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Universal
Precautions
And Personal Protective Equipment
“Universal Precautions” is a way to limit the
spread of disease by preventing contact with blood and certain
body fluids. Blood borne pathogens are viruses of bacteria
that are carried in blood and can cause disease in people.
There are many different blood borne pathogens. But Hepatitis
B (HBV) and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are the
two diseases commonly addressed by health and safety standards.
No cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis
B (HBV) or Hepatitis C (HCV) infection transmitted by mouth-to-mouth
ventilation have been documented.
The estimated risk for acquiring
HIV, HBV, or HCV Infection during basic life support is extremely
low, about one In one million There have been no reports of
Infection acquired during CPR framing Simple infection-control
measures, Including the use of banner devices, can reduce
the risk for acquisition of an Infectious disease during CPR
and CPR training To observe Universal Precautions means that
whether or not you think the patient's blood or body fluid
is Infected, you act as lf it is. The risk of getting disease
while giving BLS is extremely low Observing Universal Precautions
for patients of all ages will lower this risk.
Personal Protective Equipment
These are barriers between you
and the patient’s blood or body fluid. A simple but
effective barrier for skin-to-skin contact is created when
you wear protective gloves when caring for a wound or use
a bag-mask device when performing rescue breathing.
Disposable Gloves
Quickly inspect gloves before putting
them on. If a glove is damaged, don't use it! When taking
contaminated gloves off do it carefully. Don't snap them.
This may cause blood to splatter. Never wash or reuse disposable
gloves. If you find yourself in a first aid situation and
you don't have any standard personal protective equipment
handy, improvise. Use a towel, plastic bag, or some other
barrier to help avoid direct contact. Make sure there is always
a fresh supply of gloves in your emergency response kit.
Eye Protection
Any time there is a risk of splatter,
goggles or safety glasses with side protection should be used
to help protect your eyes.
Rescue Breathing Mask or
Face shield
Masks and face shields allow you to
perform rescue breathing without compromising your own health.
These devices are usually available for all ages and sizes.
They come with a replaceable one-way valve and or filters
to block contaminated fluids. All emergency response kits
should have at least one rescue breathing mask. Face shields
do not prevent contamination of the rescuer's side of the
shield. To reduce the risk of transmitting infection, professional
rescuers should use a face shield only as an emergency substitute
for mouth-to-mouth breathing, and should switch to a mask
or bag-mask device as soon as possible.
Bag-Mask
Devices
These devices are designed for use in various clinical and
emergency settings to provide oxygen and ventilation to a
Patient who is not breathing or is not breathing adequately.
When used with supplemental oxygen, the bag-mask device can
provide up to 100% oxygen on every squeeze and release of
the bag. Healthcare providers, first responders and Professional
rescuers should have these devices available in adult and
several pediatric sizes. Training is needed for safe and effective
use of the bag-mask device.
Prevention
To reduce the risk of Infection, you
should
Always wear personal protective equipment
in first aid situations.
Carefully remove gloves, clothing and other contaminated material.
Place them in appropriately labeled bags or containers.
Use an alcohol-based hand rub to clean
your hands and other exposed skin after providing first aid.
Compared with soap and water, alcohol based hand rubs are
more effective in reducing bacteria on hands and cause less
skin irritation. If an alcohol based hand rub is not available,
wash with soap and water.
Decontaminate all surfaces, equipment
and other contaminated objects as soon as possible. Clean
with a detergent nad rinse with water. Use a bleach solution
of one quarter cup (.06 liter) of household bleach per one
gallon (3.79 liters) of water to sanitize the surface. Spray
on the solution and leave it in place for at least 2 minutes
before wiping.
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