Travel Italy | Emergency Services

HOW TO PERFORM AN EMERGENCY CRICOTHYROIDOTOMY Exploring the the outdoors and doing active sports you have a higher risk of injury and need for levels of first aid that you would not need in a normal urban environment.  Therefore, you some always study and have some working knowledge of varied skills in the unlikely event you might need.   If you have to perform a cricothyroidotomy, you will need the following materials: A very sharp knife or a razor. A breathing tube. A stiff straw would be ideal, although you can use the tube from a ballpoint pen or even a rolled up playing card. You want rigid material; if it collapses, air cannot flow through. Naturally, if you have a first aid kit, it may have a tracheotomy tube included that you can use. Tape Note that you may not have time to sterilize the materials beforehand since you need to open the patient’s windpipe at once. Every second without oxygen increases the chances for brain damage. If you have some high proof alcohol handy (after all, it may be the reason you’re in this predicament) then use it. But remember that time is of the essence. Start by finding the Adam’s apple, also known as the thyroid cartilage. Contrary to popular belief, women do have an Adam’s apple (an Eve’s apple?). It is just more pronounced on men. Move your finger downward until you find the cricoid cartilage, which is a small bulge about 3/4” below the Adam’s apple. The area between these two bulges is called the cricothyroid membrane, which is where the procedure will be performed. Use the knife or blade to make a small horizontal incision a half-inch wide and a half-inch deep. Do NOT go deeper than this or you may cut through the windpipe. If you do it correctly, there should not be too much blood. Pinch the incision open or place your finger inside to keep the hole open. Place the tube into the incision to a depth of around a three-quarters inch to one inch. Make two quick breaths into the tube. Pause for five seconds then breathe into the tube once every five seconds. The patient should start breathing again if you have performed the procedure correctly. As with other strange survival methods, you should follow an emergency tracheotomy or emergency cricothyroidotomy up with basic first aid. Make sure that the tube stays in place (secure it with tape if possible) and is not dislodged until emergency aid arrives.

Travel Italy | Emergency Services

FIRST AID | DEALING WITH SEIZURES Although it can be frightening to see, this type of seizure is not usually a medical emergency. Usually, once the convulsions have stopped, the person recovers and their breathing goes back to normal. HOW TO DEAL WITH SEIZURES Stay calm. Look around - is the person in a dangerous place?  If not, don't move them. Move objects like furniture away from them. Note the time the seizure starts. Stay with them. If they don't collapse but seem blank or confused, gently guide them away from any danger. Speak quietly and calmly. Cushion their head with something soft if they have collapsed to the ground. Don't hold them down. Don't put anything in their mouth. Check the time again. If a convulsive (shaking) seizure doesn't stop after 5 minutes, call for an ambulance (dial 999). After the seizure has stopped, put them into the recovery position and check that their breathing is returning to normal.  Gently check their mouth to see that nothing is blocking their airway such as food or false teeth. If their breathing sounds difficult after the seizure has stopped, call for an ambulance. Stay with them until they are fully recovered. If they are injured, or they have another seizure without recovering fully from the first seizure, call for an ambulance.

Travel Italy | Emergency Services

FIRST AID | CPR FOR YOUR PET Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, or CPR, is a combination of chest compression andartificial respiration. It is normally used when you cannot feel or hear the dog’s heart beat. Once the dog stops breathing the heart will go into cardiac arrest and cease beating.Before performing this procedure please keep in mind that Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is hazardous and can cause physical complications or fatal damage if performed on a healthy dog. It should only be performed when necessary.Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for puppies/ dogs less than 30 pounds (14 kg): Lay the dog on a flat surface with his/her right side against the surface. Cup your palms and hold the dog with one palm on either side above the heart region. (You can also place your thumb on one side of his chest and keep the fingers on the other side.) Compress the chest for one inch to one-quarter or one-third the width of the chest for a count of one and then let go for a count of one. Carry on at a rate of 100 compressions in a minute. If only one person is available, breathe into the dog’s nose once for every five compressions that are done. If two persons are available, give artificial respiration once every two or three compressions are done. Continue with the CPR and artificial respiration until the dog begins breathing on its own and the pulse becomes steady. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for medium/large dogs weighing more than 30 lb (14 kg): Lay the dog on a flat surface with his/her right side against the surface. (You will need to stand towards the dog’s back.) Put one of your palms on the dog’s rib cage, near the heart region, and put your other palm on top of it. Without bending both the elbows, press the rib cage in a downward motion. Compress the chest for one-quarter to one-third the width of the chest for a count of one and then let go for a count of one. Carry on at a rate of 80 compressions per minute. Close the muzzle with your hand before beginning artificial respiration. If only one person is available, breathe into the dog’s nose once for every five compressions that are done. If two persons are available, give artificial respiration once for every two compressions are done. Continue performing CPR until the dog begins to breathe and has a steady pulse. If the dog does not show any signs of improvement after 10 minutes of CPR, you can stop as it has not proven successful.

Travel Italy | Emergency Services

BODY TEMPERATURE LIMITS OF THE HUMAN BODY The normal body temperature of a person varies depending on gender, recent activity, food and fluid consumption, time of day, and, in women, the stage of the menstrual cycle. Normal body temperature can range from 97.8 degrees F (or Fahrenheit, equivalent to 36.5 degrees C, or Celsius) to 99 degrees F (37.2 degrees C) for a healthy adult. A person's body temperature can be taken in any of the following ways:         Orally. Temperature can be taken by mouth using either the classic glass thermometer, or the more modern digital thermometers that use an electronic probe to measure body temperature.
 Rectally. Temperatures taken rectally (using a glass or digital thermometer) tend to be 0.5 to 0.7 degrees F higher than when taken by mouth.
 Axillary. Temperatures can be taken under the arm using a glass or digital thermometer. Temperatures taken by this route tend to be 0.3 to 0.4 degrees F lower than those temperatures taken by mouth.
 By ear. A special thermometer can quickly measure the temperature of the ear drum, which reflects the body's core temperature (the temperature of the internal organs).
By skin. A special thermometer can quickly measure the temperature of the skin on the forehead.
 Body temperature may be abnormal due to fever (high temperature) or hypothermia (low temperature). A fever is indicated when body temperature rises about one degree or more over the normal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Hypothermia is defined as a drop in body temperature below 95 degrees Fahrenheit.