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The 7 Deadly Sins of Giving First Aid
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Whether it’s the medical community changing the consensus on the most effective way to save someone’s life, or just bad ideas that have been passed down for generations, a lot of what we think we know about providing first aid is either outdated or flat-out wrong. The following seven emergency first aid mistakes cover everything from snake-bites to seizures, and some could be the difference between life and death.

Moving someone who has been injured

Moving someone who has been injured

If you see someone who has fallen to the ground, has been in a car accident, or has otherwise been injured, do not move them unless they’re in imminent danger of some kind. Don’t put a jacket under their head to make them more comfortable. Don’t try to help them up. Moving an injured person is not likely to help, and if they have a spinal injury, it could cause paralysis or even death, so wait for professionals instead.

Rushing to help without checking for safety

Rushing to help without checking for safety
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When faced with an emergency situation, many brave people will leap right into action to save someone else. This may seem noble, but it often does more harm than good. If you leap into the ocean after a drowning victim, there could be two people trapped in a rip-current for lifeguards to rescue. The same rule applies for burning houses, traffic-heavy roadways, and anywhere else there might be danger. Make sure it’s safe before you take any action.

Sucking the venom from a snakebite

Sucking the venom from a snakebite

Should you suck the venom out of a snakebite? Should you make a small cut above the bite first? Should you apply a tourniquet? Should you put ice on it? Should you try to catch the snake so its venom can be identified? No. You shouldn’t do any of these things. According to the CDC, if someone has been bitten by a snake, take the following steps in the following order:

  • Lay or sit down with the bite in a neutral position of comfort.

  • Remove rings and watches before swelling starts.

  • Wash the bite with soap and water.

  • Cover the bite with a clean, dry dressing.

  • Mark the leading edge of tenderness/swelling on the skin and write the time alongside it.

Worrying about “mouth-to-mouth resuscitation” (most of the time)

Worrying about “mouth-to-mouth resuscitation” (most of the time)
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If you think of CPR as a combination of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions, your first aid knowledge is outdated. In most situations, compression-only CPR is the right move. According to the American Heart Association, “Hands-Only CPR performed by a bystander has been shown to be as effective as CPR with breaths in the first few minutes of an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest.” The exceptions are drowning victims and people who collapse with breathing problems, but the most common cause of a collapse and lack of heartbeat is cardiac arrest, and for that situation, compression-only CPR is the way. You don’t even have to know how to do it well: Laying someone on their back and pressing their chest to the beat of the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive” is better than not doing anything, although, performing CPR you learned in a first aid class is better still.

Doing the Heimlich Maneuver without back blows

Doing the Heimlich Maneuver without back blows

Another relatively recent change in first aid best-practices involves what to do if someone is choking. Instead of grabbing them from behind and doing the Heimlich Maneuver, start with blows to the back. Bend the victim over at the waist, stand behind them, and deliver five sharp blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. If that doesn’t dislodge whatever’s blocking the windpipe, do the Heimlich. Repeat back blows followed by Heimlich until successful or help arrives.

Putting anything in a seizure victim’s mouth

Putting anything in a seizure victim’s mouth
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The old-school response to someone having a seizure was to try to lodge something in their mouths so they don’t bite their tongue, or to try to hold them down and immobilize them somehow. Don’t do either of these things. Putting something in a seizure victim’s mouth can result in you being bitten, or the object being broken and lodging in the victims throat, making a scary situation potentially life-threatening. Instead, move furniture or any other objects away from the victim and call 911. People experiencing a seizure may or may not be conscious, so talk to them reassuringly.

Inducing vomiting for poison

Inducing vomiting for poison
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If someone around you has ingested poison, don’t try to induce vomiting. Depending on the kind of poison, vomiting can cause more damage, particularly if it’s a strong acid or alkali. Instead, call poison control or 911, then try to determine what poison was taken so you can tell them. If the victim falls unconscious, make sure their airway is unobstructed as you wait for help to arrive.