7/27/2019 First Aid Fallacies

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1. Eight First Aid Fallacies

Its easy to confuse medical fallacies with facts when an emergency occurs. And knowing the rightthing to do is more important than ever because emergency room waiting times get longer andlonger the current national average is almost one hour, and some patients actually have to waitan astounding twenty-four hours. When you add in the time it takes to get to the ER to begin with,

proper first aid can be critical. Heres a list of eight Fallacies and Facts from expert sources suchas the Mayo Clinic to always keep in mind. (And never forget that the first rule of first aid is thesame one physicians follow: First, do no harm.):

1) A severe burn.The usual error is to try to put something on a burn, whether its ice or butter.The best thing for a minor burn, or even a first or second-degree burn, is to immediately cool thearea down with cold running water. Cover the burn with loose gauze not cotton or anything fuzzy and go to the ER.

2) Electrical burns. The potential fatal error here is failing to go to the ER immediately, since thereis often no evidence of injury. Electrical burns, however, can cause hidden injury deep within thebody. Just remember that electrical burns are double-barreled, causing injury by heating as well asby the passage of electric current itself through tissues.

3) A knocked-out tooth. A common mistake is to scrub the tooth. The best thing is to drop thetooth in a glass of milk and head to the ER, where it might be reimplanted.

4) Severed finger. In these days of chainsaws and electric carving knives, its easy to lop off theend of a finger. The error here is to put the severed part on ice. The correct procedure is to put thepart in a water proof bag, and then place the bag itself on ice before going to the ER.

5) Nosebleed. The fallacy in treating nosebleeds is to lean back. The proper treatment is to leanforward instead of backward, and to pinch your nose just below the nasal bone and hold it for five toten minutes. If bleeding persists, go to the ER.

6) Ankle Sprain. The wrong thing in this case is heat put away the heating pad and get out theice pack. Also, ibruprofen or other NSAIDs are recommended to help reduce inflammation andswelling. If your ankle wont bear weight, you may have a fracture, and you ma y need a trip to theER.

7) Poison. The biggest fallacy is to administer syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting. The right thing isto get the victim to the ER together with the container of whatever poison was ingested. Thesedays, ER doctors will often give the victim activated charcoal to bind the poison in the stomach andkeep it from entering the bloodstream.

8) Seizures of Any Kind.The worst error is to put something in the victims mouth. Therecommendation here is to put the victim onto his or her side, and call 911. Important Note: Othertimes you should immediately call 911 instead of trying to transport someone to the ER are cases ofchest pain, profuse and uncontrollable bleeding, shortness of breath, and confusion.