Marine First Aid Level 4 (VTQ)
Course Content
- Course Introduction
- Human anatomy and physiology for immediate emergency care
- Safety and Calling for Help
- What3Words - location app
- Marine band radios
- Marine VHF Radios
- Common Coastal Water Dangers
- Common Fresh Water Marine Dangers
- Emergency Flares
- LED Flares
- The Coastguard
- The Air Ambulance
- Personal Location Beacons
- Accident Prevention
- Boat Safety
- Calling for help
- Water safety tubes
- Types of Blankets
- Emergency response for hybrid and electric boats
- First Aid and Safety Equipment\
- Initial Assessment and Care
- Basic airway management in emergency care
- CPR
- AED
- Administration of oxygen therapy
- Drowning
- Choking
- Shock
- Bleeding
- Catastrophic Injury
- Injuries
- Hypothermia
- Illness
- FIrst Responder - Management of injuries
- Prioritising first aid
- Pelvic Injuries
- Spinal Injuries
- Rapid Extrication
- SAM Pelvic Sling
- Box Splints
- Spinal Injury
- Stabilising the spine
- Spinal Recovery Position
- Introduction to Spinal Boards
- The spinal board
- Using the Spinal Board
- The Scoop Stretcher
- Using the scoop stretcher
- Cervical collars
- Vertical C-Spine Immobilisation
- Joint examination
- Adult fractures
- Types of fracture
- First Responder - Management of trauma
- Elevated Slings
- Lower limb immobilisation
- Elevation Techniques
- Helmet Removal
- Different Types of Helmets
- The Carry Chair
- Applying Plasters
- Strains and Sprains and the RICE procedure
- Eye Injuries
- Electrical Injuries
- Foreign objects in the eye, ears or nose
- Nose bleeds
- Bites and stings
- Chest Injuries
- Foxseal chest seals
- Abdominal Injuries
- Treating Snake Bites
- Types of head injury and consciousness
- Dislocated Shoulders and Joints
- Other Types of Injury
- Dental Injuries
- First Responder - Management of medical conditions
- Asthma
- Asthma Spacers
- When an Asthma inhaler is not available
- Accuhaler®
- Heart Attack
- Warning signs of cardiac arrest and heart attack
- Heart Attack Position
- Aspirin and the Aspod
- Stable angina
- Hypertension
- Pulse Oximetry
- Epilepsy
- Epilepsy treatment
- Meningitis
- Diabetes
- Blood Sugar Testing
- Poisons and Food Poisoning
- Shock
- Near and secondary drowning
- Cold water shock
- Allergic Reactions and Anaphylaxis
- Course Summary
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Get StartedRespiratory Injuries Part One
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So now we are going to have a look at the respiratory system. We will start at the very, very top and work our way down into the lungs themselves. We start off with the nasopharynx and the oropharynx, or the nose and mouth. Problems that occur with the nose and mouth: False teeth, milk teeth, people who have bitten the tongue, blood, fluids, polyps in the nasal cavities. This type of stuff all can create problems with the airway upper. Also, we can get swelling, burns, heat. People that have been caught in house fires, in confined spaces inhale hot gases and they swell the soft tissues of the nasal cavities and the oral cavities. We can also get the same problem with anaphylaxis, where the soft tissues around the face, the mouth, and the throat swell up due to an allergic reaction.The biggest killer with most casualties across the UK in trauma tends to be the tongue. So at the back of the throat, we then have the tongue situated. We talk about two or three different ways of opening an airway, and those airway-opening techniques are all designed to remove the tongue from the back of the throat. The classic head tilt/chin lift puts traction on the back of the throat, lifts the tongue forward, and allows air to pass. But then we also have, with spinal injuries, the jaw thrust, which allows us to do exactly the same manoeuvre without tilting the head and potentially risking severing the spinal column.Once we go down, then we come to the trachea and the oesophagus. The oesophagus itself is where the food goes, the trachea is where the air goes. Those two pipes are very closely connected. And between the two pipes, basically, there is a thin membrane. Each part of the airway itself has a little cartilage in there, a C-shaped cartilage in the trachea, to keep the trachea open because the only way you breathe is by creating a vacuum. The chest has to expand, the diaphragm falls, creating an enlargement to the cavity of the chest. That creates the vacuum, and air then rushes in, down the trachea, into the lungs, filling the lungs with oxygen. Then passively we relax, the muscles relax, the rib cage goes back, the diaphragm lifts again back into its normal position, and the air is expelled from the chest. So the cartilages are there to keep the airway open. Because when you create a vacuum, the pipe would go flat without the cartilages. And the thin membrane between the trachea and the oesophagus are there to allow food to pass down the oesophagus when you eat something that's slightly too large, which is why you feel it go past every single cartilage in the trachea. As you swallow, you feel it pass past every one of the cartilages, which is why it is uncomfortable until it drops into your stomach.The biggest problem with the upper airway, not only is infection and swelling, but also fluids. Stomach contents, vomit, blood. Anything at all that blocks that airway must be removed or toileted or cleaned. Because unless that airway has a clear flow, a clear passage, a clear pipe, air will not get into the lungs. If we are not careful with our airway management, stomach contents, especially when the patient lies on their back and either regurgitates or vomits, fluid comes from the stomach. That fluid is a high concentration of acid. That acid then gets re-inhaled into the lungs, and we create a condition called aspirational pneumonia.Aspirational pneumonia will kill your patient two or three days down the line when the lung tissue gets dissolved by the acid, infection takes place, and we end up with aspirational pneumonia, which on most occasions tends to be fatal. So we need to keep the lungs clear, we need to keep the airway clear so oxygen passage isn't reduced or restricted or held back in any way shape or form. We only want clean air in that environment. And we've also got to remember that the air we breathe needs to be full of oxygen. So if we're working, or thinking about working in an environment which is low in oxygen content, we need to either supplement that with oxygen masks, with bag and masks, with airway manoeuvres, with OP or oral airways, nasal airways, and oxygen itself. We need to supplement those oxygen levels, and the only way we can do it is either clear clean air or oxygen supplementation.
Exploring the Respiratory System
This guide delves into the structure and function of the respiratory system, highlighting common problems and effective airway management techniques, crucial for maintaining respiratory health.
Upper Airway Anatomy and Challenges
Understanding the upper respiratory system, including the nasopharynx and oropharynx, and challenges such as obstructions from foreign objects, swelling, or anaphylaxis.
Common Airway Obstructions
Potential obstructions in the airway include:
- False teeth or milk teeth.
- Swelling due to burns, heat, or allergic reactions.
- Obstructions like polyps in the nasal cavities.
Airway-Opening Techniques
Techniques to open the airway, crucial for breathing:
- Head tilt/chin lift and jaw thrust maneuvers.
- Methods to lift the tongue and clear the throat.
Understanding the Trachea and Oesophagus
The role of the trachea and oesophagus in breathing and eating, including their structure and the importance of cartilage.
Respiratory Mechanics
The process of breathing involves:
- Chest expansion and diaphragm movement creating a vacuum.
- Inhalation of air into the lungs and subsequent exhalation.
Preventing Aspirational Pneumonia
Importance of keeping the airway clear from fluids like vomit and blood to prevent conditions like aspirational pneumonia.
Oxygen Supplementation
In low oxygen environments, supplementation methods such as oxygen masks, airway devices, and supplemental oxygen are necessary.