First aid
First aid and emergency guidance written to follow the Resuscitation Council UK 2021 guidelines, the European Resuscitation Council, the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation consensus, and NHS and St John Ambulance public advice. It is educational and no substitute for a certified first-aid course. 'Emergency services' means 999 in the UK, 112 across Europe and 911 in North America.
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C
Choking emergency
Food or an object has lodged in the larynx or trachea. If the person can still cough, their own cough is the best tool; if they cannot breathe, cough or speak,…
CPR and using a defibrillator emergency
When the heart stops, blood stops reaching the brain and brain cells begin to die within minutes. Chest compressions squeeze the heart between the sternum and…
Cuts, grazes and wound care
Most cuts and grazes heal on their own if they are cleaned, closed and kept covered. The aims are to stop bleeding, remove dirt and bacteria, bring the edges…
E
F
Fainting
A faint is a brief loss of consciousness because blood pressure drops and the brain is starved of blood for a few seconds. Lying flat restores flow and…
Fractures and dislocations
A broken bone is rarely life-threatening in itself, but the sharp ends can cut vessels and nerves, and the femur and pelvis can bleed litres into surrounding…
H
Heart attack emergency
A coronary artery has blocked and heart muscle is dying. Survival and the amount of muscle saved depend on how fast the artery is reopened, so the first-aid…
Heat exhaustion and heatstroke emergency
Heat exhaustion is the body struggling to shed heat: sweaty, weak and dizzy, but still thinking clearly, and it recovers with cooling and fluids within 30…
Hypothermia and frostbite emergency
Hypothermia is a core temperature below 35°C. Shivering fails as it deepens, thinking slows, the heart becomes irritable, and below about 28°C it may stop.…
P
S
Seizures
A seizure is a burst of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Most stop by themselves within a couple of minutes and the person needs protection from…
Severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) emergency
Anaphylaxis is a whole-body allergic reaction, usually within minutes of a food, sting or drug, in which mast cells flood the body with histamine and other…
Severe bleeding emergency
An adult has about 5 litres of blood and can lose a fifth before the body's compensation fails; a severed artery can do that in minutes. Direct pressure on the…
Sprains and strains
A sprain is a stretched or torn ligament (the bands that hold a joint together); a strain is a stretched or torn muscle or tendon. Most heal with protection,…
Stroke: recognise and act FAST emergency
A blood vessel in the brain has blocked or burst. Around two million neurons die every minute the blockage persists, but clot-busting drugs and clot retrieval…