• • • • • •

Useful for

• Marshalling at open / club races
• Club runs
• Spin classes
• Everyday life

• • • • • •

Bystander first aid & the law. Liability?

• “Although there have been a few cases in the United Kingdom where a claim has been brought against a ‘rescuer’, there have been no reported cases where a victim has successfully sued someone who came to his aid in an emergency”
• You are judged against standard expected for your level of expertise / training

• • • • • •

Prevention

• Helmet
• Mentoring by experienced cyclist Anticipate stupidity
• Equipment
• LIGHTS

General care of casualty

• Personal safety
• Get help
• Keep warm
• Prevent getting back on bike until sensible
• Fluids, sugars
• Information (Allergies, meds, illnesses)
• Prevent secondary injury

• • • • • •

Common Injuries

• Road rash
• Sprains / soft tissue injury
• Head
• Clavicle / shoulder
• Hand (scaphoid)

 Simple Pain Relief

• Buy cheapest versions!
• Paracetamol 1g (2 tablets) 6 hourly

And

• Ibuprofen 200mg-400mg 6 hourly

OR

• Diclofenac 50mg 8hourly

• • • • • •

Don’t

• Overdose on paracetamol (read the packet!)

• Use a friend’s prescription meds

• Take stronger painkillers unless necessary

• • • • • •

Road Rash

• Common

• Painful

• Risk of infection / scarring

• Can distract from deeper injury

• • • • •

Treatment

• Gentle flush with saline / water
• Antiseptic cream
• Cover with dry dressing if possible
• No steroid / anti-inflammatory cream or gel
• A&E if extensive

• • • • • •

General treatment

• Rest
• Ice (frozen peas in tea towel)
• Compression (gentle)
• Elevation

• • • • •

Is it frectured dactor?

• Severe pain
• Deformity
• Crepitus (crunching)
• Loss of movement / abnormal movement
• Persistent swelling / bruising?

• • • • • •

Head injuries

• Most common cause of fatal injury (70%)
• Often associated with neck injury
• Concussion
• Helmet protects to some degree

Serious accidents

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents reports that –

• Around 75% of fatal or serious cyclist accidents occur in urban areas
• Around half of cyclist fatalities occur on rural roads
• 75% happen at, or near, a road junction
• 80% occur in daylight
• 80% of cyclist casualties are male
• Almost one quarter of the cyclists killed or injured are children
• Around three quarters of cyclists killed have major head injuries

Head injury

• Severe head injury often fatal despite treatment
• Concussion is increasingly recognised in other sports
• Some simple principles to prevent complications
  • Avoid worsening unstable neck injury
  • Recognise tongue blocking throat (airway)

• • • • • •

Tongue Blocking Airway

• • • • • •

Fractured clavicle

• Collarbone, connects breastbone to shoulder
• Protects upper lungs and blood vessels
• Very common with direct fall or fall onto outstretched hand
• Pain & deformity
• Shoulder and clavicle injuries look similar, immediate treatment is the same

Treatment

• Icepack
• Sling
• Xray
• Surgery?

• • • • • •

Scaphoid Fracture

• Fall on outstretched hand
• Often doesn’t show on initial X-ray
• Persistent pain suggests problem
• Short arm plaster
• Repeat X-ray / CT

• • • • • •

Cycling and other illnesses

• Viral illnesses
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Angina / heart trouble

• • • • • •

Viral illnesses

• Generally avoid cycling if chest symptoms
• Heart rate

• • • • •

Diabetes

• Common in cyclists
• Hypoglycaemia is main risk
• Often carry testing kit
• Presents with confusion etc
• If in doubt – give sugar

• • • • • •

Heart problems

• Angina / myocardial infarction
• Fast irregular heart rate (AF)
• Often presents with nausea, “indigestion”, breathlessness or dizziness
• Do not allow to continue cycling
• Sit down, elevate legs, get help

• • • • • •

Asthma

• Very common
• Usually will carry inhalers
• Use blue inhaler for wheezy attack

First aid cover for Ards CC

• Open races – St John’s
• Town centre races – rely on proximity of Ards ambulance station
• Club races / TTs – NIAS for backup
• First aid rota
• Cycling Ireland has guidance in the annual handbook and on their website.

• • • • • •

Basic life support

• More likely to be of use outside cycling
• Should be taught to all
• Compression only CPR?
• Many useful online resources & Apps

Out of hospital cardiac arrest

• 80% occur at home
• Most common cause is heart attack
• Survival likely to be much higher with immediate bystander CPR until arrival of trained assistance (or defibrillator)
• Only 43% bystander CPR in UK

• • • • • •

Cardio Pulmonary 
 Resuscitation (CPR)

• • • • • •

CPR

• Depress hands 5-6cm
• Ideal rate is 100-120 compressions per minute
• 2 rescue breaths every 30 compressions if able & willing
• Send for AED if possible
• Continue until help arrives / signs of life

Mouth to mouth

• Better chance of survival with mouth to mouth in addition to chest compressions
• Many will not perform on strangers
• Chest compressions much better than nothing
• Pocket masks

Hand Position – Adult

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs)

• Present in many public places
• Main chance of survival in cardiac arrest is delivering early shock for ventricular fibrillation (VF)
• Turn on
• Apply pads
• Follow instructions

• • • • • •

Further resources

• St Johns Ambulance (web & free app)
• British heart foundation

• • • • •

Formal first aid training

• Mainly “first aid for the workplace”
• Some aimed at sport
• Group discount
• Certificate, need to renew
• Liability?

• • • • • •

Thanks!