Anyone can have those last minute doubts about how to apply first aid when an unexpected injury occurs. Be smart and use these quick tips for knowing what to do to ease the trauma. During those precious moments between when an injury occurs and receiving proper urgent care treatment, you can often minimize the severity with some quick first aid tips, as described below.
Bleeding from Animal bite or Cut / Scrape
- Apply pressure for 5 minutes with a clean, dry cloth to help control bleeding.
- You can repeat this step three times.
- If bleeding doesn’t stop, visit your doctor.
Child with fever
- Don’t treat a child’s fever with aspirin.
- Use Tylenol® (acetaminophen) or Motrin® (ibuprofen) as prescribed based on the child’s weight.
- Alternate Tylenol® with Motrin® every four hours for persistent fever.
- Apply a cold compress to the child’s forehead and dress the child in light, loose-fitting clothes.
- If no improvement or if you child looks ill, please visit your doctor.
Dehydration for adults or children
- Sip small amounts of water.
- Drink carbohydrate/electrolyte-containing drinks. Good choices are sports drinks such as Gatorade® or prepared replacement solutions such as Pedialyte®.
- Suck on plain ice chips, or popsicles made from juices and/or sports drinks.
Eye First Aid
- Wash your hands.
- Seat the person in a well-lighted area.
- Gently examine the eye to find the object. Pull the lower lid down and ask the person to look up. Then hold the upper lid while the person looks down.
- If the object is floating in the tear film on the surface of the eye, try using a medicine dropper filled with saline solution or clean, lukewarm water to flush it out. If a medicine dropper isn’t available, use a glass of water or hold the person’s head under a gentle stream of water.
Heat exhaustion
- Individual should rest in a cool, shaded area.
- Give cool fluids such as sports drinks that will replace lost salt. Salty snacks are appropriate, as tolerated.
- Loosen or remove clothing.
- Don’t use an alcohol rub.
- Don’t offer any beverages containing alcohol or caffeine.
Inserted foreign object or foreign body
- Don’t try to remove the foreign object.
- Carefully wrap gauze or clean clothing around the area to prevent the object from moving.
- Apply pressure around the area with a sterile bandage or clean cloth to limit and control bleeding.
- Don’t remove pressure. If bleeding continues, use more clean cloths or bandages.
