Doctor Oz did a segment on what to do if your loved one has an accident where trauma occurs… would you know what to do? The first hour after trauma occurs is called the Golden Hour, and it can highly effect the outcome of the accident to your loved one. Dr. Oz was joined by Dr. Zachary Lutsky, Miami Medical’s real medical consultant. Dr. Lutsky said that the Golden Hour was researched in battle fields during war time, but was not actually promoted until the 1970’s. After trauma, what happens in the following 60 minutes is critical in determining what will happen to the patient, which is what the television show Miami Medical is based on.
Lets pretend that you go outside and see that your loved one has fallen off of a ladder, what should you do and not do? Here are Dr. Oz’s Golden Hour Steps!
Dr. Oz’s Golden Hour Steps to Treat Trauma Accidents
1. Call 911 & Check for Breathing
The first thing you should do is call 911. Then check for breathing (look, listen and feel for breathe). If the breathing sounds loud or like the person is struggling, then you need to help the person. In trauma accidents, the patient can get swelling, debris or blood in their airway. In a CPR class they would say to tip the chin up, but you should not do this in trauma situations because the person could have broke their neck. Instead, do a Jaw Thrust Maneuver, where you put your fingers behind their mandible jaw bone and push forward. You may also need to breathe for the patient, but if they have dirt or blood on their face, then you should use a CPR Pocket Mask
2. Control Bleeding
You need to keep an eye on circulation and control bleeding, because there is a big risk for hemorrhaging. You should give firm pressure to anywhere the patient is bleeding by wrapping with something like a clean dish towel, and apply direct pressure by tightening the towel over the area with a belt or neck tie. Dr. Oz said to make sure to put the tie or belt on the bleeding, not above the area that is bleeding. And do not check to see if its working or it will start to bleed again. Also, try to elevate the arm that is bleeding to stop the blood flow.
3. Spinal Immobilization
In this example, the patient fell off of a ladder, so you should assume there is a back or neck injury. You want to hold the person’s head in place until the paramedics arrive, because if she panics and starts to move, she could paralyze herself. One easy thing to do at home is to put a bag of flour and a bag of sugar on either side of the person’s head, and place a piece of tape around the bags and across their forehead to keep them from moving. Make sure not to move the victim!
Ann Hasted says
did you know 98% of People Cannot Provide The Accurate Medical Information
Needed By First Responders To Provide The Best Care Possible! ZLicense helps Police to quickly reach a person’s contacts with information! ZLicense increases the amount of immediate medical services EMTs can provide for people! Doctors need correct accurate information to provide the best care! ZLicense can save lives! It’s so important to set up an emergency file for you and your family. It’s not a
matter of if you will ever need the information you store in your ZLicense file,
it’s a matter of when you will need the information maintained in your file.