a person who has severe, life-threatening bleeding.
How do you place an adult or child in the recovery position? How do you place an infant?
To place and adult or child in the recovery position, you should: extend the person’s arm that is closest to you above the person’s head; roll the person toward yourself onto his or her side, so that the person’s head rests on his or her extended arm; bend both of the person’s knees to stabilize the body.
For an infant, you can position them on their side as you would for an adult, or you can position the infant face-down along your forearm, supporting the infant’s head and neck while keeping the mouth and nose clear.
Two abnormal heart rhythms in particular, ventricular fibrillation (V-fib) and ventricular tachycardia (V-tach), can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. What is the heart muscle doing in each of these situations?
In V-fib, the heart muscle simply quivers (fibrillates) weakly instead of contracting strongly.
In V-tach, the heart muscle contracts too fast (tachy- means “fast”).
What do you do if a person who is choking becomes unresponsive?
If a person who is choking becomes unresponsive, carefully lower him or her to the ground and, if you are trained, begin CPR, starting with chest compressions. After each set of chest compressions and before attempting rescue breaths, open the person’s mouth and look for the object. If you see an object in the person’s mouth, remove it using your finger.
It may not be necessary to call 911 if the person who has had a seizure is known to have occasional seizures. However, under some circumstances, you should call 911, even if the person is known to have seizures. Name at least 3 of these circumstances.
The seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, or the person has multiple seizures in a row.
The person was injured as a result of the seizure.
The person is unresponsive and not breathing or
only gasping after the seizure.
The person is pregnant or has diabetes.
The person is a young child or infant and the seizure was brought on by a high fever.
The person is elderly.
The seizure took place in the water.