Most people assume that a drowning person will splash, yell, and wave for help; and why wouldn’t they? That’s what we see on television. Without training, we are conditioned first to think of drowning as a violent struggle that is noisy... more
Most people assume that a drowning person will splash, yell, and wave for help; and why wouldn’t they? That’s what we see on television. Without training, we are conditioned first to think of drowning as a violent struggle that is noisy and physical. It is not. This is not to say that a person in the water that is shouting and waving is fine and doesn’t need assistance. They are in what is known as aquatic distress. They are not drowning, but realize they are in trouble and still have the mental capacity (and lung capacity) to call for help. Characteristics of the Instinctive Drowning Response: 1. Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physi- ologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary, or overlaid, function. Breathing must be fulfilled, before speech occurs. 2. Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the s...
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Otitis externa is one of the most common diseases in ORL practice, during summer; the treatment of otitis externa may be simple and easy or protracted and frustrating, also with fatal outcome. Many local factors may interfere with the... more
Otitis externa is one of the most common diseases in ORL practice, during summer; the treatment of otitis externa may be simple and easy or protracted and frustrating, also with fatal outcome. Many local factors may interfere with the normal defences against infections in the external auditory canal. Removing or dissolving the cerumen by water or other instruments eliminates an important barrier to infections: its acids inhibit the growth of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and fungi (Aspergillus). Also skin abrasions or irritation, allergic diseases and many systemic condition like anaemia, vitamin deficiency, endocrine disorders (diabetes) and various forms of dermatitis cause a lower resistance to infections in external auditory canal. Even if the prognosis remains benign in the majority of cases, important complications could appear like: malignant otitis externa, facial nerve paralysis, tympanic bone osteomyelitis, pericondrytis. Successful treatment depends on a proper diagnosis and therapy: the most important factor in the treatment is repeated debridement of the external auditory canal by the physician. The use of Castellani' Tintura rubra, hydroalcoholic solution of phenic fuchsin, can be very effective for bacteria and mycotic eradication. Culturing of ear canal infection could be performed on the second or third visit if the otitis externa is not responding to therapy. Complication are not frequent, but malignant otitis externa can be mortal. Dermatological consultation is often necessary for correct diagnosis.
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The purpose of this scientific review was to address the question of what evidence-based visual surveillance/scanning skills exist in the peer-reviewed scholarly literature. It is well known that lifeguards spend a majority of their... more
The purpose of this scientific review was to address the question of what evidence-based visual surveillance/scanning skills exist in the peer-reviewed scholarly literature. It is well known that lifeguards spend a majority of their on-duty time surveying bathers and swimmers in the water. Lifeguards need to quickly distinguish among swimmers in distress and drowning persons from other bathers in order to rapidly come to their aid to prevent drowning. To be able to accomplish this task, Signal Detection Theory reveals that lifeguards need specific and extensive training in identifying the behavioral patterns associated with drowning persons and swimmers in distress. A typical drowning is not what has been popularized in the press and movies that shows a person calling for help and waving his or her arms about. Instead, drowning victims usually demonstrate the instinctive drowning response in which they are in a vertical position in the water, unable to call out because the mouth is ...
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ABSTRACTObjective: The Advisory Council of the American Red Cross Disaster Services requested that an independent study determine whether first-aid providers without professional mental health training, when confronted with people who... more
ABSTRACTObjective: The Advisory Council of the American Red Cross Disaster Services requested that an independent study determine whether first-aid providers without professional mental health training, when confronted with people who have experienced a traumatic event, offer a “safe, effective and feasible intervention.”Methods: Standard databases were searched by an expert panel from 1990 to September 2010 using the keyword phrase “psychological first aid.” Documents were included if the process was referred to as care provided to victims, first responders, or volunteers and excluded if it was not associated with a disaster or mass casualty event, or was used after individual nondisaster traumas such as rape and murder. This search yielded 58 citations.Results: It was determined that adequate scientific evidence for psychological first aid is lacking but widely supported by expert opinion and rational conjecture. No controlled studies were found. There is insufficient evidence sup...