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Signs of serious illness in a baby or toddler

5/7/2018

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Knowing when you baby or toddler is seriously sick is not always easy.  The most important thing as a parent is to trust your instincts and if you are seriously worried, administer First Aid and get medical help quickly. Here's a checklist things to look out for that might be serious:

Temperature
  • a high temperature, but cold feet and hands
  • a high temperature that doesn't come down with paracetamol or ibuprofen
  • your child is quiet and listless, even when their temperature is down
  • a high temperature in a baby less than 8 weeks old

Breathing
  • rapid breathing or panting
  • a throaty noise while breathing
  • your child is finding it hard to get their breath and is sucking their stomach in under their ribs

Other signs
  • blue, pale, blotchy, or ashen (grey) skin
  • your child is hard to wake up, or appears disorientated or confused 
  • they're crying constantly and you can't console or distract them, or the cry doesn't sound like their normal cry
  • green vomit
  • your child has a fit (convulsion or seizure) for the first time
  • your child is under 8 weeks old and doesn't want to feed 
  • nappies that are drier than usual – this is a sign of dehydration

If your child has any of these signs, get medical help as soon as possible:
  • during the day from Monday to Friday – it's best to call your general doctor
  • if your baby is under 6 months old it's hard for a doctor or nurse to assess them over the phone – you can go to an urgent care (walk-in) centre or, if you're very worried, take them to accident and emergency (A&E)

Life First provides this information for guidance and it is not in any way a substitute for medical advice. Life First is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made, or actions taken based on this information. It is strongly advised that you attend a First Aid course to understand what to do in a medical emergency.

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The Recovery Position - a first aid basic skill

5/7/2018

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What is the recovery position? Why is it important? When should you use it?

This is great video from First Aid for Life in the UK showing how to put someone in the recovery position.  A basic first aid skill that can save a life! 
 
Learn by doing why not book on a first aid class today!  


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Major Bleeding - a first aid priority

5/7/2018

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Major Bleeding

If someone is bleeding the priority is to stop the blood coming out! 

ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES WHEN DEALING WITH BLEEDING

It is never a priority to wash a major injury – it will be cleaned in hospital.
  • Sit or lie the person down – to manage shock and prevent them from feeling dizzy and faint
  • Examine the area to see if there is anything stuck in the wound – if there is do not remove it
  • Elevate the bleeding area above the level of the heart to slow down the bleeding (although latest guidelines no longer recommend elevation as this alone will not stop bleeding and pressure is more important)
  • Pressure – apply direct pressure on the wound to stop the blood coming out

How much blood can you afford to lose?

A person has approximately 0.5l of blood per 7kgs of body weight (although this does not increase if someone is overweight). An ‘average’ adult has roughly 6l of blood – if they lose about a 5th of their blood volume it can cause the body to shut down and go into shock.  


Children have far less blood than adults!  The loss of a tea cup full of blood could be fatal for a baby – note  head and facial injuries bleed copiously and can look much worse than they really are.

If a casualty loses a substantial amount of blood – more than 40% of their blood volume, the body is no longer able to compensate for that amount of blood loss; and they will develop hypovolaemic shock.  Hypovolaemic shock is a low volume of blood causing failure of the circulatory system, if untreated they will die.

If someone is bleeding extremely heavily from either a major artery or vein, they can lose a lot of blood very quickly and the bleeding is likely to pulsate in time with the heart. This is more pronounced with an arterial bleed but can also happen with a venous bleed too. With extremely heavy, potentially catastrophic bleeding an adult could easily lose 40% of their blood volume in 3-4 minutes and this could be even quicker when dealing with children.  
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    Kate Ellwood: there are some simple first aid skills everyone should know!  I am committed to sharing those skills with people so they can save a life...........  

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