Asthma
Asthma is a condition that affects the airways. Asthma sufferers’ airways become over-sensitive, meaning they react to things such as cold air and dust that would not normally cause a problem. This can result in the muscles around the wall of the airways to tighten up making it difficult to breath. Thankfully, this tightness can be relieved with the right inhaler. However if there is no inhaler present during an acute asthma attack, it could result in death. With Ireland having the fourth highest prevalence of asthma in the world, would your organisation be equipped if this unfortunate event occurred? Luckily, now your organisation can carry salbutamol inhalers to treat an asthma attack while also having trained first responders in the case of an emergency.[More…]
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes Mellitus is an auto-immune condition caused by a lack, or insufficiency of insulin being produced by the pancreas. When a person eats, the pancreas will automatically produce the correct amount of insulin to absorb the glucose. In those who are diabetic the pancreas will produce little or no insulin, or the body does not respond to the insulin being produced. This results in a build-up of glucose in the blood which overflows into the urine and passes out of the body, losing our body’s main source of fuel. Hypoglycaemia occurs when there is an abnormally low level of glucose in the body. This can result in seizures, and in some rare cases, the person going into a coma. A glucagon injection can be used to treat hypoglycaemia by telling the body to release more sugar into the bloodstream, therefore increasing sugar levels.[More…]
Angina
Angina occurs when there is a reduced supply of oxygen to the heart, resulting in chest pain, discomfort or tightness. Angina is not a disease itself but rather a symptom of coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease. The condition is classified by the pattern of attacks into stable, unstable and variant angina. Stable angina occurs when the heart is working harder than usual, for example during exercise. It can usually be predicted to occur over months and years, and can be treated with rest and medication. Unstable angina can occur during rest and is considered more rare and serious. This type of angina can signal a future heart attack within a short period of time- hours or weeks and is not relieved by rest or medication. Variant angina is rare and can occur at rest regardless whether the person has any underlying coronary artery disease. This type is usually brought on by spasms of the blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the heart. This type can be relieved by medication. Glyceryl Trinitrate is a spray used to relieve the symptoms of angina by widening and relaxing the blood vessels in the heart and in the rest of the body.[More…]
Anaphylaxis
An allergy is an exaggerated response of the immune system to what is known as an ‘allergen’; where otherwise there would be a normal response. Allergies exist in many different forms, for example, food allergies, skin allergies, dust allergies etc. Anaphylactic shock is a severe allergic reaction that involves the blood vessels leaking, bronchial tissues swelling and the blood pressure drops, causing the person to choke and collapse. Anaphylaxis should always be treated as a medical emergency, requiring immediate treatment. An epinephrine injection is the main treatment for anaphylactic shock. It rapidly reverses the unpleasant flushing and itching as well as the more life-threatening problems such as breathing and a dangerous drop in blood pressure that comes with this type of reaction.[More…]
Opioid Overdose
Opioids are psychoactive substances derived from the opium poppy, or their synthetic analogues. Examples are morphine and heroin. There are an estimated 15million people worldwide who suffer from an opioid dependency, and although we would usually associate this primarily with the use of illicitly cultivated and manufactured heroin, there is an increasing proportion use in prescription opioids such as tramadol or oxycodone. Due to their pharmacological effects, opioids in high doses can cause respiratory depression and death. The medication naloxone can completely reverse the effects of opioid overdose and prevent deaths due to opioid overdose.[More…]
BACK GROUND
