Treat Falls

Important Information

What should you really do when someone tumbles down a flight a stairs?

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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.

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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;

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• 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

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Call the ambulance immediately if someone falls.

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• 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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