Misplaced Pages

ABC (medicine): Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 12:50, 14 April 2006 editDinB (talk | contribs)29 edits →Circulation← Previous edit Revision as of 21:19, 10 May 2006 edit undoMediclad (talk | contribs)25 edits Reformatted, updatedNext edit →
Line 1: Line 1:
'''ABC''' is an acronym that stands for Airway, Breathing and Circulation. It is used in many ] programs to remind first-aiders the order in which to check the body's primary life support systems (] and ]). Below each letter of the ] is briefly described. '''ABC''' stands for Airway, Breathing and Circulation. It is a useful reminder for many acute medical situations, from first-aid to hospital medical treatment. Airway, breathing and circulation are vital for life, and each is required for the next to be effective.


==Airway== ==A - Airway==
*If the patient's airway is blocked, oxygen cannot reach the lungs and so cannot be transported round the body in the blood
*Ensuring a clear airway is is the first step in treating any patient


*'''How:'''
Check to make sure that the ] is clear, or, open the ] to ensure the tongue (or other obstruction) does not interrupt airflow. If a patient's airway is not cleared, it must be cleared.
**Check to make sure that the ] is clear
**If there is an obvious obstruction in the mouth, then remove it. Do not remove false teeth if they are well fitting, and do not attempt a finger sweep as this may push [[foreign bodies[[ further into the airway.
**Once the airway is clear, open it by tilting the head back. This lifts the [[tongue[[ away from the back of the throat. ('''if there is danger of a neck injury, the head should not be tilted as this could cause further damage. A [[jaw thrust[[ is suitable in this situation''').


==Breathing== ==B - Breathing==
*Once the patient has a clear airway, then they need to be assessed to see if they are breathing


*'''How:'''
Check to make sure the patient is breathing. In first aid, the check is usually 10 seconds. If a patient is not breathing but has a ], begin ].
**Look, listen and feel for breathing
**This means watching for the chest rising, listening for breathing with your cheek over the patient's mouth, and feeling for breath on your cheek
**Assess breathing for up to ten seconds


*''If there is breathing:''
⚫ ==Circulation==
**Place the patient in the ] and call for help


*''If there is no breathing:''
Check to make sure the patient has a pulse. If a patient has no ], begin ]. It may also be helpful, if you have another assistant, to stop any major bleeding at this point while CPR is in progress and without delaying prompt CPR.
**'''National guidelines vary'''
**Begin rescue breathing - mouth-to-mouth, mouth-to-nose or mouth-to-stoma


⚫ ==C - Circulation==
⚫ ]
*Once oxygen can be delivered to the lungs by a clear airway and efficient breathing, there needs to be a circulation to deliver it to the rest of the body


*'''How:'''
In the United Kingdom, checking for a pulse is now considered to be ineffective, as it is considered to have a 50-50 chance of being reliable. 'The Resuscitation Council of the UK issued new guidelines for checking for signs of a circulation at the start of 2001. The Council concluded that 'It has been shown that assessment of the carotid pulse is time consuming and leads to an incorrect conclusion (present or absent) in up to 50% of cases. For this reason, training in detection of the carotid pulse as a sign of cardiac arrest is no longer recommended for non-healthcare persons.' Due to this statment, First Aiders (people trained in First Aid) in the United Kingdom are supposed to LOOK for signs of life, for example eye movement and colour. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/health/gigaquiz?pagenum=6&9=&8=&7=&6=&5=&4=&10=&3=&2=a&1=c&infile=firstaid_quick&path=firstaid_quick&state=1&3=b&next_t=answer_q3&%2Fcgi-perl%2Fhealth%2Fgigabuilder%2Ftestquiz.pl%3F.x=47&%2Fcgi-perl%2Fhealth%2Fgigabuilder%2Ftestquiz.pl%3F.y=4
***'''National guidelines vary'''
***Circulation can be assessed by checking for a pulse or looking for signs of life
***The pulse can be checked in the neck ] pulse ('''not in UK''')
***Signs of life include movement, coughing, breathing, pink colour


*''If there are no signs of life / pulse:''
First Aid courses in the United Kingdom now advise against checking for a pulse. Some suggest pressing the earlobe of the casualty between the forefinger and thumb, then releasing, to see how quickly the blood flows into it (or indeed to see if it flows at all). If it doesn't flow back into the ear, then the blood is clearly not being pumped around the body, which means CPR is necessary. Others suggest a similar test involving pressing the finger nail. It will turn to white and if it takes a long time for the red colour to return, or not at all, there is bad/no circulation.
**Start ]

==Discussion==
Within the UK, resuscitation guidelines have recently changed. The pulse check has been dropped in favour of checking for signs of life, as this is more accurate and reproducible.

Check with your national governing body for correct guidelines.

==Links==
{{http://www.resus.org.uk Resuscitation Council (UK)}}

⚫ ]
]

Revision as of 21:19, 10 May 2006

ABC stands for Airway, Breathing and Circulation. It is a useful reminder for many acute medical situations, from first-aid to hospital medical treatment. Airway, breathing and circulation are vital for life, and each is required for the next to be effective.

A - Airway

  • If the patient's airway is blocked, oxygen cannot reach the lungs and so cannot be transported round the body in the blood
  • Ensuring a clear airway is is the first step in treating any patient
  • How:
    • Check to make sure that the airway is clear
    • If there is an obvious obstruction in the mouth, then remove it. Do not remove false teeth if they are well fitting, and do not attempt a finger sweep as this may push [[foreign bodies[[ further into the airway.
    • Once the airway is clear, open it by tilting the head back. This lifts the [[tongue[[ away from the back of the throat. (if there is danger of a neck injury, the head should not be tilted as this could cause further damage. A [[jaw thrust[[ is suitable in this situation).

B - Breathing

  • Once the patient has a clear airway, then they need to be assessed to see if they are breathing
  • How:
    • Look, listen and feel for breathing
    • This means watching for the chest rising, listening for breathing with your cheek over the patient's mouth, and feeling for breath on your cheek
    • Assess breathing for up to ten seconds
  • If there is no breathing:
    • National guidelines vary
    • Begin rescue breathing - mouth-to-mouth, mouth-to-nose or mouth-to-stoma

C - Circulation

  • Once oxygen can be delivered to the lungs by a clear airway and efficient breathing, there needs to be a circulation to deliver it to the rest of the body
  • How:
      • National guidelines vary
      • Circulation can be assessed by checking for a pulse or looking for signs of life
      • The pulse can be checked in the neck carotid pulse (not in UK)
      • Signs of life include movement, coughing, breathing, pink colour
  • If there are no signs of life / pulse:

Discussion

Within the UK, resuscitation guidelines have recently changed. The pulse check has been dropped in favour of checking for signs of life, as this is more accurate and reproducible.

Check with your national governing body for correct guidelines.

Links

Template:Http://www.resus.org.uk Resuscitation Council (UK)

Categories: