Questions to Ask
| Does the person have an injury to the head, neck and/or back? |   |
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Get Emergency Care and give first aid procedures before emergency care for problem at hand. |
| Does the victim have severe bleeding from an open fracture? | |
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Get Emergency care and give first aid before emergency care.
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Monitor for shock, breathing and pulse.
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Have the victim lie flat.
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Elevate the victim's feet 8 to 12 inches.
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Cover the victim with a blanket or other item to keep him or her warm.
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Remove clothing covering the wound. Cut clothing away or rip at seams, if necessary.
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To protect yourself against possible disease:
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If available, put on disposable latex gloves. If not available, use a plastic bag, plastic wrap or many layers of gauze pads to apply direct pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. Try not to push on the injured bone.
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Cover the wounded area with a clean cloth or dressing.
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Continue to apply pressure as long as the wound bleeds. Add new dressings over existing ones.
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Immobilize the injured area. A splint is a good way to immobilize the affected area, reduce pain and prevent shock.
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Effective splints can be made from rolled-up newspapers and magazines, an umbrella, a stick, a cane and rolled up blankets. Place this type of item around the injury and gently hold it in place with a necktie, strip of cloth or belt. The general rule is to splint a joint above and below the fracture.
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Or, lightly tape or tie an injured leg to the uninjured one, putting padding between the legs, if possible. Or, tape an injured arm to the chest, if the elbow is bent, or to the side if the elbow is straight, placing padding between the body and the arm.
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For a broken arm, make a sling out of a triangular piece of cloth. Place the forearm in it and tie the ends around the neck so the arm is resting at a 90 degree angle.
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Check the pulse in the limb with the splint. If you cannot find it, the splint is too tight and must be loosened at once.
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Check for swelling, numbness, tingling or a blue tinge to the skin. Any of these signs indicate the splint is too tight and must be loosened right away to prevent permanent injury
Does the person have?
- a broken bone in the pelvis or thigh
- cold, blue skin under the fracture
- numbness below the fracture
- sweating, dizziness, thirst or an ashen skin color, or
- any deformity at the fracture site
Get Emergency Care and give first aid procedures before emergency care:
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Do not try to set a broken bone yourself or try to push a protruding bone back under the skin.
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Immobilize the injured limb (see above)
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p>Elevate the injured body part, if possible.
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Keep the person quiet to avoid moving the injured area.
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Apply ice to the injured area to help reduce swelling and inflammation, unless there is an open wound.
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Take aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen sodium to reduce pain and swelling. Acetaminophen will help the pain, but not the swelling. (Note: Do not give aspirin or any medication that has salicylates to anyone under 19 years of age unless a doctor tells you to.
Is the pain so severe the person is unable to bear weight on the injured limb and/or is there a lot of bruising around the injury?
See Doctor and give first aid procedures before seeing doctor:
- Immobilize the injury (see previous First Aid Before Emergency Care)
- Take aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen or naproxen sodium for the pain.
Is the injury still painful after 48 hours?
Do First Aid. (See those already listed.) All broken bones need medical attention. If you are not sure whether or not a bone has been broken, consult your doctor.