Tamil Nadu - Dindigul   

Experts give first-aid training

— PHOTO : G. KARTHIKEYAN

TIMELY: Doctors demonstrating a first-aid technique in Dindigul on Sunday.

DINDIGUL: Giving first-aid to wounded persons and shifting them quickly and safely to the nearest hospital within the golden hour is essential to prevent death in road accidents. Who will extend such a helping hand?

Nursing Home Board (NHB) and The Indian Medical Association has an answer to this. A team of doctors from Erode — K.M. Abul Hasan and Ganapathy – imparted basic life support (BLS) training here on Sunday to police personnel and college students to help accident victims.

At the inaugural session, NHB secretary Dr. Hasan said that the number of persons killed in road accidents were more than that of those killed in World War II. Dindigul district had the highest number of accidents when compared to other southern districts. The BLS training such as cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) would certainly prevent death due to accident, he said.

The main aim of the CPR was to maintain flow of oxygenated blood to brain and heart and prevent brain death by providing resuscitation. Chest compression and mouth-to-mouth breathing were two aspects of CPR, he added.

Dr. Ganapathy, with the aid of demonstration, said that clearing airway and streamlining breathing and blood circulation were imperative. “First, you check breathing of the victim. If he is not breathing, check the airway by opening the victim’s mouth. Then, slightly lift the chin forward to open the airway. Breathing can be facilitated through mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose,” he said.

“If the mouth is seriously injured or cannot be opened, use mouth-to-nose breathing. The rescuer must press the chest with hands 30 times in one minute and give two sessions of mouth-to-mouth breathing. This will activate the heart and lungs and save patients before permanent damage is caused to the brain. If the brain is damaged, no one can save the victim.”

This kind of first-aid should be carried out on a flat hard surface. While doing this, the mouth should be kept open and neck must be protected. If the body was overturned, it must be set upright using a proper method because a wrong turn would worsen the condition of the patient, Dr. Ganapathy cautioned.

Second phase was safe transportation. Four persons, one of them acting as team leader, were needed to lift a wounded person. The leader should hold the head gently but firmly to avoid spinal cord damage and three other persons must insert their hands below the chest, waist and legs to keep the body flat while lifting. These simple methods would certainly ensure a victim’s survival, he added.

Students from two arts colleges and five nursing colleges took part in the training programme.

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Experts give first-aid training

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