What to do in Case of Emergencies; be a Responsible First Responder (PART 1)

All living things possess the tendency to respond to fears. The part of the brain that responds to this fear is the amygdala ; the abode of the freeze, flight or fight response. When an emergency or threatful situation arises, it is the amygdala that gets activated and sends a gush of hormones, namely adrenaline and cortisol, across our body. The brain functioning is so intricate and efficient that the time used to generate this response is a little less than a fraction of a second. But, most people do not work efficiently under pressure. This feeling of threat hinders the clarity in their thought process and they are more susceptible to making mistakes or falter in their level of judgment. But taking timely action with presence of mind, are good qualities of a first responder. 

Let us learn in all the ways we can be an ideal first responder for common situations of emergencies. 

Discretion for the readers : First aid training and knowledge of being a first responder cannot mimic the impact of a paramedic or medical assistance. In case of emergencies, the first step is to ALWAYS call for help by dialing 108 on your phone (applicable for India) to call for an ambulance.

Case 1 : Cardiac Arrest 

When a person’s heart stops beating, they are likely to be in cardiac arrest. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation or commonly known as CPR is one of the most basic yet effective methods to help someone from possible death. 

Steps 1 : Call for medical assistance, dial 108

Step 2 : Chest compressions. Place your dominant hand on top of the other hand, interlock your fingers, directly push down hard and fast right at the center of the person’s chest repeatedly. Keep at it till you find trained medical assistance.

Step 3 : Mouth to mouth resuscitation can be administered in case of a blocked airway passage but it is no longer recommended as a part of CPR training 2022. 

Case 2 : Bleeding 

Step 1 : Create a sterile environment by cleaning your hands and the environment where the person bleeding is. By not doing that, you are putting the injured person at a risk of infections that can spread in the blood. 

Step 2 : Rinse and clean the wound with water and cover it with a gauze (ideally) or a clean cloth or towel while applying pressure to stop the blood flow and catalyze clotting. 

Step 3 : Elevate the bleeding part above the height of the head. In case the cloth used to cover the wound is soaked in blood, do not remove the cloth, rather keep adding layers if necessary. 

Step 4 : Apply a clean bandage once the bleeding has stopped

Discretion : In case an object (knife, stick, arrow etc) is impaled inside the body of the person injured, DO NOT attempt to remove the sharp object as that object may be stopping the blood from flowing out further. Attempting to remove the object may cause more damage to the injured person. 

Finding the bestcritical care specialist around you is imperative to a faster response time for the injured person. Sohana Hospital, Mohali has a world class trauma center with critical care ambulance service and life-saving treatment options available such as dialysis machine, oxygen support, ventilator, feed tubes, trauma management for burn injuries, cardiac arrest, head traumas, blunt force traumas, MVA’s, strokes and life threatening allergies.