a. Lack of Oxygen. Human life cannot exist without a
continuous intake of oxygen. Lack of oxygen rapidly leads to death. First
aid involves knowing how to OPEN THE AIRWAY AND RESTORE BREATHING
AND HEARTBEAT (Chapter 2, Section I).
b. Bleeding. Human life cannot continue without an adequate
volume of blood to carry oxygen to the tissues. An important first aid
measure is to STOP THE BLEEDING to prevent loss of blood (Chapter 2, Section II).
c. Shock. Shock means there is inadequate blood flow to the
vital tissues and organs. Shock that remains uncorrected may result in
death even though the injury or condition causing the shock would not
otherwise be fatal. Shock can result from many causes, such as loss of
blood, loss of fluid from deep burns, pain, and reaction to the sight of a
wound or blood. First aid includes PREVENTING SHOCK, since the
casualty's chances of survival are much greater if he does not develop
shock (Chapter 2, Section III).
d. Infection. Recovery from a severe injury or a wound depends
largely upon how well the injury or wound was initially protected.
Infections result from the multiplication and growth (spread) of germs
(bacteria: harmful microscopic organisms). Since harmful bacteria are in
the air and on the skin and clothing, some of these organisms will
immediately invade (contaminate) a break in the skin or an open wound.
The objective is to KEEP ADDITIONAL GERMS OUT OF THE WOUND. A good
working knowledge of basic first aid measures also includes knowing how
to dress the wound to avoid infection or additional contamination
(Chapters 2 and 3).
