When someone is hurt or in need of medical assistance, you might feel like you don’t know what to do. In a medical emergency, every second counts, but if you’re not familiar with the basics of first aid, you may not know how to help until someone with medical training shows up. However, in the case of a minor injury or illness, there are first aid basics that can help prevent further injury and save time when a trained professional isn’t on hand. The basics of first aid are simple; they’re just things you can do to help someone who has been injured until medical assistance can be reached. For example, if someone is choking and is in danger of dying, you can give them a finger to push the food or object out of their airway. That’s a basic example of first aid for a choking person. There are many other first aid tips and tricks that can be useful in any emergency, even if they’re not as obvious as the example above. When you’re unsure of what to do in a particular situation or if you’re not sure where you can get the best advice for that situation, a general guide to the basic first aid tips and tricks will help you to get the job done as best you can.

Breathing

This is an important part of first aid for someone who is having a cardiac or respiratory arrest. The person should be lying down, with their head pointing down. You can use anything to perform this task, including a coat or scarf. If you’re unable to give them CPR, you can administer a simple breath-holding exercise. Lay the person on their side, with their head slightly lower than their feet. Place your hand on their upper chest or upper abdomen and cover their mouth. Breathe into their mouth and hold for 10 seconds.

Chest compressions

Chest compressions are a key part of CPR, but for someone who is injured and not having a cardiac or respiratory arrest, they can be dangerous. Instead, you should only perform chest compressions if the injury is severe enough to cause them to lose consciousness. If the injury is not severe, there are other first aid tips for chest injuries that can still help. For someone who is having trouble breathing, you can use your hands to manually push down on their chest. If the injury is on the legs or arms, you can manually push the person up off the ground to help them breathe.

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)

CPR is a medical emergency that can help keep someone who is having a cardiac or respiratory arrest alive long enough for them to receive medical assistance. This is a skill that you should not attempt without proper training. You can perform CPR with a few key techniques. First, you must find the heart of the person to give them chest compressions. You can feel for a pulse in the middle of the chest or at the neck, or you can look at the person to see if there’s a mark from the stethoscope. If there’s no heartbeat or breathing, you need to start chest compressions.

Cervical spine manipulation

If someone has fallen and is unable to move their arms and legs, you might choose to attempt to manipulate their neck to get them out of the situation. If the person’s airway is clear and there’s no blood coming out of their mouth, you can try this technique. Place the palm of your hand on the top of their head. You can use a thumb and finger on your other hand to support their head if needed. With your palm against the top of their head, you can turn their head in either direction. If that doesn’t work, try putting your thumb on the side of their head, near the ear.

How to control bleeding

If someone is bleeding heavily, you might choose to apply direct pressure to the wound to try to stop it. You can use anything you have available, including your hands, clothing, a shirt, and even their own clothing. If direct pressure isn’t enough, you can use a tourniquet to control the blood flow. To make a tourniquet, you can use a belt, rope, shirt, or any fabric that you have available. Tie one end of the fabric around the area of the injury, and then wrap the fabric around the affected area as many times as needed to control the flow of blood.

How to stop bleeding

If someone is bleeding and you have no way to apply direct pressure to the wound, you might choose to apply a tourniquet. If you can’t get to a tourniquet, you can also try to apply a pressure dressing. You can make a pressure dressing by putting something damp and sterile, such as gauze or a cloth, directly over the wound. If the wound is on the leg, you can wrap the bandage around the leg. If the wound is on the arm or torso, you can wrap the bandage around the body several times.

Wounds and injuries: Bleeding

If someone is bleeding and you don’t have a way to stop the flow of blood, you can try to slow the blood flow by applying pressure to the wound. If you have something sterile and damp, such as a cloth or gauze, you can place it directly on the wound to control the blood flow. If you don’t have something sterile and damp, you can wrap the wound in a bandage made of something that would be sterile, such as a bandage. You can also cover the wound with clothing if you have something that covers the entire body, such as a coat or blanket.

Wounds and injuries: Broken bones

If someone is injured and has broken a bone, you can try to splint the injury to help the person heal. A splint can help keep the broken bone aligned while it heals, which can prevent further injury and reduce the amount of pain the person feels. You can make a splint from any material you have available, such as cloth and cardboard. You can wrap the broken bone in the splint, or you can wrap around the body to support the broken bone.

Wounds and injuries: Burns

If someone has a burn, you can try to keep the affected area clean and dry. If the burn is minor and you can keep the dressings dry, you can use simple materials, such as a clean towel. If the burn is more severe, you can use materials that are less likely to get dirty, such as gauze or cotton swabs. If you can keep the affected area clean and dry, you can also try to remove any charred tissue. You can use a pair of clean scissors to cut away the charred tissue, or you can use a clean towel to clean the affected area.