Contents
Transportation of the victim is “task number one” for any injuries or injuries. At the same time, the situation is complicated by the fact that with improper movement, the patient’s condition may worsen if transportation becomes an additional damaging factor.
Therefore, doctors insist that specialists should transport a person who has received serious injuries – and therefore it is best to call an ambulance.
However, there are situations when it is not possible to resort to the help of qualified doctors. In addition, in some cases, how quickly a person is taken out of the point where he was injured or wounded depends on his life: for example, if the victim is in a burning building, under the ruins, in a smoke zone, etc. In this situation, any suitable method is used to urgently transport the injured person to the nearest safe place. Sometimes at the same time, the comfort of the victim and the general rules for his transportation are neglected.
In addition, there is short-term transportation – in the event that a person needs to be moved a short distance, where he will be provided with professional assistance. In this situation, it is important to choose the most appropriate method so as not to cause additional discomfort to the patient and not provoke secondary injury.
Finally, the most difficult situation is when it is necessary to transport the victim over a considerable distance. Of course, specialists will best deal with this situation, and only if it is not possible to turn to them for help, it is necessary to carry out such a movement by the forces of others.
Preparation for transport and general rules
Before you move the victim, you need to carefully examine him to find out what injuries he received. First of all, one should be interested in the condition of the victim’s spine, his head and neck, abdomen, chest, pelvic region, and limbs. You should also make sure that the person is conscious. In the event that the victim is unconscious, the pulse and breathing should be checked.
Please note that in the event that the injuries sustained by the victim are severe, transportation should be carried out only if there is no hope of medical help at all. In such a situation, a person should be moved in the position in which he was originally located.
In all other cases, it is recommended to adhere to the following methods of transportation.
It is recommended that the unconscious, as well as victims with bouts of vomiting, burns or injuries to the back of the body, be moved in a stable position on their side.
In case of injuries of the neck, chest and fractures of the collarbone, the position of the transported sitting or half-sitting is preferable. In case of large blood loss or suspicion of internal bleeding, as well as injuries of the abdominal cavity, it is recommended to transport the victims in the supine position with raised legs.
In the “frog position”, lying on their back with legs slightly apart and a roller under the knees, they transport victims with injuries of the spine, spinal cord or suspected fracture of the pelvic bones.
During any transportation, it is important to monitor the condition of the victim. If it worsens, it is necessary to stop for resuscitation measures, such as artificial respiration “mouth to mouth”, “mouth to nose” or chest compressions. Resuscitation is carried out until the full restoration of breathing and pulse or the appearance of physicians.
Methods for transporting casualties
Despite the fact that mechanized methods of transporting victims are more gentle, the methods of carrying, which, as a rule, are practiced without the involvement of any auxiliary means, right on the hands, do not lose their relevance.
This kind of transportation over a short distance, for example, from the scene of an accident or injury to a safer place, is essential to protect the victim from the effects of external damaging factors and for the sake of his convenience. In some cases, short-term self-transportation (without the use of improvised means) is used to deliver the victim to a car, house or place where he can be given more thorough assistance.
The organization of manual (improvised) carrying is a rather complicated and responsible matter, requiring quick reaction from the rescuers of the victim. In order to choose the correct method of transferring the transported person, first of all, one should assess the severity of his injuries, in particular, make sure that his head and neck are not injured. To do this, it is necessary to carefully examine all its parts of the body: head, neck, chest, abdomen and check the limbs, which, in case of injuries, will have to be supported during manual transportation.
The division of victims into the following categories will help to choose the most correct way of carrying on hands:
- The lightly injured are those who can walk on their own or with minimal support.
- The victims of moderate severity are conscious, but cannot move independently. Transportation is possible in any position.
- Severe victims who can only be carried in a certain position. Most often they are carried in the position in which they are located. However, it should be remembered that when carrying victims with severe compressive injuries, their condition seriously deteriorates.
Taking into account the nature of the injuries, the possibilities available to the rescuer, the distance to which the victim must be transferred and the terrain, the most appropriate method of transportation by hand is selected.
