What is the difference between a heart attack and heart failure?
A heart attack occurs when a coronary artery is suddenly blocked by a blood clot and heart muscle is damaged due to a lack of oxygen. Also known as a myocardial infarction (MI), a...
Category: First aid blog
First Aid for a Suspected Stroke (Brain Attack)
A stroke is a brain attack which occurs when brain cells become starved oxygen due to an interruption in blood supplying the brain. A stroke, like a heart attack, requires urgent time-critical medical attention....
What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)?
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the unexpected collapse of a patient whose heart has stopped pumping due to an electrical malfunction of the heart. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is not a heart attack, although a...
How to Recognize a Fracture (Broken Bone)
There are around 206 bones in the adult human skeleton. Bones are also integral to the body’s strength. Some bones have a protective function (skull), some a supporting function (pelvis), while others are for...
First Aid for Sprains and Strains
Sprains and strains are common soft tissue injuries. Most of us will experience a strain or a sprain at some point. In this first aid blog post we’ll take a closer look at the...
What does AMEGA stand for in first aid?
AMEGA is a first aid acronym used to help remember the key steps when dealing with an incident or emergency situation. First aiders and first responders may be the first to arrive at the...
What does PLUSDICT stand for in first aid?
PLUSDICT is a first aid acronym used to help first aiders remember the key signs and symptoms of a fracture (broken bone). There are lots of acronyms and mnemonics in first aid training, we’ve...
What does SCALD stand for in first aid?
SCALD is an acronym used to recall the important steps when assessing the severity of a burn injury. Burns are common accidental injuries in the home. Effective first aid is vital to stop the...
How do abdominal thrusts help a choking victim?
Choking is one of the leading causes of accidental death worldwide. Choking occurs when an object (‘foreign body’) blocks the upper airway of the victim. This obstruction prevents air from reaching the lungs causing...
What Does ACVPU Stand For?
ACVPU is a scale used to assess and track a patient’s neurological status and level of consciousness. ACVPU stands for: Alert Confusion Voice Pain Unresponsive ACVPU has been developed from the more widely known...
CPR Guidelines 2020
CPR guidelines are revised every five years and the next major revision is expected in 2020. The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) co-ordinates guideline development and publishes consensus documents on resuscitation. The European...
What are the Five Links in the Chain of Survival?
The American Heart Association (AHA) Chain of Survival describes the critical actions required to treat victims of cardiac arrest. When all links of the Chain of Survival are completed this provides the best possible...
How to Recognize an Opiate Overdose
Opiate drugs are an increasingly common cause of deaths from accidental and deliberate overdose. In the United States, the CDC describes opiate overdoses as an “epidemic” which claimed more than 47,000 lives in 2017....
What are the Four Quadrants of the Abdomen?
The abdomen can be divided into four quadrants. Dividing up the abdomen in this way can help when assessing a patient with abdominal pain. The location of the abdominal pain can give first responders...
