[科学报道] Learning First Aid: What to Do Until You Reach Medical Help

>> Download MP3 Audio

By Jerilyn Watson
2008-5-26

VOICE ONE:
This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Bob Doughty. This week, get ready for a short guide to first aid.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Doctors in hospital emergency rooms often see accidental poisonings. A frightened parent arrives with a child who swallowed a cleaning liquid. Or perhaps the harmful substance is a medicine. Or it might be a chemical product meant to kill insects. These are common causes of accidental poisoning.
In cases like this, seek medical help as soon as possible. Save the container of whatever caused the poisoning. And look on the container for information about anything that stops the effects of the poison.
Save anything expelled from the mouth of the victim. That way, doctors can examine it.
VOICE TWO:
In the past, some people forced poisoning victims to empty the stomach. They used a liquid, syrup of ipecac, to do this. But an organization of children's doctors no longer advises parents to keep syrup of ipecac. The American Academy of Pediatrics says some poisons can cause additional damage when they come back up the throat.
VOICE ONE:
Millions of people know a way to save a person who is choking on something trapped in the throat. The method is commonly known as the Heimlich Maneuver or abdominal thrusts.
The American Red Cross says a rescuer should first hit the person on the back five times between the shoulder bones. These back blows may ease the choking. If the airway is still blocked, the Red Cross suggests pushing hard five times along the victim's abdomen. The abdomen is the area between the chest and the hip bones.