成人快手

With almost half of people admitting they'd feel panicked if they came across a medical emergency, Dr Xand provides some potentially life saving advice.

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WHAT KIND OF THING COULD BE CONSIDERED A MEDICAL EMERGENCY?

Xand says:

"There are lots of things that might be considered a medical emergency where action is required. For example, a situation where you think the casualty may need expert emergency medical support, ie a suspected cardiac arrest, an unconscious person who can’t be roused, a life-threatening injury, a major fracture or other very serious injury/illness.
In some cases where the person is non-responsive it might require us to take action ourselves, or in others it might just require us to sit with them until paramedics arrive."

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WHAT SHOULD WE DO IF WE COME ACROSS SOMEONE WHO'S EXPERIENCING A MEDICAL EMERGENCY?

Xand says:

"In the first instance, it's really important to make a call for help. That's usually either 111 or 999. The simplest way to put it is that 999 is for emergencies and 111 is for non-emergencies."

When to use 111

Xand says:

"You should call 111 if you think someone may need to go to Accident & Emergency (A&E), but the situation isn’t life-threatening or limb-threatening. A trained operator can provide you with urgent care and assessment over the phone.

You may want to call 111 for things like:

• Suspected broken bones
• Sprains
• Burns
• Cuts

The call handler might book the person an appointment to attend A&E or the Minor Injuries Unit. Booking an appointment with 111 in advance will save you waiting a long time in a hospital waiting room and taking up the space of someone who may need urgent help before you."

When to use 999

Xand says:

"You should call 999 when there's a life-threatening medical emergency. This is when you or someone is seriously ill or injured, and their life may be at risk.

A few of these cases might be:

• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Loss of consciousness
• Breathing problems
• Severe bleeding
• Fits
• Severe burns
• Allergic reactions
• Other major trauma"

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ARE THERE ANY SITUATIONS WHERE WE CAN INTERVENE IN A MEDICAL EMERGENCY?

When someone is unresponsive

Step 1 - Call 999

Xand says:

"If you come across someone who is unresponsive, won't answer, or move if you call their name or tap their shoulders, then it's important to get help straight away. A situation like this is a 999 call which is the first thing you should do."

Step 2 - Check for breathing

Xand says:

"To check if someone's breathing, tilt the head back see if their chest is moving. Look, listen and feel for breaths. Tilting their head back opens the airway, but try and check if their tongue has fallen back and is blocking their airway too."

Step 3 - If they are not breathing

Xand says:

"If they're not breathing, then it's time to start CPR or chest compressions.

Check our Dr Ranj's CPR demonstration below."

Xand says:

"To perform CPR, follow these steps:

1. Kneel by the casualty and put the heel of your hand on the middle of their chest. Correct hand placement for CPR on a person with breasts may mean that your hands may touch some of the breast. This is okay.
2. Put your other hand on top of the first and interlock your fingers.
3. Keep your arms straight and lean over the casualty.
4. Press down hard using your body weight, to a depth of about 5-6cm before releasing the pressure, allowing the chest to come back up.
5. Push at a rate of 2 per second. It might help to try and stick to the beat of Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees. Another track that works well too is Texas Hold 'Em by Beyonce!

Listen to instructions from the 999 operator if you still have them on the phone. They will tell you what to do and help you to push at the right speed.

Continue chest compressions until emergency help arrives or the person starts showing signs of life and starts to breathe normally."

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Using a defibrillator

Defibrillators are normally located in workplaces and public spaces like airports, shopping centres, community centres, and train stations. If you need a defibrillator the 999 emergency operator may be able to tell you where one is.

You can also use Defib Finder

Xand says:

"There's a common misconception that defibrillators restart a heart once it has completely stopped. This is incorrect. The purpose of the defibrillator is to detect unusual or erratic heart rhythms. If these irregular rhythms are detected, the defibrillator will then send a shock to the heart to return it to its natural rhythm, it won't restart a heart that has already stopped entirely. This is why CPR is so important to keep blood pumping around the body.
Anyone can use a defibrillator and you don’t need training.
Just attach it as per the visual instructions, turn it on, and follow audible instructions. It will tell you where to stick the pads, when to stop CPR so it can check the patient's heart rhythm and provide a shock. It will also tell you whether to continue chest compressions between shocks.

Dr Ranj demonstrated how to used a defibrillator on the show, you can watch this below."

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WHAT IF SOMEONE IS UNRESPONSIVE BUT IS BREATHING? (RECOVERY POSITION)

The recovery position should be used if the person is unconscious but breathing normally. This position keeps their airway open and prevents vomit from blocking their airway.

Xand says:

"After you've made sure that the person's airway is clear, it's time to place them in the recovery position until help arrives.

1. Make sure the person is lying on their back and kneel on the floor beside them.
2. Extend the arm that's closest to you and place it at a right angle to the body, palms facing up.
3. Fold the other arm so the back of their hand rests on the person's cheek that's closest to you, holding it in place.
4. Using your free hand, bend the person's knee that's farthest away from you to a right angle.
5. Carefully roll the person onto their side by pulling on the bent knee towards you.
6. Make sure that their bent arm is supporting the head. Their extended arm should stop you rolling them too far.
7. Make sure their bent leg is still at a right angle.
8. Open their airway by gently tilting their head back and lifting their chin. Double check again that nothing is blocking their airway.
9. Stay with the person and monitor their condition until help arrives.
10. If their condition changes, call 999 again."

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HOW SHOULD YOU HELP A PERSON WHO IS INJURED BUT RESPONSIVE?

Even though you may not be able to treat someone who is experiencing a medical emergency, there are a few things you can do to help paramedics before they arrive.

Xand says:

"The first thing you should do is stay with the person until help arrives. Try and be as reassuring as you can, letting them know that you've called for help and they're on the way.
Don't be afraid to call 999 again if the person's condition changes, for example they lose consciousness. The operator will always talk you through what to do next.

A really helpful thing you can do is ask the person a few questions in case they lose consciousness while you're waiting for the ambulance.

Ask them:

• The details of their GP
• Details of any medicine they're taking
• Whether they have any allergies.

This information is really useful for paramedics when they arrive.

Above all, staying with that person and giving them that reassurance that help is on the way can be more crucial than you think."