BLITZ-AID

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 155, 12 June 1942, Page 8

BLITZ-AID

(Condensed from a talk by DR.

HUBERT

SMITH

on June 3-the third of a cerice

broadcast on Wednesdays at 6.30 p.m, from all main National Stations)

HIS is a talk on "Blitz-Aid." There are a few things which are necessary for everyone to know, in regard to injuries which might occur in a bombing raid. They are very simple but terribly important, If a bomb falls on your house, and severely injures some of your dear ones, what would you do? The first-aid party might arrive within a few minutes, perhaps, but those few minutes might be too late. Even such a short time counts, It is the man or woman on the spot who can save lives, if they know what to do and are prepared to do it, Be prepared to see severe wounds; you will need all your courage and you must keep your head. The points are very simple. Unless a patient is in a highly dangerous place you should treat him where he lies, Do not lift him or drag him away unless the place he is in is extremely dangerous. STOP BLEEDING HE first and most important duty of the one who first reaches a casualty is to stop bleeding. When you cut a thumb you naturally grab it firmly with the fingers of your other hand. That ap- plication of pressure to a bleeding wound is the correct thing to do in all cases, Now, to stop bleeding: Press on the bleeding point with your fingers or hands, Press on the exact place where the blood is coming from. Not " close to it" but exactly right on the spot-jn the wound. Then as soon as possible apply a clean, thick pad, a folded handkerchief or towel, or any material you can get. Put the clean, inner surface next to the wound. Press on the pad and then bandage it firmly in position over the wound, This dressing must be bandaged firmly enough to control the loss of blood, not just to soak up the blood, but to stop it from coming out, If there is still oozing of blood past or through the pad, renew the pressure on the dressing, and tie the bandage more firmly. This treatment applies to every single wound. If there is obviously glass or material in the wound that should not be there, pluck it out, if it can easily be done, but do not interfere with the wound if you only think it might be there. Press on the wound exactly where the bl is spurting from. If the bleed? ing is from the trunk, there is nothing else you can do, except keep the patient warm and comfortable. THE TOURNIQUET HOWEVER, if the bleeding is from the arm or leg and the bleeding has not been controlled by the pad or bandage, then there is something else you can do. Remember, first, press on the wound with your fingers or hands. Put a pad on as soon as you can and bandage it firmly. If this fails to control the bleeding, pass a bandage, tie, handkerchief, stocking, strip of shirt or similar material round the limb at a point between the

wound and the trunk, Tie the fabric so that the limb is loosely encircled, Pass a stick, a peg, or a pencil through the slack loop and twist until the tightening of the band round the limb stops the bleeding. The tension needed is quite high and it cuts into the limb. The stick or peg which is keeping up the tension has to be tied or held to keep up the tension. Be very careful to see that as the stick is tied in place, the tension is not relaxed, This is called a tourniquet. A better one can be made from 2ft. of bicycle inner-tubing or from a strip of rubber 144 inches wide by about 2 feet long cut from the inner tube of a car. To one end of the rubber are tied two

ends of string, each about 1 foot long. The rubber strip is applied like a bandage, but stretch it so that the first turn is tight round the limb; once the first turn has been made, and the end caught, pressure can be increased if necessary, with the second turn, to stop the blood spurting. Once that pressure is reached no more should’ be put on. When the rubber is wound right round, tie’ the string round the limb to prevent the tourniquet from unwinding. This broad rubber strip gives firm pressure without cutting into the flesh as a cloth tourniquet does, but in an emergency you have to use whatever is to hand. After fifteen minutes put on a fresh pad on top of the first blood-soaked one, tie on the bandage and then loosen the tourniquet, By that time Nature has had a chance to form a firm clot, and you can confidently expect to be able to control the bleeding by the pad and bandage method. If, however, bleeding is still not controlled, tighten the tourniquet again, (Continued on next page)

E.P.S. TALK (Continued from previous page)

SHOCK OR COLLAPSE HE next major point about injured patients, is in regard to shock or collapse. The first thing to do, of course, is to control the bleeding, as we have already discussed. Keep the patient lying down, or if he has a chest or belly wound, propped up on coats, pillows or cushions, Wrap him up and keep him warm. Put blankets or coats round and underneath him, Put hot bottles outside the blanket to make him warm. Let him smoke if he wants to. Let him drink, and the best drink of all is warm or sweet tea. Ease his pain wherever you can. Cheer and encourage him. If he has a crushed limb, support it on cushions, pillows or coats. If he has a wound in the belly, do not give him anything to drink, not even sips of water to swallow, but you could wipe his mouth and tongue with a damp cloth. : WOUNDS N dressing a wound that will have to be dealt with in the Aid Post or in hospital, do not put anything on it except a clean, dry dressing, and a bandage. Do not use any water to clean it, or any antiseptics, or anything on any wound that is going to be treated in hospital. For burns you can use either a dry dressing or a dressing wetted with a solution of bicarbonate of soda (that is, ordinary baking soda), and the strength should be one teaspoon to a breakfast cup of warm water. Do not use anything else-no oils or anything on it. Otherwise it will spoil the Hospital’s treatment. TRANSPORT ‘THE last point is.in regard to transport. Provided serious bleeding has been stopped, the urgency of the need of getting the wounded person into hospital is considerably diminished, Care is then much more important than speed. If he is jolted or moved carelessly and treated ungently, it increases his pain and loosens the blood clots; it also increases his shock. Treat him very carefully and gently. Keep him warm and make him as comfortable as is possible. Do not move him at all if you can avid it. If he can sleep let him. It is the best thing possible for him. /