Summary report on basic first aid skills popularization training experience

Ordinary people do not need to force themselves to master a full set of first aid skills. As long as they are proficient in the four core skills of Heimlich maneuver, chest compression, compression and hemostasis, and emergency treatment of burns and scalds, they can cover more than 90% of daily emergency first aid scenarios. Compared with "not daring to save", a more common problem among the public at present is "rescuing randomly based on fragmented knowledge", which can easily cause secondary injuries.

This training was not the kind of lecture where you sit and listen to PPT for two hours. Half of the time was spent simulating practical operations. The first thing I was asked to practice was the first aid for airway foreign body obstruction. The simulation was about an adult choking on eating nuts and unable to speak. I went up and gave it to my back. After taking five or six shots, the teacher told me to stop, saying that the position I was shooting was in the middle of the spine. If I hit it hard enough, it could break human bones. The correct position for shooting on the back is the area between the shoulder blades on both sides. Every five times, I had to lower my head to see if the foreign body had been discharged. If it failed, I immediately switched to Heimlich impact. My face felt hot at the time, and the first-aid skills I had seen while watching short videos only said “pat the back if someone chokes,” without even mentioning where the shot was taken.

The mother sitting next to me took a special leave and came with questions. She said that last year her 3-year-old son had a jelly stuck in his throat. She followed the video on the Internet and performed the Heimlich on the baby. She pressed her hand under the chest. The baby vomited, but the jelly was still stuck in the airway. It was taken out after running to the emergency room. The teacher used a child simulator to correct her on the spot: the Heimlich impact position for children over 1 year old is two horizontal fingers above the navel. Applying force inward and upward, pressing on the sternum will easily break the ribs, which is particularly risky for children.

When it comes to first aid for cardiac arrest, the Internet is very noisy now. Some people say that artificial respiration is necessary, while others say that just pressing the chest is enough. The teacher of this training did not say which is absolutely correct, and listed the requirements of different guidelines for us: The American Heart Association's 2020 version of the guidelines does state that if non-professional rescuers do not know how to perform artificial respiration, or have concerns and are unwilling to do it, they can only perform continuous chest compressions, which is much more effective than standing and waiting for 120 seconds.； However, domestic clinical first aid guidelines still add that if it is an arrest caused by drowning or hypothermia, or if the rescuer has received standardized training and the rescue target is a family member, it is still recommended to operate at a ratio of 30 chest compressions plus 2 artificial respirations. Especially for children with sudden arrests, the benefits of artificial respiration will be much higher than simple compressions. “To put it bluntly, there is no absolute right or wrong. It depends on your own abilities and the situation. Just don’t force yourself.” I remember the teacher’s words very clearly.

Oh, by the way, I have always been worried about learning first aid before, just because I was afraid of being held responsible if I rescued the wrong person. This training specially invited the legal affairs of the community to explain to us the exemption clause for bona fide rescuers in Article 184 of the Civil Code. As long as you do not intentionally cause harm to the person being rescued, you do not have to bear civil liability. After hearing this, my heart really dropped to the ground. Last year, an old man in our community suddenly fainted while doing morning exercises. There was a circle of people around him, and no one dared to touch him. I was there at the time, and now I think about it, if only I knew these things and dared to go up, maybe I could help.

It’s funny to say that half of the common sense I have lived for more than 30 years has been overturned by this training. For example, when it comes to burns and scalds, I have always listened to my mother and put on toothpaste and soy sauce, saying that it can reduce the temperature and prevent blistering. This time the teacher showed us a model of bionic skin. After applying toothpaste, the heat generated by the burn cannot be dissipated, but will go to the deeper layers of the skin, aggravating the damage. Wounds, there are bacteria in soy sauce, and it is easy to cause wound infection. The correct way is to "rinse off the blisters and send them away" in five words: first rinse with running cold water for 15 minutes, do not tear the blisters when taking off clothes, soak in cold water to cool down, cover with clean sterile gauze and go to the hospital quickly. After hearing this, my back felt cold. I had applied toothpaste to my child before when he was burned. Fortunately, it was not serious that time.

On the contrary, I feel that many emergency science popularizations nowadays are too greedy. One moment they teach you how to diagnose cerebral hemorrhage, and the next moment they teach you how to fix fractures. In fact, how can ordinary people remember so much? If someone faints, pat the shoulder and call someone. If there is no response, touch the carotid artery. If there is no pulse, call 120 and perform chest compressions. If there is bleeding, use a clean cloth to hold the bleeding point firmly. If you feel burnt or scalded, shower with cold water. If you choke, pat the back and add Heimlich. These are just a few tricks. If you practice them, it is better than anything else. If you learn too much, your brain will be confused and you can't figure out which one to use in an emergency.

The first thing I did when I got home after this training was to clear out the messy first aid kit at home, throw away the two-year-old safflower oil and expired iodophor, and replace it with sterile dressings, tourniquets, and medical tape. I also demonstrated the Heimlich and chest compression postures to my parents and my spouse. I found a pillow to practice the depth of the compression - 5 to 6 centimeters. The frequency is almost twice per second, which is similar to the beat of "Little Apple", so it's easy to remember. To be honest, first aid is not something you pretend to understand. It is something that can be used in real life. If you correct one more mistake when you learn it, you might be able to harm one less person and save one more life when you encounter it.