American Red Cross First Aid and Safety Handbook
by: American Red Cross, Kathleen A. Handal
Topics include: pressure point bleeding control, clothes drag technique, first aid for unconsciousness, including increased pain, can close the airway, pillow under the victim, first aid for convulsions, wait for medical help, starts having seizures, victim uncomfortable, begin rescue breathing, ring bandage, decreasing alertness, victim revives, bend the victim, victim discomfort, monitor the victim, constricting items, reassure the victim, give first aid, get medical help, inhalation poisoning, having breathing problems, medical alert tag, first aid for wounds
I remember my mother keeping an old Red Cross first aid manual in the house when I was a kid; I would consult it whenever my teddy bear needed a sling or bandage. My bear survived, but I'm not sure what happened to that book. Happily, I found this new Handbook. It still has instructions for making slings, as well as current information for dealing with all sorts of emergencies from cuts and burns to electrocutions and strokes. Be sure to keep it with your first aid kit for on-the-spot reference.
Excerpted from The American Red Cross First Aid & Safety Handbook (as appears in The WomanSource Catalog & Review). Copyright(c) 1992. Reprinted by permission, all rights reserved
Animal and Human Bites:
If you have an animal or a human bite, you generally need medical attention because of the likelihood of infection.
* If the victim has been seriously wounded, call EMS.
* If the victim was bitten by an animal, you will need to contact authorities so they can find out whether or not the animal was rabid.
1. Calm and reassure the victim. Put on latex gloves or wash your hands.
2. Check for bleeding. If the bite is not bleeding severely, wash it well (for at least 5 minutes) with mild soap and running water, then apply a bandage. If the bite is actively bleeding, control bleeding by applying direct pressure to the bite; by elevating the injured area; and, if necessary, by using pressure point bleeding control. Do not attempt to clean a wound that is actively bleeding.
3. Get medical help.
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