Loading...
Civilian Emergency Platform
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — A penetrating or open wound to the chest wall. The person may have trouble breathing or bubbling blood at the wound.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — NOT EXPERT REVIEWED — NOT FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Hole, stab, or gunshot wound to the chest with sucking or bubbling sounds.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Severe difficulty breathing, one side of chest not moving, or blue lips.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Coughing blood, rapid weak pulse, or person becoming unconscious.
Scene hazards: Violence, Traffic, Collapsed lung risk
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Call 112 on speaker.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Help the person sit upright leaning slightly toward the injured side if breathing is difficult.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Find airtight material — plastic bag, foil, or commercial chest seal. Tape it over the wound on three sides so air can escape but not enter.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If no plastic, use a gloved hand or cloth to cover the wound while help is on the way — any seal is better than an open hole.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Keep the person still and monitor breathing every few seconds.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Say: "Chest wound — trouble breathing" and whether there is an object embedded.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Report if breathing is getting worse or the person is losing consciousness.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — All open chest wounds require emergency hospital care and surgery may be needed.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — If breathing stops or the person becomes unresponsive, start CPR while waiting for paramedics.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT remove an object stuck in the chest.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT give food or drink.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT lay the person flat if they struggle to breathe sitting up — support the position that helps most.
MYTH: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — You should pull out a knife or object stuck in the chest
REALITY: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — The object may be plugging bleeding. Removing it can cause catastrophic blood loss. Stabilize in place and seal around it.
DANGER: DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Fatal bleeding or lung collapse when object is removed.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Air may enter the chest through the wound and collapse a lung (tension pneumothorax). This can become fatal within minutes.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Blood at the wound may also mean injury to blood vessels or the heart lining.