Emergency Nursing

Emergency Nursing

Emergency Nursing is immediate attention to one suffering from illness or injury due to an accident. Sudden illness or injury can often be sending unless proper care is administered at an appropriate time. Emergency nursing will save the victim until proper medical assistance can be obtained.

Why Emergency Nursing?

If Emergency Nursing is properly administered, it can often restore natural breathing and circulation, control blooding, reduce the severity of shock and saves the life of a person.

We often see an injured person due to fatal accident and the person has a better chance of full recovery if there is someone nearby trained in EmergencyNursing . It is proper that every one should be able to give effective assistance until the injured shifted to a hospital.

All accidents are life threatening, but the following 3 in particular require immediate action.

a) Respiratory Arrest. b) Circulatory Failure c) Severe Bleeding

The respiratory arrest or circulatory failure can set off a chain of events that will lead to death.

Severe and uncontrollable bleeding can lead to an irreversible state of shock in which death inevitable.

The accidents like Electric Shock, Drowning, suffocation, Dangerous Gases etc., the Artificial Ventilation may save the life of a victim.

1. Electric Shock: The symptoms of Electric Shock are sudden loss of a consciousness, impairment absence of respiration or circulation, weak pulse and sometimes burn. Breathing may also weak. If the victim is free from contact with electric current, can begin the emergency nursing. If the victim is still in contact with the current, remove the current promptly and to start artificial ventilation.

2. Drowning: If a victim suddenly falls into water, remove him from drowning and begin artificial ventilation immediately without taking the time. Drowning is a form of suffocation. The supply of air to the lungs has been cut off completely by water. There is a small reserve in the air cells of the lungs, in the blood and in some of the tissues that can sustain life up to 6 minutes. Hence it is important to start artificial ventilation as soon as possible.

3. Suffocation: Always rescue a suffocation victim as quickly as

possible. One of the Symptoms of suffocation is an unconscious person. The lips, finger nails and ears become blue or dark in color. The pulse becomes rapid and weak. Sometimes the breathing may also stops. In such case the artificial ventilation is of no value. Such person should be removed from that place and to shift to open place. Where free and natural air is available.

4. Dangerous gases: Several toxic gases in everyday life can cause danger to life. Persons should be aware of the early warning signs of exposure, so the gases may be detected. Headache, nausea and tearing of the eyes are the most common symptoms of the presence of dangerous gases. Unless the surrounding air is good, take the victim to pure air immediately and begin artificial ventilation.

Artificial Ventilation:

Artificial Ventilation is the process for causing air flow in and out of the lungs when natural breathing has ceased or when it is irregular or inadequate.

When a Victim is unconscious, no solids or liquids should be given by mouth, since they may enter the windpipe and lungs and cause suffocation or serious complications.

When a person is unconscious or breathing with difficulty, the head-tilt/chin-lift should be used to open the airway. This method cannot be used for a victim with possible neck or spinal injuries.

When breathing has ceased the bodies oxygen supply is cut off and the brain cells start to die within 4 to 6 minutes. This can cause irreversible brain damage and if breathing is not restored, death will occur. If artificial ventilation is started within a short time after respiratory arrest, the victim has a chance of survival.

Methods of artificial ventilaton: If the victim is not breathing give two full breaths by mouth-to-mouth, mouth-to-nose or mouth-to-stoma ventilation. Allow for lung deflation between each of the two ventilations.

Check the victim’s pulse to determine whether external cardiac compressions are necessary.

Maintain an open airway position by holding the forehead of the victim.

Check the victim’s pulse for at least 5 seconds but not more than 10 seconds.

If a pulse is present, continue administering artificial ventilation once every 5 seconds or 12 times a minute.

Cardiac compressions with hands on victim’s chest revive the breathing.

Make compressions down and up in a smooth manner.

Perform 15 cardiac compressions at a rate of 80 to 100 per minute by counting the numbers.

Controlling Bleeding

In emergency nursing controlling bleeding is also important to save the live of a victim. Most cases of bleeding can be easily controlled. External bleeding can usually be suppressed by applying direct pressure to the open wound. Direct pressure permits normal blood clotting to occur. To control of bleeding the best way to be done by placing gauze or the cleanest soft material like cotton or cloth material available against the bleeding point. The cover bandage supplies direct pressure and should not be removed until the victim is examined by a physician.

In case of internal bleeding usually results from a hard blow or certain fractures in the chest or abdominal cavities. Internal bleeding is usually not visible, but it can be very serious, even some times fatal. Transport immediately the suspected internal bleeding victim to a professional medical help as quickly and safely as possible.

One should be trained to administer Emergency Nursing from a professional medical practitioner; otherwise it could be more fatal to a victim.