Ms Thao Nguyen (HCMC) shared about a burn incidents that could have been less severe if someone in her Dubai tour knew first aid.
This is a question that many people ask me, as well as the common responses: “the best thing to do is call an ambulance” or “it’s best to wait for the doctor.” However, there are many cases where the ambulance arrives too late, and the victim’s condition is already critical or beyond saving. When a person stops breathing, they only have 4 minutes before brain death (irreversible), and 8 minutes before cardiac arrest. No ambulance can arrive in time during those critical moments. However, if we have some knowledge to support the victim, we can prolong their life while waiting for the ambulance.
For example, last year my whole family went to Dubai, and unfortunately, just before going to the airport, my father suffered severe alcohol burns on his hands and feet (2/3 degree burns). The hotel staff and everyone around panicked, not knowing what to do. In the end, they applied toothpaste on the burns and wrapped them to buy time until we reached the airport. When we arrived at the airport, we sought medical assistance, and when they removed the bandages, the toothpaste and medical gauze had stuck to the flesh, making it difficult to remove. As a result, my father lost a significant amount of skin and experienced prolonged pain, taking a long time to recover. If someone in the group or I had some basic first aid knowledge, the situation would not have escalated to such a critical condition. n the past, whenever I had scrapes or cuts, I would apply iodine and gauze. Every time I changed the bandage, it would stick to the wound, causing delayed healing and leaving scars. However, if I didn’t apply anything, the wounds would heal quickly and never leave scars. Or perhaps you have heard of someone who was normally healthy but died from a stroke. In reality, if someone with first aid knowledge were present while waiting for an ambulance, the victims might have had a chance to survive!
My younger brother works part-time as a First Aid/CPR instructor in the U.S., teaching many students there. However, in Vietnam, people don’t pay much attention to this issue.
Before attending the course by Survival Skills Vietnam-SSVN, I never thought that the basic first aid knowledge I had been taught throughout my life could be so wrong. I learned first aid to be able to help primarily my loved ones and then others. Even in simple situations, when encountering an injured person, that someone doesn’t know first aid moving the victim’s body can unintentionally make their condition worse. Thanks to SSVN and CEO Ho Thai Binh for providing this valuable knowledge. SSVN organizes many free sessions for the community. If anyone is interested, you can visit SSVN’s Facebook for more information.
Source: Thao Nguyen
