RI FED: Asthma
Each year, the Royal Institution do a set of Christmas lectures: these are presented to a live audience, then broadcast on TV later. They're aimed at children, but I've found some of them quite interesting as an adult, and I've felt a bit jealous of some of the bored kids who are squandering the opportunity to be there in person
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The most interesting thing I learnt is that there are two main symptoms of asthma. I'm familiar with airways constricting, but the other issue (new to me) is that mucus builds up on the lining of the airways
Just a thought, as a first aider, mucus building up on the lung is not a symptom. You cannot observe it directly (and if you are I'd say they Asthma was the least of their problems).
I don't do anywhere near much first as you but I strongly believe that of I can't do anything about a problem, I don't really need to know about it.
Sam
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As for first aid treatment, you're right that this is basically irrelevant to me, but I'm interested to know what's going on inside. Also, when you read through the first aid manual, it can be tricky to remember whether Condition X gives a fast or slow pulse. If I understand why the body reacts that way, it's easier to remember.
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>or high blood pressure. Symptoms are things that the
>casualty needs to tell me about,
That's a pretty useful distinction. Noted for future reference.
>If I understand why the body reacts that way, it's easier to remember.
I totally agree with this. I've just spent the last two days on a Rescue and Emergency Care course (1st aid when help is 8 hours not 8 minutes away is how it's sold). I have now got a handful of laminated cards in my 1st aid kit with reminders of the things that I might not need instantly (ABC, etc) but things that might be possible over a longer time (DE and SAMPLE, etc). You can read a lot of stuff in 8 hours if you need too :-)
Sam
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The best thing about primary and secondary surveys, and using a stethoscope, is that people shut up and leave you alone, giving you time to figure out what the hell to do next ;)
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Airways constricting: remove things that will cause further constriction (stress, very tight collars, cold air, allergens), provide things that will reverse constriction (bronchodilators FTW! - blue inhalers for the non-techies)
Mucus build-up: postural drainage (although I wouldn't advise this in an acute attack, it can be useful in long-term treatment), physiotherapy (ditto), encourage (maybe? certainly don't discourage) coughing, suction, humidification (doesn't remove mucus per se but can "soften" it, making it easier for the natural cough reflex and cillae to remove)
Realistically, most of these are long-term treatments, or only suitable for use in severe cases or in hospital, but it's worth thinking about. E.g. if you have a choice of cold dry air, or warm wet air, warm and wet is likely to be more asthma-friendly, although sharp transitions can lead to bronchoconstriction...
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Mu approach to first aid (and although I train every two years or so, I use it only every few months and 'serious' issues every few years) is that I have a limited amount of brain space to remember stuff and that it will fade unless it is very simple.
So the stuff I try and remember is the really important stuff, or systemic stuff I can work out from first principles (DR ABCDE, etc). I can look up SAMPLE or the meanings of different pulses at my leisure, along with radio protocol or what various flares mean, etc
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