Transportation of victims by one porter
First, let’s consider the most common ways to transport the victim, if there is only one rescuer next to him.
Accompanying the victim
In the absence of injuries to the chest and abdominal cavity, damage to the skull, as well as fractures of the lower extremities, the victim is able to overcome a short distance on his own.
In this case, in order for the victim to be able to stand on his feet, he must first be given a semi-sitting or sitting state. The role of the rescuer in this case is to kneel at his head, put his hands under the shoulders of the victim or, kneeling on his side, put his hands under his shoulder blades, head and neck, and help him up. Further, the victim will be able to move independently, only leaning on the hand of the accompanying person.
In more severe cases, after the victim is raised, the rescuer takes the hand from the uninjured side of the injured with one hand and leads him, holding the armpit on the same side with the other hand. There is another option: the victim throws his arm around the neck of his rescuer, who, in turn, helps him walk, supporting him by the waist or chest. To facilitate movement, you can give the victim a stick on which he can lean while walking with his free hand.
In the event that the victim is unconscious or very weak, the rescuer must arrange for him to be carried in the “hands in front”, “on the shoulder” and even dragging.
Carrying by hand
Rescuers often have to carry victims out of narrow passages, stairs and other confined spaces. In this case, special methods of moving the victims are used, in particular, carrying them out on their hands in a sitting position.
When carrying the victim in his arms in front of him, the rescuer must raise him. To do this, he, kneeling on the side of the victim, holds the latter behind his back with one hand, and places the other under his buttocks. Then he gets up. During the movement, the transported person can hold on to the shoulders of his porter.
This method of carrying requires constant and significant efforts on the part of the rescuer, creating a large load on a certain muscle group. Therefore, it cannot be used for long-distance transportation.
In cases of carrying over considerable distances, it is better to transfer the main efforts to the muscles of the body of the carrier. In this situation, the method of transferring the victim on the shoulder is more suitable.
Shoulder carry
In some cases, for example, if the victim is unconscious, this method of carrying, although it requires significant forces from the rescuer and reduces his view while moving, is the most acceptable. In particular, carrying on the shoulder is practiced in emergency cases, when there is nowhere to wait for help and there are no available means (straps or belts).
For its implementation, the rescuer requires confidence in his strength and a quick analysis of the nature and severity of the injuries of the victim. The rescuer puts the injured person on his right shoulder with his stomach down so that the head of the victim is on the back of the porter.
To do this, he uses the following algorithm of actions:
- Places the victim on some kind of elevation, such as a window sill or step.
- Grabs the victim’s right wrist with his left hand, then slips his right hand under his hips and straightens the victim’s right arm with his left hand.
- Substitutes his shoulders under the upper body of the transported.
- Moves the upper body of the victim forward so that its mass falls on the shoulders of the porter, while holding the victim’s wrist with his right hand.
- He straightens up, placing his left hand on his thigh.
For ease of carrying, the rescuer can put an impromptu pillow under his shoulder.
dragging
This method of transportation is relevant in the case when the victim, who cannot move independently, needs to be evacuated very quickly, for example, from the scene of a car accident. In such cases, the rescuer can drag him to a safer place, grabbing him under the armpits.
The positive aspects of this method include the lying position of the victim, in which the weight is distributed evenly, which allows you to quickly drag him alone, even if the rescuer does not have great strength.
A huge disadvantage of portage without the use of improvised means is shaking, which can greatly harm the condition of the injured. Therefore, this method of carrying is applicable only in extreme cases and for short distances.
Carry on back
It is recommended to carry the victim “on the back” (“on the backs”) in cases where he can stand on his own legs, but it is difficult for him to move. The porter places the victim on an elevated place and, turning his back to him, falls between his legs on one knee. The victim grabs the porter by the shoulders or belt, after which his rescuer gets up, supporting the transported person under the hips with his hands laid back.
