First Aid Mistakes

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The emergency room is the best place to go for first aid, but sometimes what you do before heading to the hospital can make all the difference. Here are some dos and don'ts of a home health emergency. 

Accident number one … you burn yourself in the kitchen.

"When we do see these accidents occurring, they're usually in clusters, especially around the holidays with festivities and cooking in the kitchen, thanksgiving and Christmas," Preeti Jois-Bilowich, M.D., an emergency physician at The University of Florida Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Fla., told Ivanhoe.

Should you apply ice, butter, or cover it up?  Doctors say none of the above. All of that could stick to the burn. Instead, wash and apply antibiotic ointment.

Accident number two … a soccer game leads to an ankle sprain. Doctors say don't use a heating pad, but do use ice.

Accident number three … nose bleeds. Don't lean back. That will cause the blood to trickle down your throat. Instead, lean forward and pinch your nose just below the nasal bone for five to ten minutes.

And accident number four … you knock out a tooth. Put the tooth in a glass of milk as soon as possible and go to the ER or dentist. There's a chance it can be reimplanted

Another tip … if someone is bleeding, don't use a tourniquete. It could cause permanent tissue damage. Instead apply steady pressure and wrap the wound securely.