FIRST AID FOR SUDDEN UNCONSCIOUS PATIENT

Unexpected situation that calls for medical help can happen anywhere at any time. In this situation first responder who sees the casualty must take action by giving first aid. It is very important that first aid is given as soon as possible with appropriate first aid procedure. Responder has to do steps of screening emergency sign including consciousness, breathing and circulation of blood. Each sign reflects function of vital organ system. Consciousness is the higher function of central nervous system. Breathing reflects the function of respiratory system. Circulation of blood reflects the function of cardiovascular system.

Checking consciousness can be done by giving stimulus to casualty then checking respons. The stimulus can be sound, palpation or painful stimulus. If the casualty wakes up then we should ask about what he or she feels at that time and plan for immediate transportation to the nearest medical fascilitation. If he or she doesn’t wake up, we need to give painful stimulus. Pain can be created by pinching the tip of casualty’s finger nail or pressing eye brow area near the middle body line or pressing in the middle of the chest right to the sternum. If the casulty doesn’t respond to all the steps then we have to activate emergency medical system by calling 118-team and move to next steps of evaluating patient’s breath.

Breath can be evaluated by checking airway and chest movement. Airway is the channel for air flow to get inside and outside lungs. Checking airway means checking air flow. It can be done by listening to sound of breathing or feeling movement of air flow near the casualty’s nose or mouth. If there is no sound or stridor (snooring sound), airway may be obstructed. We should help the casualty by removing foreign object that is in the way of air way following triple airway maneuver as head tilt, chin lift or jaw thrust and open mouth. After securing airway, we must check chest movement to make sure whether the casualty breathes adequately. Breating frequency must be more than 11 times per minute and deep enough. If breathing is not adequate, give respiratory resucitation by mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose rescucitation. Give at least enough two breathes then check the casualty’s circulation of blood.

Circulation of blood can be evaluated by checking carotid artery pulse. Carotid artery pulsation must be palpated by putting our three finger tips to casualty’s Adam’s apple and move 2 cm to left or right side. If there is no carotid artery pulsation felt then chest compression must be started. The first responder or helper must make the casualty lay down in prone position on flat and hard material. Then from the left or right side of casualty put hands palm to back on the middle body line in chest area, on the lower middle part of sternum. Then stright our upper and lower arm, do not hunch. Start chest compression by moving our body weight to stright arm. The depth of compression is between 3 centimetres to 5 centimetres. Make sure that helper hands always touch the chest during the compression up and down. The compression must be rhytmical. To do so, the helper must count ‘and one, and two and three and four and five’. One chest compression cycle consists of 6 times one to five count. After each cycle, two breathes rescutitation mut be given. Do it until six cycles. After that check for carotid pulse again. Redo chest compression until carotid pulsation is palpable or the casualty shows respons or until the medical emergency team comes. If it will take long time until medical emergency team comes, consider transporting the casualty to the nearest medical service fascilitation especially which provides defibrilation devices.

In general, we should keep in mind that the casualty is dying if proper first aid is not given as soon as possible. For unconscious breathing and circulatory arrest casualty, every one minute without help means possibility of survival is decreasing 10 precent. Properly check emergency sign including consciousness, breathing and circulation of blood! Activate emergency medical system by calling 118-team and do necessary first aid as soon as possible. Hopefully God will give her or him a chance to be revived through the first responder action.

By. James (Dwi Notosusanto)