Smoke inhalation can lead to serious health consequences. In most house fires, people generally die of suffocation instead of burns.

Between 50 percent and 80 percent of deaths are due to smoke inhalation rather than burns.

Here, we will provide basic first aid tips that can allow you to help victims of smoke inhalation.

Helping Victims of Smoke Inhalation

Before offering basic first aid assistance to a victim of smoke inhalation, you need to assess the situation. Your first priority should be to get the victim to a safe place. Only when the person is taken to a safe location should basic first aid be provided.

You should then call 911 or the local health clinic immediately. Next, you should check breathing of the victim. In case the person is not breathing or is having difficulty in breathing, you should perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Online CPR and basic first aid training courses teach how to safely perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Before performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, you should put a barrier. This is important to avoid the risk of contracting an infection through the exchange of fluids.

Place a pillow behind the victims’ head if he or she is having difficulty in breathing. In addition, you should loosen the cloth around the neck and torso to ensure that the person breathes easily. You should also consider covering the victim with a blanket. If the floor is cold, you should put a blanket underneath.

Medical Assistance of Suffocation Victims

You must rush the victim to your nearest emergency health clinic. Emergency technicians administer oxygen mask to the victim. Oxygen is administered at a high rate to reduce carboxyhemoglobin levels in the blood.

In case of bronchospasm or a cough accompanied by wheezing, a bronchodilator is given to relax the muscles and increase ventilation. Medications can also be given to reduce the effects of poisonous gases in the blood. Antibiotics may be administered in case of a bacterial infection.

Importance of Getting Basic First Aid Training

The above basic first aid tips can help save the life of a victim of smoke inhalation. Make sure that you know the correct procedure for resuscitating the victim who is not breathing. You can get advanced information on mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by enrolling in a basic first aid and CPR online course. The training will allow you to know how to effectively perform resuscitation without exposing yourself to any risk.

With a first aid certification, you can know how to assist victims in different situations apart from smoke inhalation. You will learn about appropriate emergency protocols for different emergencies. Learning the skills will allow you to provide emergency medical assistance to victims. What’s more, it will improve your employability as employers value people with important lifesaving skills.