What are the correct responses in case of burn, heat stroke and other problems caused by heat, and do we take " swallowed" tongue and how do we act when bitten by ticks and snakes? Teodora Georgieva, a first aid instructor at the "First Aid School" gives us answers. and to the European Resuscitation Council. For almost 20 years, she has been engaged in first aid education and training, BNR writes.
What should we do to protect ourselves in the heat? What measures should we take ourselves, which we have heard but neglect?
"One of the first things we like to say in our courses is that prevention is very important, i.e. when such hot days sunny very warm days are coming, it is desirable to use some protective means. It would be best to use hats, sunscreens, some lighter clothes and, accordingly, to be careful not to stay in stuffy and warm spaces, as well as to strive more for the shade.
When should we apply sunscreen?
"In general, there are already all kinds of manufacturers with all kinds of protection factors on our market. What is advised is to always apply such a cream before going outside.
How should we react if we see someone who needs help due to heat stroke and what are the signs that someone is suffering from this condition?
"Heat stroke is a general overheating of the body, i.e. our whole body is subjected to some heat factor. For example, the most common mistakes that happen is to stay in a car that has no ventilation inside in any way. It heats up very quickly inside, the temperature very quickly rises above the body temperature and, accordingly, the whole body overheats. The most basic signs of heat stroke are redness of the whole body, an increase in general body temperature, headache, vomiting may occur, and already in the more severe phases, it may even lead to unconsciousness when falling, even to cardiac arrest. can be reached in a severe case of heat stroke.
The main things to do in such a situation is the moment we notice any discomfort such as headache, such as nausea, such as dizziness, ringing in the ears, it is imperative to go to a shady, cooler place , including we can even apply some cold compresses. I mean even a bottle of water that has been refrigerated or even at room temperature. The temperature of the bottle itself will be cool enough to be placed on the folds of the body. These are the elbows, below the knees, including around the neck and the head can be placed. So that we can reduce the general body temperature and thus have better body comfort and the body starts to cool itself".
How to act in case of sunburn or fire?
"Thermal burns, and they are quite common not only at home. At home, including cooking, they happen now, as do fires. There are quite a few people involved in putting out fires and such burns do happen. One of the first things to do is to immediately cool the area with running water, ie. you take on hand any water, liquid. It begins to pour over the place itself until it cools down. What is recommended, and in fact what modern first aid guidelines say, is to cool it for at least 20 minutes so that the area itself can be sure to take away the heat and stop the stinging. Thus, the burn itself in depth does not reach further into the tissues, and already after the place itself has cooled, it is necessary to remove tight objects and clothes in the area of the burn. For example, if it is a hand burn, bracelets, rings, watches, clothes should be removed. Since now during the fires it happens that even clothes catch fire, if a garment sticks to the skin, it is not pulled. It is cut out after cooling and the person is simply transported as quickly as possible to an emergency room or hospital depending on the area and extent of the burn.
Should we apply something or should we leave this to the experts?
"That is left to the specialists. If we have a simple sunburn, which is just redness, which most often happens outdoors and on hot days, what we can do is cool with water and then we can use any moisturizing cream. What is recommended are all after sleep products, they are very suitable for sunburns.
Already if there are bigger burns, i.e. if such light blisters appear, some medicines from the pharmacy network such as panthenol, deflamol, generally familiar to us in the pharmacy, can be used. There are a bunch of other preparations already that can also be used, but that's only if we decide to treat the burn at home.
If we have to go to the doctor, that is. we have a big blister, a burst blister with a big deep wound, we must go to the doctor. It is not recommended that it be smeared, as doctors will simply have to remove anything smeared, which can be quite painful, in order to assess how best to treat a burn.
What should we do if a tick bites us?
"Tick bites are common more during the spring season in general. In fact, what is recommended is not to smear it with anything. Let's debunk a myth here. It is recommended to remove it very carefully with a pair of tweezers. Grasp the tick very carefully close to the skin and very carefully perpendicularly pull it out. It is not recommended to swirl or smear with any creams, oil, olive oil and products in our kitchen, because there is a much greater risk that the tick itself will choke and vomit and if it carries any diseases, it will really infect us. So it is best to remove it as soon as possible.
