Treat common injuries

Bites & Stings

Human bites:

1. Control bleeding.

2. Wash with soap and water.

3. Call physician.

Animal bites:

1. Control bleeding.

2. Wash with soap and water.

3. Call physician.

4. Notify animal control.

Insect bites and stings:

1. Remove stinger by scraping with dull-edged item (e.g. a credit card).

2. Wash with soap and water.

3. Apply ice, a cold pack or a cold, wet washcloth for several minutes.

4. To relieve itching, apply a paste of baking soda and water, meat tenderizer or a dab of household ammonia.

5. For pain, take acetaminophen, or take an over-the-counter antihistamine if your doctor approves.

6. Pain and swelling should be relieved within 72 hours.

7. Seek immediate medical attention for stings in the nose or mouth. Swelling may block airways.

8. Seek immediate medical help if an allergic reaction develops. Symptons include: massive swelling, hives or rash, difficulty breathing, tightness in the throat or chest, dizziness, fainting, nausea or vomiting.

Snake bites:

1. Call ambulance.

2. Do not apply ice.

Broken Bones & Sprains

Fractures:

1. Do not move injured body part (never move anyone who may have a neck or back injury).

2. Call ambulance.

Sprains:

1. Apply ice.

2. Elevate injured area.

Bleeding

Minor cuts:

1. Apply direct pressure until bleeding stops (if bleeding doesn’t stop, call an ambulance).

2. Wash with soap and water.

3. Cover with dressing or bandage.

Large or deep cuts:

1. Apply pressure to stop or slow bleeding.

2. Call an ambulance.

Bruises & Scrapes

Bruises:

1. Apply ice.

Scrapes:

1. Rinse with water.

2. Wash scraped area with soap and water.

3. Apply antibacterial ointment.

Burns

Small/minor burn:

1. Apply cool, running water.

2. Cover burn with towel soaked in cold water until pain stops.

Large/severe burn:

1. Call ambulance.

2. Cover burn with towel soaked in cold water to help stop the burning process.

3. Do not apply cold water to burn over large area.

4. Never place ice on a burn. It may cause more tissue damage.

5. Remove wet towel and cover burn with clean, dry sheet.

6. Do not break blisters.

Electrical burn:

1. Disconnect power

2. Call ambulance.

Choking

Choking can result in unconsciousness or cardiopulmonary arrest. Additionally, when a child begins to choke, it’s easy to panic. We recommend that every parent take a (Pediatric Basic Life Support) training course to be prepared for choking emergency. Please check our Community Education schedule for a course that’s offered in your neighborhood.

For children 12 months old or younger:

1. Calmly sit down with the child in your arms.

2. Supporting the infant’s head and neck with one hand, lay the infant face down on your thigh. The child’s head will need to be lower than her trunk.

3. Forcefully but gently, deliver five back blows with the heel of your hand between the infant’s shoulder blades.

4. Immediately, while still supporting the infant’s head, sandwich the infant between your hands and turn her onto her back. Again, the infant’s head will need to be lower than the trunk.

5. Using two fingers, deliver five thrusts in the infant’s chest ( finger over breastbone at nipple line ).

6. Repeat back blows and chest thrusts until item is dislodged.

7. Continue until object is dislodged or until help arrives.

8. Call ambulance.

9. Don’t stick your finger in child’s throat to dislodge object. In most cases, this pushes the item further down the throat.

For anyone older than 12 months:

1. Use Heimlich maneuver.

2. Call ambulance.

Dental Emergencies

Tooth knocked out:

1. Pick tooth up by the chewing end (not the root).

2. Clean it by gently stirring it in a cup of cool milk.

3. Reinsert tooth into socket

4. If unable to reinsert tooth, place it in a cup or plastic bag containing cool milk

5. Place sterile gauze over the space where tooth was and have child gently bite down.

6. Call dentist.

Broken tooth:

1. Clean gently with warm water.

2. Apply cold compress.

3. Call dentist.

Eye Injuries

Black eye:

1. Apply ice.

Eyeball cut or impaled:

1. Call ambulance

2. Do not press on injured eye.

3. Do not use medication.

4. Do not remove any object impaled in the eye.

5. Gently cover both eyes with eye pads and secure loosely with rolled gauze.

Chemical splash:

1. Flush eye from bridge of nose to outer edge of eye with running water for at least 15 minutes.

2. Call ambulance.

3. Gently cover both eyes with eye pads and secure loosely with rolled gauze.

Fainting

1. Lay person down and raise legs.

2. Do not give anything to eat or drink.

3. Call ambulance if person doesn’t wake up.

Frostbite

1. Soak area in warm water (100 - 150 degrees) until skin begins to look pink.

2. Raise and lower affected limbs to stimulate blood flow to the fingers or toes.

3. Do not rub.

4. If frostbite is minor, call physician; if severe, call ambulance

Head Injury

Call the ambulance immediately if victim is:

1. Unconscious.

2. Seizing.

3. Unable to move body parts.

4. Has blood or fluid coming from the nose or ears.

Seek medical attention if victim is:

1. 12 months old or younger.

2. Complaining of severe or persistent headache.

3. Drowsy.

4. Persistently vomiting (three times or more).

5. Slurring speech.

6. Experiencing difficulty walking or imbalance.

7. Having vision problems.

If none of the above symptoms is present, the victim will need to be awoken every one to two hours that night. Make sure person can recognize you and the surroundings.

Neck & Back Injury

1. Call ambulance.

2. Do not move victim.

Overheating & Heat Exhaustion

1. Place person in cool, well-ventilated area.

2. Elevate legs slightly.

3. If conscious and not vomiting, give 4–6 oz. of water every 15 minutes.

4. If person has temperature of 101° or higher, call ambulance.

Poisoning

1. Call the Pittsburgh Poison Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at 1-800-222-1222.

2. Do not give anything to eat or drink – including syrup of ipecac – unless directed by the Pittsburgh Poison Center.

3. If vomiting occurs, do not discard.

Seizures

1. Protect person from injury by placing pillow, jacket or something soft under head and clearing area.

2. Do not place anything in mouth.

3. Do not try to restrict arm and leg movement.

4. Call ambulance if seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, recurs without return to consciousness or if person has no past history of seizures.