After the adrenaline injector has been used, monitor the patient’s condition for about 5 minutes. Their condition should improve within that time; if there aren’t any changes, administer a second shot of adrenaline.
If the patient isn’t breathing, doesn’t show any signs of movement, or doesn’t have a pulse (this can be checked by palpating the area below the right jaw of the patient), perform CPR immediately.
In case you don’t have any training, you can still conduct what is called hands-only or compression-only CPR.⁶
To do this, press hard on the patient’s chest (2-inch depth per compression) and aim for about 100 compressions every minute. Do this until the patient starts breathing again or until the emergency responders arrive.
If the patient has multiple allergy medications, make sure to use the adrenaline injector first. Then, once you see an improvement, you can follow up with other treatments (e.g., an inhaler).
It’s also a must to have the patient transferred to a hospital for observation, even if they responded well to the adrenaline shot. This is because another anaphylaxis attack may happen after the initial one. Usually, doctors will monitor the patient for 4 to 5 hours.
As previously mentioned, anaphylaxis can be life-threatening if not given immediate treatment. Thus, you need to be observant so you can do what is necessary. Take note of the details above so you can keep yourself, your loved ones, or even strangers safe in the event of anaphylactic shock.
Learn more about first aid here.
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