Important Information
What should you really do when someone tumbles down a flight a stairs?
Tumbling down a flight of stairs can be very painful and even a fatal experience. In fact, news reports suggest more than 1000 people die from stair falls each year.
Patient Care; Falls
Step treads are declining in nature so a casualty's head can hit onto the higher steps making it easier to sustain serious injuries such as;
- Bruising and fractures of the arms and legs
- Injuries to the hip and the pelvic bones
- Head and facial injuries
- Neck and Spinal injuries, including lower spine
- Internal injuries
Call the ambulance immediately if someone falls.
- Prevent overcrowding around the casualty; Make space so that he or she can breathe better
- Do not move the casualty unless there are life-threatening hazards; He or she may have suffered a neck or spinal injury from the fall
- If the casualty tries to get up or bystanders try to make him sit or stand, advise the casualty to remain in a lying position
- Tell the casualty not to move his or her head; Place two objects, like bags or cushion, on both sides of the head to keep it in that position
- Examine the limbs and hips for fractures. If possible, splint up the fractures so that the paramedics do not waste time when they arrive
- Continue to monitor the casualty; If at any time the casualty stops breathing, begin CPR
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