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Safety

First Aid: Prevention is better than cure!

An accident is, by definition, an unplanned, unforeseen event, but many problems can be prevented with a bit of foresight and planning.

FRACTURES

Immobilise the limb using padded splints tied above and below the fracture. Check that blood circulation has not been impeded Give anti-inflammatory and pain tablets and get patient to hospital Do not bandage chest for broken ribs

DISLOCATIONS AND SPRAINS

• Treat serious casess as fractures until medical examination has been done
• Use anti-inflammatory and pain tablets if necessary
• Application of cold and heat alternately, gentle movement and massaging alternated with crêpe bandaging or splinting aid in recovery of less serious sprains

WOUNDS

Small wounds: Clean with water and soap or antiseptic and dress with sticky plaster and antiseptic if necessary. Oozing wounds can easily become infected and small, deep wounds have tetanus risks

Large wounds: Stop bleeding with continuous, direct pressure using a clean gauze pad or even a towel or similar. When bleeding has stopped, clean carefully arounds the wound with soap or diluted disinfectant and apply antiseptic and a sterile wound dressing

Blisters: Puncture only when absolutely necessary, ie when the blister is likely to break. When puncturing it, first wash the area well with soap and water, apply antiseptic and insert sterilized needle through healthy skin just off periphery of blister into fluid (not through dead skin covering the blister). Apply antiseptic, gauze pad and sticky plaster.

BURNS

Small and moderate burns should immediately be immersed in cold water, held there for at least several minutes, and then dressed with antiseptic and paraffin gauze or a sterile wound dressing.

Large areas and deep wounds will also benefit by immediate and prolonged cold water treatment. Cover area with paraffin gauze, cling-wrap, sterile dressings or even polyethylene and take patient to hospital as soon as possible, supplying ample water to drink.

HYPOTHERMIA

Lethargy, uncoordinated movement, irrational behaviour and reduced consciousness may all be signs of hypothermia, a serious condition. Shivering may stop and unconsciousness may set in within half-an-hour. Serious hypothermia requires urgent treatment, even resuscitation.

• Find shelter, change into dry clothes and take hot, sweet drinks. Avoid alcohol, especially if hypothermia has already set in
• In severe cases, keep patient awake, apply external heat, eg hot water bottle substitutes (taking care not to cause burns), or get patient into sleeping bag with somebody else, removing outer clothes of both to aid in rapid heat transfer.

HEAT EXHAUSTION

• Cool down the patient as soon as possible by shading, splashing with water and fanning
• Give ample water to drink if conscious, but slowly
• If heat stroke is suspected (high fever, confusion, loss of consciousness), get patient to hospital as soon as possible

SNAKE BITE

• If possible, identify snake or note characteristics. Do not panic, calm the patient and allow the minimum required movement
• Do not cut and suck the bite wound and do not apply a tourniquet
• Apply a crêpe bandage firmly along the whole lenghth of the bitten limb, checking that circulation has not been totally restricted. Improvise sustained local pressure on bites elsewhere if possible.
• Immobilize a bitten limb and get the patinet to hospital
• Keep airways open and do not leave patient alone
• Treat symptoms as requires, eg apply mouth-to-mouth or cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
• Anti-venine should only be administered under *medical* supervision

THE MEDICAL KIT

No group should venture on a hiking trip without a suitable medical kit. The size and contents will vary according to the length and nature of the trip as well as the size of the party, first aid experience, and availability of outside medical help.

The following serves as a guideline for a basic kit and should be modified to suit individual/group needs.

• Antiseptic lotion eg Savlon, Betadine
• Antiseptic eg Betadine cream, Cicatrin powder
• Pain relief tablets eg Codis, Panado
• Anti-diarrhoea tablets eg Lomotil, Immodium
• Cold and flue medicine
• Eye drops eg Covomycin
• Motion sickness and nauseau treatment eg Valoid (tablets and suppositories)
• Wide spectrum antibiotic (for long trips)
• Anti-inflammatory tablets eg Voltaren
• Oral antihistamine eg Phenargan
• Sticky plaster, with and without gauze strip
• Sterile gauze wound dressings
• Crêpe bandages and safety pins
• Paraffin gauze and cling-wrap
• Cotton wool for cleaning
• Small, sharp scissors, tweezers and needles
• Pencil and paper, for emergency messages and recording symptoms and treatment

NOTES ON THE MEDICAL KIT

• Pack the kit in a compact, sturdy, lightweight, watertight container eg sandwich box, and pack well inside backpack to protect from outside heat.
• The person carrying the communal kit should stay with, or in easy reach of , the main body of his group.
• Each person should carry his own personal, specific medications and first aid items for eg asthma, diabetes, allergies, indigestion, blisters, etc
• The medical kit should be checked before setting off. Any items used should be replaced after each trip.

Information from the brochure "Safety while hiking - first aid".
Published by the MCSA (Magaliesberg Section). 1997-06-31.

The South African First Aid League

The South African First Aid League presents training courses to meet most first aid needs. They also make up and sell first aid kits especially for hikers.
Head Office:
PO Box 50915, Randburg 2125
Tel: 011- 787 5873
Fax: 011- 787 5914