If we are unwilling, unable or, say, afraid, to remove it ourselves, seek medical help to have the tick in question removed. Keep in mind that if the tick is removed within 24 hours, the chances of transmitting any infectious diseases are quite small.
What should we do if we are bitten by a snake?
"Snakes in Bulgaria - I would say that snake bites are not very common for the simple reason that they are also afraid of people themselves. Fortunately, we don't have many poisonous snakes in Bulgaria. Those that are venomous, in fact, even in the bite of a healthy young adult without any chronic diseases, there is a very high probability that the viper and viper venom itself, which are the two main venomous snakes, will actually flow as a discomfort without any severe allergic reaction. But it is still desirable to seek medical help as soon as possible if there is such a bite We recommend prevention here, ie. walking on the paths is to avoid hitting holes, stones, as snakes love hot stones and various crevices. This is generally about the snake.
If a person is energetic and is stung by, for example, a bee or a wasp, first and foremost, remove the stinger if there is one. Very carefully remove the sting without squeezing it, wash the place itself with water, cool and already observe. If the person is allergic, since not everyone is allergic to stings and the allergy does not always occur immediately from the first sting, usually the person has had some indication of an allergic reaction before. But if you notice the main signs of a severe allergic reaction, it is the bloating first. Swelling begins at the site itself, swelling in the area of the mouth and mucous membrane, and then such a whistling breath begins. I.e. a person cannot take in air and such a whistling sound is heard when breathing, i.e. it is difficult to breathe in, breathe out, take in air. In reality, these are the first signs of a severe allergic reaction, so it is recommended to immediately put something cold on the neck area and even ice, if available. And to be immediately transported to an emergency room if the person does not have medication to take, because medicine is now very advanced and there are. I can call them pocket medications of the injector type, which are placed in such severe allergic reactions and are prescribed to people who have been diagnosed with such a severe allergy, whether to food or to stings, respectively to self-administer them in such an emergency situation.
Beyond the heat, how should we act if we have to give first aid to someone? What are the most common conditions?
"First and most important thing - don't mess around in the mouth, don't stick out the tongue. Through our first aid school, more than 3,000 people go through our courses every year. Unfortunately, we can't debunk the mouth smacking myth. In fact, it is a basic anatomy of the human body. What actually happens with our tongue, because it's extremely long and starts almost at the base of our skull, if I can call it, pretty much at the base starts the muscle itself, and when a person becomes unconscious and lies on their back, because these are two factors that we must have in order to have the so-called "tongue swallowing", what actually happens is that when a person lies on their back and all the muscles relax, just part of the tongue slides back and blocks the windpipe. The person simply has no way to react when they are unconscious because they are all relaxed. In fact, a suffocation occurs and what is recommended by modern first aid is to pull the head back and lift the chin.
Do not mix in the mouth at all, as it is extremely risky to mix in the mouth. Remember it! If you reach into the mouth of an unconscious person, there is a very high probability that he will have involuntary convulsions, a spasm of the jaw. This is probably one of the strongest joints in the human body, and in fact, with one bite of a medium-sized carrot, you can lose a finger or simply have part of a person's tongue left in your hands.
Separately, unfortunately, a lot of people come to our courses who have experienced exactly the same thing, especially by forcefully opening their mouths, they tried to pull out their tongue. And it happens that mostly children break their lower jaws, break their teeth because of violent attempts to open their mouths and pull out their tongues, while the technique is extremely simple. This is bringing the head back and the chin up as if looking up. This should represent the technique, and in this way they stretch the tongue like a sponge and the breathing opens up, so this is what is done in the so-called "swallowed tongue" and only happens when there is an unconscious person. I.e. when a person is looking at you, talking, suddenly swallowing his tongue, there is no way. This usually happens during unconsciousness".