First Aid Myths Busted

10 June 2011

Tony Smith, Medical Director of St John, recently released a list of first aid myths many people still believe to be true.
Please take a little time to read through this very useful take on "Mythbusters"...

Myth One: It’s better to do nothing than risk making things worse

If it is a life or death situation (for example someone has stopped breathing or their heart has stopped beating) and you do nothing, the person will die.

Often people fear doing something wrong and worry if they do something it could risk making things worse, but in reality doing something is far more likely to help the person than to harm them. Some people choose not to help because they are scared they could be sued if they get it wrong but you can’t be sued in New Zealand for helping someone in an emergency.

Even if you have no first aid training, you can still call an ambulance and follow the instructions that the ambulance call taker will give you. Learning first aid is easy and if you haven’t been to a first aid course St John has a range for you to choose from.

Myth Two: If you have a nosebleed, you should tilt your head back

It is something that many people have been told at some point in their life, but in fact tilting a person’s head back when they have a nose bleed is unhelpful and just results in the blood going down the back of their throat.

Instead, lean forward pinching the soft part of the nose firmly for 10 – 20 minutes. Call 111 for an ambulance and keep pinching the nose if the bleeding is severe and doesn’t stop after 20 minutes.

Myth three: The best thing for a burn is butter

Please don’t try and fry the patient. Applying butter was an “old wives tale” before water treatment was discovered. Unfortunately the tale still exists today.

Butter doesn’t cool the burn, can increase risk of infection and is difficult to remove when further treatment is required.

Use cool water to pour on the burn (or soak the injured part in cool water). Keep going with the cooling for 20 minutes.

Call 111 for an ambulance if the patient is badly injured, or the burn is causing significant pain, or the burn is larger than the patient’s hand.

Myth Four: If an arm or leg is bleeding heavily, you should tie a tourniquet above the injury.

Applying a tourniquet can make the bleeding worse and can cause even more damage. The best thing to do is apply firm direct pressure to the wound. Cover the wound with a dressing once the bleeding has been controlled.

Call 111 for an ambulance if the bleeding is severe.

Myth Five: You must never, ever move someone after a car crash, even if they are not breathing.

In this situation, a lot of people worry about spinal injuries and the risk of paralysing someone if they are moved.

But if they are not breathing, they will die unless you move them. If someone is not breathing, you have to move them so you can start CPR. This gives the person a chance of surviving, whereas not moving them means they will have no chance.

However, when a person is breathing, they should not be moved unless they are in immediate danger.

Myth Six: If a child drinks poison, make them vomit.

Making the child vomit could cause serious internal damage, particularly when the poison is a corrosive such as bleach or dishwashing powder.

The best thing to do is keep the child calm, wipe residue away from the mouth with a damp cloth, and call 111 for an ambulance.

You can give sips of water – as much as the child will drink, but don’t force them to drink as this may make them vomit.

Myth Seven: I feel some discomfort in my chest, but it is just indigestion.

A heart attack occurs when an artery supplying the heart with blood becomes blocked. The most common symptom associated with a heart attack is chest discomfort and sometimes this is mistaken as indigestion. The chest discomfort often feels like a weight, or a heavy feeling or a tight squeezing feeling in the middle of the chest. The discomfort may also be felt going into the neck, jaw or arms (particularly the left arm).

If a person has chest discomfort that does not ease after 15 minutes, or they are in very severe pain, call 111 for an ambulance. They might be having a heart attack and the sooner an ambulance arrives the better the outcome for the patient.

Myth Eight: If someone is having a seizure, put something in their mouth (such as a spoon) to stop them biting their tongue.

This used to be a technique that many people thought was a good thing to do. But, it can cause more harm than good. An object forced into a person’s mouth while they are having a seizure can break teeth, injure the patient’s tongue or mouth (which could cause breathing difficulty) and can cause injury to the rescuer.

Protect the patient from injuring themselves (for example on objects around them) during the seizure. Once the seizure has finished, roll them onto their side and stay with them. Call an ambulance if they don’t wake up after a few minutes or if this is the first time they have had a seizure.

Myth Nine: If someone feels faint, put their head between their legs.

When a person feels faint or actually faints, the brain is not getting enough blood. It is very easy for the person to fall – even if they are sitting on a chair.

Putting their head between their legs will not help. Lie them on the floor, raise their legs a little, and they will usually recover very quickly. If they don’t recover quickly, call 111 for an ambulance. If they stop breathing start CPR.

Myth Ten: A stroke is not an emergency.

A stroke occurs when an artery supplying the brain with blood becomes blocked. A stroke is an emergency.

When a person has a stroke they will often have difficulty speaking or they will have weakness on one side of their body (one side of their face will become droopy or one arm or leg will become weak).

If you think a person is having a stroke dial 111 for an ambulance. The reason for this is that there are treatments available in hospital for stroke that must be given within a few hours if they are to be successful.

For more information please contact:
Sarah Martin
Media Relations Manager
St John
TEL: 04 819 1131, Extn 4208
CELL: 027 483 4199
EMAIL: sarah.martin@stjohn.org.nz
St John House, 114 The Terrace, Wellington, New Zealand
PO Box 10 043, Wellington 6143, New Zealand
www.stjohn.org.nz

Last updated: Friday, July 8, 2011