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How can you identify that the anafilaxia shock has started on a patient?

I am looking to produce some first aid guidance posters to sell to companies. Is there an authority that would need to check the posters for accuracy of information or can anyone simply produce a poster and add a disclaimer on it to cover themselves (I have noticed this on a number of posters I have seen).

I want to ensure that the information I offer on the posters is correct and accurate but am unsure who to use for proof reading.

Hi. I have two of many questions I would like to ask.

1.If a casualty is impaled by a sharp object in the back and needs CPR, how would you do it because you cannot lay the casualty down and it is critical to make any life threatening injuries your main priority.

2.If a casualty is choking and needs CPR is it safe to continue rescue breaths or will this just cause the object to get trapped further down the tracea making it far more difficult for the casualty to cough up. I know that in this case it would be more desirable for the object to fall into one of the lungs that way the casualty can still breath with only one lung, although in severe discomfort.

This time next year after I pass Access to Nursing and Health Care Professions, I will be applying for a position at Swansea University studying Paramedic Science. Just want to go in armed and know a little, so if you could reply that would be great.

Thank You………

Hi Mónica,

What a great question!

One of your first clues are the external signs. Has the casualty been eating something for example nuts, shellfish, or dairy products, all of which commonly cause anaphylactic reactions?

If they know they’re prone to anaphylactic shock they might be carrying an auto-injector pen.

You should be on the lookout for these signs of reaction on the casualty’s body:

red, itchy rash or raised areas of skin,
red, itchy, watery eyes,
swelling of their limbs

The casualty may also be grasping at their throat, much like they would if they were choking, as their tongue and throat can swell, constricting the airway and making it difficult for them to breath.

They may also be exhibiting signs of shock, which could lead to them falling unconscious.

How do you treat it? Just follow this advice.

Hope this helps.

Hi Graham,

Interesting question, and I’m not sure of the answer I’m afraid. Might be one for the Health and Safety Executive? You could save yourself the hassle and just sell some of our own first aid posters!

Dear Ceri – thanks for your questions. Your first one has stumped me for what our advice would be. I need the help of a higher authority – one of our medical experts. I’ll get back to you as soon as I’ve got a satisfactory answer!

May I just commend you on that question – it’s definitely a plausible situation, and there are a few ways you could approach it..

On your second question, if a casualty is choking and needs CPR, following our procedure, the only reason you’d be starting CPR is if they’ve stopped breathing normally.

Compressions could help expel the object. And failing that, after you’ve done your 30 compressions, your two breaths, or subsequent breaths on later cycles, may force the object into the higher of the two lungs, which is better than nothing.

In this situation things are best left in the hands of medical professionals, who could administer drugs and remove the object. As long as you’ve phoned 999, as per our guidelines, they’ll already be on the way.

Hope this helps!
Brad

Hi
Bit of a weird one.

Someone advised me that if travelling as a passenger in a car I should not cross my legs.
The idea being that if the car crashed injuries would be worse for those people whose legs were crossed…

Is there any basis to this advice at all?

Thanks S

Dear Ceri,

After consultation with our technical first aid officer and chief medical officer, I can offer you the following answer to your first question.

Our advice would be to remove the object, place the casualty on their back and then place some thick padding over the wound to control further bleeding before commencing CPR.

Airway management and breathing are the two top priorities – though severe bleeding is not far behind. If the casualty recovers following CPR, you should then worry about treating the wound and the likely internal damage.

Note – it is always preferable not to remove embedded objects from wounds, as the object is likely to do more damage on the way out. But in this situation, where you’ve identified the casualty needs CPR but you can’t effectively administer it, this is one of those times where the rules change.

Best regards,
Brad.

Hi Saskia,

I would say it’s likely you could do doing more damage with your legs crossed, but I haven’t got any scientific evidence to back this up, nor can I draw on any anecdonatal experience of similar incidents in road traffic collisions.

Hopefully you never have to find out the hard way!

Are Companies allow to hold “insect bite” relief cream (or similar) in their first aid kits?

Hi Joanne,

I wouldn’t recommend it. I’d stick to raising the affected limb, applying a cold compress and watching for any further reaction, treating if necessary.

Hope this helps!
Brad

How would you give CPR to a casualty say in a car seat who you suspected had a spinal injury as well?

Hi Rachel,

Good question! Before I answer this one, here’s one for you – are you on your own, or with a friend?

I would actually been keen to know what to do in both scenarios.

Hi Rachel,

If you’re on your own, and you’ve established they need CPR, then phone for an ambulance before commencing CPR.

If you’ve got someone with you, get them to phone while you get on with the task in hand.

Spinal injury or not, if they need CPR, you need to give them CPR to save their life. The casualty needs to be flat to make the chest compressions effective. If it goes back far enough, you could try reclining the car seat. If your bystander is available, get them to support the casualty’s head as you move them and keep them as straight as possible.

If needs be, you’ll have to extract them from the car and do CPR on the ground.

If someone’s not breathing and therefore needs CPR, there’s only one thing that’s certain if you don’t do it – they’ll die. You may risk further injury, moving someone with a suspected spinal injury, but that may be the only way to preserve their life.

Hi there,

do the red cross offer an work based first aid training for companies?

All businesses should have the benefit of at least trained person

Hi Jon,

Yes, we do. See our Red Cross first aid training website, which will tell you all about all the different courses we have available in your area, and provide info on how many first aiders businesses need!

How many first aid kits do you need to have in a office of 50 persons

Thanks

Hi Amanda,

That’s a great question, but not one that I know the answer to straight away. I’ve asked one of my Red Cross training colleagues to answer this for you, hopefully I’ll have an answer soon!

Regards
Brad.

Hi Amanda,

Thank you for your question. After input from my Red Cross Training colleagues, who deal with first aid training for the workplace, and consulting one of our own health and safety experts, I’m afraid there’s no definitive answer to your question!

The number of first aid kits you need will depend on the risk involved. You might like to consult the Health and Safety Executive’s advice, published in this leaflet, which will help you make some of those decisions.

You might like to consider supplying all of your trained first aiders with an appropriate first aid kit so that your first aiders are always prepared.

what happens if no one on site wants to become a first aider or appointed person

I’m not at all convinced about the car seat even if it does recline far enough. Too springy. I doubt whether you could compress the chest effectively rather than just bouncing the torso up and down. If they needed CPR, I would absolutely get them out of the car and onto the ground, regardless of suspected spinal injury, for all the reasons you state.  (This is assuming it’s appropriate to attempt CPR – in a triage situation it might not be.)

hi kieran beard
i look of a first aid of me