Where
Centre of the chest, heel of one hand, other hand on top, arms straight.
6
First aid
The chapter you hope nobody ever needs. Read it twice anyway, before anyone in the house is bleeding, because nobody reads well while someone is bleeding.
This is a cheat sheet, not training. Call 999 first; operators can talk you through CPR. Then book a real course with the Malaysian Red Crescent or St John Ambulance Malaysia. Two days, and you become the most useful person on your street.
The first 60 seconds
Same order every time, for every emergency. Panic hates a checklist.
- 1
Danger.
Is it safe for you? Traffic, fire, live wires, floodwater. A second casualty helps nobody.
- 2
Response.
Tap their shoulders and talk loudly: “Can you hear me?” Answering means breathing. Good start.
- 3
Send for help.
Call 999, or 112 from any mobile. Speaker on, phone on the floor, hands free.
- 4
Airway and breathing.
Tilt the head back, lift the chin, look and listen for up to 10 seconds. Occasional gasps don’t count as breathing.
- 5
CPR, then a defibrillator.
Not breathing normally? Start CPR. Send someone for an AED; malls, airports and many offices have one, and it talks you through every step.
CPR, the short version
How fast
100 to 120 pushes a minute. That’s the tempo of “Stayin’ Alive”, which is either very fitting or very dark.
How deep
5 to 6 cm for adults. Hard enough to scare you. Broken ribs heal; you’re keeping blood moving to the brain.
How long
Until help arrives, an AED tells you to stop, or they start breathing. Swap pushers every two minutes if you can.
Untrained? Hands-only CPR is fine for adults. Children and babies need gentler pushes and rescue breaths, which is exactly why the course is worth a weekend.
The big four
Severe bleeding
- Press hard on the wound with a cloth. Keep pressing.
- Soaked through? Add more on top. Don’t lift the first layer to check.
- Limb bleeding that won’t stop under pressure: a tourniquet 5 to 7 cm above the wound, tight. Write down the time.
- Call 999.
Choking
- Can they cough? Let them cough.
- Can’t cough or speak: lean them forward, 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades.
- Then 5 abdominal thrusts: fist above the belly button, pull in and up.
- Repeat. Call 999 if it doesn’t clear. Babies get back blows and chest thrusts, never abdominal thrusts.
Burns
- Cool running water for 20 minutes. Yes, twenty. Set a timer.
- Take off rings and watches before it swells.
- Cover loosely with cling film or a clean plastic bag.
- Face, hands, groin, or larger than their palm: hospital.
Toothpaste, butter, kicap and ice all make burns worse. Your grandmother meant well.
Heatstroke
- Confused, hot skin, collapsed, maybe stopped sweating: call 999.
- Shade or aircon, now.
- Cool fast: soak with water and fan hard, ice packs on the neck, armpits and groin.
- Sips of water only if they’re fully alert.
Tropical specials
The Malaysian edition. Most first-aid books were written somewhere colder.
| Problem | Do | Don’t |
|---|---|---|
| Snakebite | Keep them still and calm. Splint the limb, remove rings, get to hospital fast. A photo of the snake helps, from a safe distance. | Cut, suck, tourniquet, ice, or try to catch it. Movie first aid kills. |
| Dengue | Fluids, rest, paracetamol only. See a doctor and get a blood test. Watch hardest as the fever drops: belly pain, repeated vomiting, bleeding gums, drowsiness. That’s hospital, now. | Ibuprofen or aspirin. They raise bleeding risk. |
| Dog, cat or monkey bite | Wash with soap and running water for 15 minutes. See a doctor the same day about rabies, especially in Sarawak. | Wait and see. Rabies is preventable before symptoms start, and almost always fatal after. |
| Hornet or bee sting | Scrape out the stinger, cold compress. Swelling face or throat, or trouble breathing: 999, and their adrenaline pen if they carry one. | Squeeze the stinger with your fingers. |
| Jellyfish | Out of the water, douse with vinegar for at least 30 seconds, then hot water if you have it. Trouble breathing: 999. | Rub it, rinse with fresh water, or try the urine myth. |
| Diarrhoea and dehydration | ORS, small sips, often. In kids, watch for no wee in 6 to 8 hours, sunken eyes or floppiness: clinic. | Plain water alone for big losses, or sugary drinks. |
| Cuts after a flood | Clean with clean water, cover, check for redness, swelling or fever over the next days. Check everyone’s tetanus booster is under 10 years old. | Ignore a small wound from floodwater. They get infected enthusiastically. |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Spot it fast
Stroke: think FAST
Face drooping, Arm weak, Speech slurred, Time to call 999. Note when it started; the hospital will ask.
Heart attack
Chest pain or pressure, often spreading to the arm, jaw or back, with sweating or breathlessness. Sit them down, call 999, and ask the operator about aspirin.
Seizure
Clear the space, cushion the head, time it. Nothing in the mouth, don’t hold them down. Over 5 minutes, or a first ever seizure: 999.
Shock
Pale, clammy, fast pulse, confused after an injury. Lay them down, raise the legs if it doesn’t hurt, keep warm, nothing to eat or drink.
Myth, meet fact
MYTH Tilt the head back for a nosebleed.
FACT Lean forward and pinch the soft part of the nose for 10 to 15 minutes. Back means swallowing blood.
MYTH Put something in their mouth during a seizure.
FACT Nobody swallows their tongue. They can break teeth on your spoon, though.
MYTH Minyak angin fixes it.
FACT It fixes the smell of the room. That’s about it.
The medic’s pouch
What the family medic grabs on the way out. The big house kit lives in chapter 2.