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Topic 10
P.6 • Human Health
🩹 Topic 10: Accidents and First Aid
Immediate, temporary care for casualties: managing burns, scalds, fainting, near drowning, poisoning, foreign bodies in passages, and proper First Aid procedures.
📖 Comprehensive Textbook Edition • 2 Detailed Modules • Complete PLE Syllabus Coverage
Module 1 of 2
Burns, Scalds, and Fainting Management
Introduction to First Aid
An accident is a sudden, unforeseen occurrence that causes bodily harm, injury, or death. First Aid is the immediate, temporary help given to an injured person (casualty) before being rushed to a medical professional.
Primary Aims of First Aid:
- To save life.
- To prevent the condition from worsening.
- To promote quick recovery.
- To relieve severe pain.
1. Burns and Scalds
- Burn: Injury to skin and underlying tissues caused by dry heat (hot metal, open flames, electricity, corrosive acids).
- Scald: Injury caused by wet/moist heat (boiling water, hot tea, steam, hot soup, boiling porridge).
Classification of Burns:
- First Degree: Redness, mild swelling, and pain; outer skin only; no blisters.
- Second Degree: Severe pain, red skin, and formation of fluid-filled sacs called blisters.
- Third Degree: Destruction of all skin layers, nerves, and underlying muscle; skin appears charred or shiny white. Causes severe dehydration due to massive loss of body fluids.
First Aid for Burns and Scalds:
Immediate Action: Dip or pour clean, cold water over the injured part for at least 10–15 minutes.
Why: To cool the skin temperature, reduce tissue swelling and pain, prevent deep cell damage, and minimize blister formation.
Why: To cool the skin temperature, reduce tissue swelling and pain, prevent deep cell damage, and minimize blister formation.
⚠️ What NEVER to do in Burns First Aid:
- DO NOT apply cow dung, soil, or ashes (introduces lethal tetanus germs).
- DO NOT apply cooking oil, grease, or butter (traps heat inside tissue).
- DO NOT apply table salt (causes extreme cellular dehydration).
- DO NOT burst blisters (blisters provide a sterile biological seal against germs).
2. Fainting (Syncope)
Definition: A temporary, brief loss of consciousness.
Main Scientific Cause: A sudden, reduced supply of oxygenated blood to the brain.
First Aid Management for Fainting:
- Lay the casualty flat on their back and elevate their legs higher than their head. This allows gravity to return blood from the lower limbs directly to the brain.
- Loosen tight clothing around the neck, chest, and waist to facilitate blood circulation and respiration.
- Ensure plenty of fresh air by fanning and clearing crowds.
- Never give fluids or food to an unconscious person (causes fatal choking in the trachea).
Module 2 of 2
Near Drowning, Poisoning, and Foreign Bodies
1. Near Drowning
A condition where a person is submerged in water and their lungs fill with fluid, stopping normal respiration.
First Aid Steps:
- Quickly rescue the person from water.
- Lay casualty on their back and tilt their head backwards to open the airway.
- Clean any mud or vomitus from their mouth.
- Perform artificial respiration (mouth-to-mouth / Kiss of Life) to blow air into their lungs.
- Perform chest compressions (CPR) on the breastbone to stimulate heartbeat. (PLE Rule: Do not press the belly; belly thrusts are for choking, not drowning).
2. Poisoning
A poison is any chemical or biological substance that causes illness or death when ingested, inhaled, or absorbed.
| Category | Examples | First Aid Management |
|---|---|---|
| Corrosive Poisons (Burn tissues on contact) |
Paraffin (kerosene), bleach, battery acid, caustic soda, petrol. | NEVER induce vomiting! Vomiting causes corrosive chemicals to burn the esophagus and throat a second time. Give plenty of cold milk to coat the stomach lining and dilute poison. Rush to hospital. |
| Non-Corrosive Poisons | Overdose tablets, spoiled food, toxic seeds, alcohol. | Induce vomiting by tickling the back of the throat or giving warm salty water, then give milk and seek medical help. |
3. Foreign Bodies in Passages
- In the Eyes (Sand/Dust): Wash with plenty of clean water or lift the upper eyelid gently. Never rub the eye to prevent scratching the cornea.
- In the Ear (Insects): Pour a few drops of clean olive oil or warm water into the ear; the insect floats up or suffocates.
- In the Nose (Seeds/Beads): Close the unblocked nostril with a finger and blow out gently through the blocked side. Do not probe with sharp sticks.
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You have completed Topic 10!
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