Peak flow meters are an important tool in your kit bag to measure the volume and effectiveness of somebody’s lung capacity and the way they are breathing. It is most commonly used with patients with specific lung conditions such as bronchitis or emphysema. People who have COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, also use it. COPD […]
Tracheostomy patients are people who have had problems with their airway in the past, meaning a tracheostomy has had to be put in place. This could be due to things like cancer, trauma, or being in intensive care for a long period of time where the patient had to have assistance with their breathing. The […]
Coronary Heart Disease Stable angina is a very common problem in the UK due to coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD can be caused by many different factors including diet, fitness, genetics and other lifestyle factors. Your heart is a muscle, and like all muscles in the body, it needs oxygen to function properly. Therefore, a […]
Someone can fracture a bone by falling, being hit, having a joint pulled or twisted, crushing, or a bone is bent. Any break in a bone is called a fracture. It is often that hospital treatment is the only place where fractures can be confirmed – with the use of X-Rays. Someone who has fractured […]
The spinal recovery position is a variant of the normal recovery position. This should be used if you suspect the patient has injured their spine. With the normal recovery position, the persons’ spine is liable to be moved about quite a lot. If a person has injured their spine, moving them could cause further damage. […]
Coagulopathy is a condition in which the blood’s ability to coagulate – clot – is impaired. This would mean that if someone had a serious bleed, the bodies’ ability to form clots and stop the bleeding would be reduced. This condition can cause prolonged or excessive bleeding, which occurs typically during any sort of medical […]
During an emergency situation, the timely resolution of the most life-threatening cause is paramount and choking is certainly one of those instances. Hence, the damage caused by the use of aggressive and forceful compressions, thrusts, and back blows warrant the collateral damage from these interventions. Any injuries sustained are irrelevant if the person is dead. […]
Bleeding can occur through many different means, such as an RTC or knife crime. As a First Aider, you should always try and stop the bleeding as fast as possible, especially when the bleeding is classed as a catastrophic bleed. When bleeding, the body starts to repair injuries within the first 24 hours but the […]
The Hepatitis C virus, or HCV, reproduces in the liver causing inflammation and, in more extreme cases, cirrhosis and liver cancer. There are six main strains of the virus. In the UK, genotype 1 and genotype 3 are the most common strains. The exact number of people infected with the virus is unknown due to […]
Thousands of children and infants need medical care for poisoning from products commonly found in and around the home. Although the long-term injury is rare, the anxiety and distress caused to both child and parents could be avoided by increased awareness. Remember, this type of poisoning can happen to anyone, no matter what age they […]
