First Aid

Anaphylactic Shock

Asthma

Back and Spinal Injury

Bleeding from the Head or Palm

Bleeding From Special Sites

Bleeding

Breathing Difficulties

Burns and Scalds

Chemical Burns and Eye Burns

Chest or Abdominal Wounds

Concussion

Controlling Bleeding from the Mouth and Nose

External Bleeding

Eye Wounds

Food Poisoning

Fractures of the Arm and Hand

Fractures, Dislocations and Soft Tissue Injuries

Fractures of the Ribcage

Fractures of the Skull Face and Jaw

Fractures of the Upper Body

Heart Problems

Injuries to the Lower Body

Injuries to the Lower Leg

Internal Bleeding

Miscarriage

Poisoning from Household Chemicals

Poisoning from Industrial Chemicals

Poisoning

Shock

Sprains and Strains

Stroke

Other Types of Burn

Unconscious Casualty

Unconsciousness

If You Have to Move the Casualty

Bleeding from the Head or Palm

Bleeding from the head is usually caused by a blow. The scalp in particular has a rich blood supply and even a small wound can bleed heavily. The palm of the hand is commonly cut while cutting objects or through a fall. Bleeding is often severe as the palm also has a rich blood supply. There are many tendons and nerves in the hand, and wounds to the palm may be accompanied by loss of movement or feeling in the fingers.

Signs and symptoms of skull fracture, concussion and compression

Skull fracture

Bruising to the eye socket
Pain
A bump or dent in the skull
Straw-coloured fluid coming from one or both ears
Casualty becomes increasingly drowsy and unresponsive over a period of time. Does she respond slowly to questions or commands? Is she having problems focusing?

Concussion

Pale skin
Dizziness, blurred vision or nausea
Headache
Brief or partial loss of consciousness

Compression

Person becomes increasingly drowsy and unresponsive
Flushed and dry skin
Slurred speech and confusion
Partial or total loss of movement, often down one side of the body
One pupil appears to be larger than the other
Noisy breathing, which becomes slow
Slow, strong pulse

How to treat head bleeds

Treatment should include taking full details of what happened and checking for signs of head injury, such as skull fracture, concussion or compression.

Help the injured person to sit or lie down.
Check for any signs of head injury. Treat as appropriate.
Using a sterile bandage, apply direct pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.
Cover the wound with a sterile dressing or a clean pad. Tie this in place with a bandage.
Take or send the casualty to hospital as soon as possible.

If the casualty becomes unconscious, monitor and maintain airway and breathing and be prepared to resuscitate as necessary.

How to treat bleeding from the palm

Help the casualty to sit or lie down. Apply direct pressure to the wound and raise the arm. lf the person has had a fall, take care to rule out a broken arm or collar bone before raising the arm.
Place a sterile dressing or clean pad in the hand and ask the casualty to grip her fingers over it. Bandage the fingers so that they are clenched over the pad. Leave the thumb exposed. lf there is an embedded object in the wound, treat the hand flat and bandage around the object. lf tendon damage means that the fingers cannot be clenched, bandage the wound with the hand flat.
Treat for shock if necessary. Keep the casualty warm, at rest and reassure him or her.
Support the arm in an elevation sling and take or send the casualty to hospital.

Disclaimer: Health-care-clinic.org website is designed for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. Always take the advice of professional health care for specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment. We will not be liable for any complications, or other medical accidents arising from the use of any information on this web site. Please note that medical information is constantly changing. Therefore some information may be out of date.