The main load with this method of transportation falls on the back muscles of the rescuer, so that the victim can be carried over long distances, including over rough terrain. However, in the absence of available means, this method of carrying also requires the endurance and good physical condition of the porter. In addition, it is not suitable for transporting unconscious, weakened or fractured victims.
All of the above methods require great physical strength from the rescuer, and therefore their use is limited only to transporting victims over short distances.
Transportation of the victim by two porters
It is a little easier to transport victims with an assistant. Together, the victim can be carried both in a sitting and lying position. So, for the transportation of conscious victims who can move, a “lock” of 3 or 4 hands is practiced, and in an unconscious state, the “one after the other” method.
Carrying by way of “one by one”
This method of transporting the victim in a supine position is performed as follows: one of the porters takes the victim under the armpits, and the second, standing between the legs of the victim with his back to him, picks him up by the legs, just below the knees. This method is not suitable for victims with fractures of the limbs.
Another option for carrying the victim in a “one after the other” way in a half-sitting position is applicable in cases where the transported person is unconscious or his rescuers have every reason to transport the patient in a sitting position.
In such cases, the transfer algorithm is as follows. One of the rescuers needs to kneel at the head of the victim and, supporting him under his armpits, lift him to a sitting position, leaning his head and back against him. At this time, the second rescuer should take a place between the legs of the victim and grab his thighs under his armpits. In this position, the porters lift the victim for further transportation.
In cases where a patient who is unconscious is being transported, rescuers must ensure that his upper limbs do not hang down. Also, when transporting a victim with a skull injury, it is unacceptable that his head hang down or his chin be pressed to his chest, since such postures lead to a significant increase in congestion in the brain.
Due to the heavy load on the hands of the porters, carrying in two ways “one after the other” without the use of improvised means is also practiced over short distances.
Carrying on the “lock”
With this method of transportation, the hands of the porters form a kind of seat (“lock”). Depending on the number of people involved in carrying the victim, three types of “lock” are described. In one of them, two hands are connected into a “lock” – one from each porter. In the second “lock” three hands are involved – two of one and one of the other porter, and the third, most difficult version of the “castle” is performed in four hands.
For the transfer of victims with mild injuries, the most convenient to use is the third method of transportation on a “high chair” – a “lock” of four hands.
For its implementation, two porters are required, each of which fixes the right hand on his left wrist, and with his left grabs the right wrist of his partner. The result is a kind of “throne” on which the victim is transported. The victim sitting in such an impromptu chair even has the opportunity to hold onto the shoulders or neck of his rescuers with one or both hands.
Due to the comfortable position of the victim, this method of transportation has proven itself well over short distances, including when climbing stairs or when overcoming rough terrain. However, indispensable conditions for its successful implementation are approximately the same height of the porters and their excellent physical fitness. Among the disadvantages of this method, it is also worth noting the rapid fatigue of the hands (they sweat and slip) and the inconvenience when moving along a narrow path (porters can only walk sideways).
The “lock” of three hands is practiced in cases where, due to an injury or a state of weakness, the transported person needs support from the outside, since he cannot hold on to the rescuers’ neck. The algorithm for creating a seat for such a patient is as follows. The porter, who has less physical strength, fixes his right hand on his left forearm, and with his left grabs the right forearm of his partner. A more enduring porter fixes his right hand on the right forearm of his comrade, and with his free left hand he supports the person being transported behind his back.
In a two-handed “lock”, only the right and left hands of the rescuers are involved and they can move straight.
The victim is seated on the resulting seat, and each of the porters has the opportunity to support him with his free hand.
Conclusions
As emphasized earlier, when transporting victims in their arms, porters require good physical fitness, a quick assessment of the condition of the patient and the area through which he will be evacuated, as well as the ability to provide preliminary assistance before transfer. With any method of transportation on hand, its duration and quality depend on whether the method of transportation is chosen correctly. The use of improvised means, as well as the successful immobilization of the victim, can help in solving the problem of transportation. Of great importance is also the physical training of persons who are to carry the victim.