First Aid For Children (1974)

[Music] Most of the danger of snake bite is made up in myths and misconceptions. About half of the bites from venomous snakes contain no poison. The body will isolate the venom within 30 minutes and the area will swell and develop blood blisters. First aid for snake bites follows four basic steps. First, and most important, never let the victim stand up or move for the first 30 minutes. Second, put on a light tourniquet, not heavy. Third is to make an incision and suck out the venom. The incision can be made by a piece of glass or other sharp instrument. The incision is made only skin deep and just a quart of an inch on each side of the fang mark. Fourth is to suck out the venom. There is no danger to you and you'll know if you've got it because it tastes terrible. During that first 30 minute period, if the victim moves or stands up and walks, the venom will be pumped into the rest of his body. Carry the child. Don't walk him out. Hello, I'm Dr. Lenoski of the USC Medical School. We have developed some practical methods of first aid that can be applied by anyone in the field if they keep their cool. Remember, accidents are the major cause of death of children. Anyone with any medical orientation of any kind can become automatically involved. They should follow a basic procedure. First of all, identify yourself as having some medical training and experience, even if it's only a first aid course, and ask if you can help. I'm a doctor. Can I help here? Yes. Most often, you will get permission to take charge. Secondly, you must protect your own position. Often people rendering first aid are themselves placed in jeopardy and hurt while helping another. Station someone to direct traffic and keep the curious away. Thirdly, you must delegate duties. To get more help, call the police. They can call an ambulance or the fire department here right away. Fourth, approach the victim and perform the ABCs of emergency care. A, check the airway. Make sure the airway is clear. B, bleeding. This can be handled by a bystander. Press where it's wet. Usually, blood will clot in 5 minutes. C. Check for cardiac function. Listen for the heartbeat. If no heartbeat, massage must be started at once and the victim must be on a firm surface. Caution must be taken not to press too hard on the child's chest. Identify the victim. Look for identification, especially any medical alert tags or other information. Some persons with a medical problem carry medicine with them. A diabetic child in insulin shock has to have sugar immediately administered any way possible. A child in a diabetic coma, which is very unusual, will not be harmed by sugar. Convulsions in a small child are caused by many reasons. In general, a convulsion is a result of runaway brain activity. The symptoms are the strong muscles contract and the child collapses and twitches. The diaphragm goes into spasm so effective breathing stops and the child turns blue. Often the bowels and bladder are emptied. A convulsion is a very devastating thing and needs to be stopped so that brain damage will not result from a lack of breathing. Restoration of breathing supplying oxygen to the brain is of paramount importance to a convulsing victim. They need oxygen fast and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is effectively used by parents faced with a child in convulsion. Small puffs of air are better than large breaths with a child. The child's lungs are small and your lungs contain a larger volume of air. A high fever, 103 to 106, especially if developed quickly, will bring on a convulsion. The most important factor in a fever convulsion, is not the actual temperature, but the fact that the child has a fever. The best method yet devised is to feel the child's forehead with your forehead, not your hand. If the child's forehead feels warm to your forehead, then he has a fever. In a convulsion, there is no time to take a temperature reading. If the child has a fever, place him in a lukewarm tub or apply wet cloths. Don't bother to undress him. You can do that after the child's temperature is reduced. Small children have difficulty controlling their body temperature and are therefore more susceptible to convulsions. Accidental poisoning is one of the major health hazards in this country today. In Los Angeles, there are approximately 17,000 accidental poisonings of children under the age of five each year. The average home contains up to 36 lethal items that can poison children. One of the critical factors in accidental poisoning of children is the identification of the poison. The other is the rapid transport of the child to a medical facility where they can receive care. Take the material the child has eaten along with the patient to the hospital. My daughter's taking pills. She's been poisoned. Please send a cruiser once. Yes, there are thousands of hazardous plants that children may eat and the hospital must know what the child has eaten in order to provide proper care. Whatever the child eats, a plant, chemical, or a medicine, the plant, container, and label, if any, must be brought along to the hospital so it can be identified. The police are the easiest people to call for a poison victim, and they have the quickest possible way to transport the victim to the hospital. However, any vehicle can be used. The poison child does need to get to the hospital the fastest possible way. Animal bites are most frequently