Author Topic: Cycling first aid  (Read 1877 times)

in4

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Cycling first aid
« on: November 19, 2012, 06:22:46 PM »
I found this interesting link to an article about first aid for cyclist. There is also a link to a downloadable Powerpoint presentation.

I thought it was rather useful and given its provenance and the fact its peer reviewed I guess it can be regarded as credible.

Just scroll down to the words First Aid.
http://www.rsf.org.uk/

PS This really is well worth watching a few times.

« Last Edit: November 19, 2012, 08:38:21 PM by in4 »

Danneaux

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Re: Cycling first aid
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2012, 09:17:41 PM »
Oh, very nicely found, Ian; well done!

I enjoyed the presentation -- especially the velodrome splinter and the worst injury of all, shown just in closing (I have taken steps to avoid this, as you might have guessed, being bald as an egg up top...) :D.

All kidding aside, the presentation appears sound, and squares with my training and experience from leading tour groups in the past. It seems the field-medical stuff always falls me...possibly 'cos I'm the only one prepared for it! I take a variety of first aid kits for the minor stuff, but this presentation shows well that for the Big Stuff, about all you can do us make sure of the basics till proper help arrives, else one can easily do more harm than good. Look after self and then the patient, keeping them alive and to prevent worsening; next to that, the other stuff is more minor, painful though it might be.

Here in the States, chest heart compressions (CPR without the P) seems to be replacing the more traditional form so long as the airway is truly clear. It surely is easier for laypeople to grasp, and the results seem to be as good or better than previously. It also gets past the "ick" factor that is a sad but unfortunately realistic barrier to public willingness to offer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and also gets 'round the problem of orally-transmissible diseases.

As for daily riding, I carry a small but well-stocked first aid kit, building in the case of a commercial one and augmenting the supplies as needed. I've also included some antihistamines in the event of irritating plant exposure (poison ivy, oak, sumac) as well as for bee stings and some antacids and an anti-diarrhoeal as well to handle the occasional discomfort of what I call "light-bulb food" -- stuff that has been warming under a heat lamp for the last um, day? Two? Sometimes three -- in the display case at a rural market.

Longer rides get More Stuff (contents) and More Comprehensive Stuff, primarily 'cos I'm so often away from sources of supply and resupply, and 'cos if something happens, I don't have Home a day's ride away to clean things up. I try to keep enough on board so if I get really road-rashed, I can change the weepy dressings for a week or so till I can get somewhere for More Stuff. One very happy addition in recent years has been a clotting agent, which does wonders in controlling big surface bleeding and promoting scab formation. At USD$8 or so to be replaced annually, it is well worth including. A bottle of alcohol gel hand sanitizer (emergency fire starter!) and some nitrile gloves always go in the kit as well. For a time, when traveling with groups, I carried a small artificial airway. Not much good when by myself.

While on-tour, I really take the Little Things seriously and go right to town on small cuts and splinters and such. It seems they are far more likely to fester and become Big Problems when one is tired, worn down, or exposing the injured area to continual dust and dirt. Yes, it is a few moments' bother at the time, but who wants a Little Thing to Grow and become a Tour Stopper? I've seen it happen far too often to others who were "tough enough" to not be bothered until it got 'em in the end.

All the best,

Dan. (First Aid, yes, but what about Second Aid? Ah! That's the antibiotics and after-care!)