Health and Emergency Medical Actions
Last Monday, July 24th, Bronny, the 18-year-old son of Lebron James, a star athlete for the University of Southern California basketball team, suffered a cardiac arrest while practicing with the team. Luckily, he has since been released from the hospital and on the road to recovery. You can read more here.
While we send healing thoughts to Bronny James, it reminds us that medical emergencies can happen at any time to anyone. For that reason, we are focusing on health and emergency medical actions in this week’s safety quiz. Look below for the answers to the questions
1. Your coworker places his hands on his chest and collapses, muttering something about pressure. He’s now unconscious. You suspect he is having a cardiac arrest. What can you do?
A. Call 9-1-1. Get professional medical help on the way.
B. Lay your coworker flat on the floor and do CPR, starting chest compressions.
C. After 30 compressions, you pinch his nostrils and give two full breaths.
D. Continue chest compressions until someone relieves you.
E. Answers A, and B are correct.
F. All the answers are correct except E.
2. In the above emergency, someone brings you an automated external defibrillator (AED). You open the defibrillator, open your coworker’s shirt, and following instructions from the machine, apply two patches to your coworker that are connected to the machine. Why will this help?
A. The AED can assess the coworker’s condition to let you know if you are doing CPR correctly.
B. The AED can assess the coworker’s condition to send information directly to the closest hospital.
C. The AED can assess the coworker’s condition, determine whether his heart needs to be shocked, and administer the shock after telling everyone to stop touching the patient.
D. The AED can administer medicine that will help your coworker.
E. All the answers are correct.
3. You and your work crew are eating lunch. One of your work crew suddenly gets quiet, clutches at her throat. You think she might be choking. What should you do?
A. Ask if she is choking. If she says yes, speaking with only a little difficulty, then tell her to cough forcefully.
B. Ask if she is choking. If she can’t talk or if coughing does not help, then place your arms around her chest, make a ball with your fists, and thrust up hard and fast about midpoint between her waist and heart (the Heimlich maneuver.)
C. Ask if she is choking. If she can’t talk, slap her on the back between the shoulder blades three times.
D. Ask if she is choking. If she says yes, then slap her on the back between the shoulder blades two times.
E. All the above are correct.
F. Only A and B are correct.
4. You fall backwards and extend your arm to break your fall. You think you might have broken your wrist, as it is bent at an odd angle. What can you do to help yourself?
A. Take off your belt to use as a tourniquet. Wrap it above where you think the break is and cinch it in tightly. Have someone take you to an emergency room. Tell your supervisor about the injury.
B. Find something to use as a splint. Force your arm and wrist to lay flat against the splint and use some rope to tie the arm to the splint. Have someone take you to the emergency room. Tell your supervisor about the injury.
C. Do nothing. It’s probably fine. You don’t need to let anyone know.
D. Rest your arm against your chest, using your body as a natural splint. If one is available, put a pillow or soft towel under your arm. Have someone take you to the emergency room. Tell your supervisor about the injury.
5. You are working outside, and the afternoon is heating up. Your supervisor is sweating heavily, and he seems to be dizzy. What is wrong and what should you do?
A. Get your supervisor into the shade. Give him some cool water to drink. He may be having heat exhaustion, or a similar heat-related illness. Let your office or another supervisor know about the situation and take him to an urgent care center.
B. Ask your supervisor if he feels okay or if he needs to take a break. If he says he is fine, then leave him alone. Don’t tell anyone, it might embarrass him.
C. Don’t touch him, he might be contagious. Yell for help. Watch him until help arrives.
D. Try to convince your supervisor to stop work for everyone. If he’s hot, then everyone is hot. It’s time to go home.
Discussion Question:
What is the most serious heat-related illness? What are the symptoms? What should you do to treat someone with a serious heat-related illness.
Answers:
1. F. All the answers, except E, are correct.
2. C is correct.
3. F. Only A and B are correct.
4. D is correct.
5. A is most correct.
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