provoked by the child. And bites could be prevented by educating the child not to poke his finger or face at a strange animal and never bother his pet while it's eating. Dogs will snap if provoked. Dog bites are very common with children because of this provocation tendency. [Music] Bites through clothing are considered less dangerous than bites directly on open skin because the clothing absorbs the saliva. Animal saliva is contaminated with bacteria and tetanus is a greater hazard than rabies. Most children have had their tetanus shots, however, and therefore we don't see many cases of lock jaw. The most important thing to remember when you're faced with an animal bite victim is to get rid of the saliva as quickly as possible. If the bite is through clothing, take the clothing away from the bite. Tear or cut it away if necessary. Wash the wound immediately with anything that's wet. Water, soda pop, or whatever. Scientific tests have shown that 97% of serious contamination by saliva can be washed away if done immediately after the child is bitten. This means right away. Don't wait to take the child anywhere. Wash the wound immediately. The incidence of rabies in bites is very low. Los Angeles County has had only two cases from dogs in 3 years. You should make sure that your dog has had its rabies shots. If a child is bitten, see if you can find the dog's owner and check to see when the dog was immunized. Cats don't generally transmit rabies because like rats and squirrels, they die very quickly from rabies. Skunks, coyotes, and bats are the major carriers of rabies. The very first thing to do when faced with a drowning victim is to clear the airway. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation should be done carefully. A child's lungs are small and need small puffs of air, not large breaths. An adult blowing heavily into a small child's mouth can explode the child's lungs or fill the stomach with air. The medically trained person must immediately check for a rhythmic heartbeat. Very commonly, a drowning victim suffers slowing or stoppage of the heart. If this happens, rhythmic heart massage must be started at once. There is no effective method of removing water from the lungs, and time should not be wasted in trying to do so. A very common time for asthma attacks in children is the spring through early summer due to grasses, weeds, and other pollen producing greenery. In the dry southwest, asthma attacks are complicated in the fall by dust from desert areas. In the small child, an asthma attack is composed of two factors. The narrow airways of the lungs constricting and heavy mucus concentrations which cause plugging in these small lung passages. Subsequently, the child feels like he is choking and cannot breathe properly. Adrenaline is automatically secreted by the child's body and this eases the constriction of the passageways. The mucous plugs remain however and can be loosened only by moisture. The simplest method of providing moisture to the child is to have him drink large amounts of water in a bathroom with a hot shower running. Inhalation of the humid air and drinking water will soon loosen the mucous plugs. They will come up the throat and generally the child will vomit relieving his distress. The mechanism of the burning process in the human body consists of two steps. First, the tissue is heated up and second, it starts to incinerate. In order to stop the incineration, the body has to cool down. So, the immediate treatment for a burn is to cool it, throw a bucket of water on it, or dunk it in water. Any burns, like those caused by scalding water, should not be treated by a home remedy, such as grease, oil, or butter. Cover the burn with a wet, clean cloth, then get the child to a doctor as soon as possible. Amateur sports involving children must provide optimum care for these children in the event of injury. All the silver cups and medals in the world are not worth one crippled child. If a child goes down on the field, you ask one question. What's wrong? Oh no. If the child can't answer or is confused, he has a head injury and possibly a neck injury. He has to be carried off the field on a stretcher with a neck support and get him to a hospital rapidly. The best possible medical care is important for this child. If a child has an arm injury, he can be permitted to walk, but he must be helped. It is entirely possible he can faint and fall down and hurt himself. An injured child should never be patched up and sent back into a game to help win a trophy. The child's bones and tissues are much too delicate and can suffer permanent damage if not taken care of immediately. The child who is shaken up must be carefully evaluated by these guidelines. The child who swears at you, has any kind of personality change, may have a head injury. Nausea, seeing double, numbness anywhere tells you to keep the child out of the game and get him to competent medical attention. There is a great tendency to say the game must go on. But a child's health is too large a price to pay for the honor of having a championship. [Music] Remember the principles of emergency medical care. Identify yourself and offer help. Protect your physician. Delegate duties. Apply the ABCs. A. Check the airway. B. Check for bleeding. C. Check for cardiac function or circulation. Almost anyone can handle any emergency situation if they follow these key points and keep their cool. Good luck. [Music]