The Importance of Knowing and Using First Aid

There is an importance of knowing how to administer first aid or CPR. Taking a c

lass on first aid can be done at a local community center or hospital. While tak
ing such a class, these are the items an individual will most probably learn. As
a person learns what to do in their first aid class, they will be taught the A-
B-C s of first aid.
Now, this does not mean A-B-C as in bullet points, no, this is a mnemonic saying
. So, while administering first aid to anybody, they should be getting help from
a trained individual for clearing their Airway, Breathing in the correct manner
or Circulation in their heart.
An airway which is blocked has to be attended to immediately. Being able to clea
r anyone s airway is important for sustaining their life. If the airway is not ope
n, it will most likely affect that person s mind and body functions. In turn, this
will cause a rapid deterioration of that person s life.
As you can see, having an open airway permits a person to react to you and susta
in their life. The open airway also keeps oxygen going to the brain. Without oxy
gen to our brain, there might be permanent damage too. Just as vital as opening
a person s airway is, so too is getting them to breathe again.
These two facets, airway and breathing, may seem the same to you, but they have
two separate functions for a first aid responder to achieve. When it comes to br
eathing, that person will require some help. When the airway is open, they may n
ot be breathing in the correct manner.
Having a person breathe, on their own, is equally as crucial as having an open a
irway. Both of these functions require the passage of oxygen to the brain and th
is is why the goal of a first aid responder is to get that person breathing agai
n without aid.
Just as vital as opening the airway and breathing is, so too is allowing circula
tion to the heart. The human heart is an amazing muscle and when a person s heart
is in trouble, they will require urgent help in order to assure they remain aliv
e.
If the human heart is not getting oxygen and beating as intended, there may be a
loss of life. Every step given to an injured person, from a first aid responder
, is vital. Each step received, in the order given, is also important.
All three A-B-C measures above, having been studied in a CPR class, and then uti
lized as taught by a first aid responder is crucial to the survival of the injur
ed person. In fact, seeing if a person has a pulse and is breathing is the first
thing to be done while helping a person in trouble.
As recently as 2010, the American Heart Association asked that the A-B-C s be conv
erted to C-A-B. Now, if performing first aid on an adult, it is recommended to d
o chest compressions first, and then see if the airway is open and if a person c
an breathe on their own. The original A-B-C s can still be used on infants and chi
ldren.
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