While we would like to believe that there will always be a trained medical professional on hand whenever there is an accident, the reality is that sometimes regular people have to step in and save the day. The First Aid Blanket is a Red Dot award winning concept developed at Zhejiang University to aid bystanders in the rescue of drowning victims. It is designed to be stored rolled up in a tube near places where drownings are likely to occur.

The blanket is a visual step-by-step guide to reviving someone who has been pulled from the water. An outline shows where to position the person on the blanket. The positioning is important because there is a fold-over flap that identifies the area on the victim’s chest where compressions should be performed.

Graphics on the blanket show the steps a rescuer should take when dealing with the emergency. There are written instructions as well, but the graphics are simple enough that they should be universally understood even by people who do not read English. The blanket instructs the rescuer to first call for help, then check for signs of life. If the victim displays no signs of life, the blanket walks the rescuer through the steps of clearing the airway, breathing, and performing compressions.

It should be noted that while hands-only CPR is now recommended by the American Red Cross for many emergencies, mouth-to-mouth CPR is still the best course of action for drowning victims. The blanket illustrates the procedures for performing compressions and mouth-to-mouth, and while the beats per minute instructions might be difficult to understand for a non-English reader, the general concepts are clearly laid out. That alone can buy the crucial time needed to get an ambulance on the scene.

The post Illustrated Life-Saver: Instructional First Aid Blanket first appeared on Gajitz.

Every second counts when someone is having a cardiac emergency. The time it takes for an ambulance to reach the patient can mean the difference between life and death. TU Delft graduate Alec Momont came up with a brilliant idea to avoid traffic when getting help to people who need it.

The Ambulance Drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle with an on-board defibrillator. According to Momont, the drone can travel at speeds of up to 60 MPH to reach anyone in a 4.6 mile radius from its starting point within just one minute.

In this scenario, survival rates for cardiac arrests could raise from a dismal eight percent (in the EU, according to the inventor) to 80 percent. The current high mortality rate can be mostly attributed to slow response times by emergency medical workers. The oxygen-deprived brain begins to experience permanent damage within four minutes, but emergency services take an average of 10 minutes to reach patients in need.

The three-armed, three-rotor drone design includes an automated external defibrillator (AED) secured within its body. When it arrives on scene, a bystander takes the equipment out to put it to work. The drone carries usage instructions which tell anyone on the scene how to use the equipment. Other versions of the drone could carry emergency medication or CPR aids.

Momont’s Ambulance Drone would carry a two-way video channel that would allow emergency responders to communicate with people on the scene. They could convey instructions, gather information, and assess the patient remotely.

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In the case of a medical emergency, prompt CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) can be the key to saving a life. The trouble is that most people only know of CPR what they’ve seen in movies and on TV, and that usually includes blowing air into the victim’s lungs. In most cases, though, the truly important action is keeping blood flowing through the body until medical help arrives.

The Cardio First Angel is a simple device placed over the victim’s sternum to help anyone perform vital CPR – even those completely unfamiliar with the process. The confidence that comes from using the device rather than relying on one’s memory of the method can shave vital seconds off of the time it takes to aid the victim.

Produced by Munich-based Cardio First Angel Group, the small device comes in a protective plastic case. In case of emergency, it is removed from the case and placed on the victim’s chest. A foam backing on the device helps keep the victim’s sternum from being damaged during CPR. A large red button on the top of the Cardio First Angel illustrates exactly where to place it and then how to use it.

As the button is depressed and pops back up, it makes a clicking sound which tells the operator that they are using enough force to make the device effective. The clicks also help the operator maintain the optimal pace of 100-120 compressions per minute until emergency services arrive to take over. In many cases, those crucial first few minutes of CPR can keep the victim’s blood circulating long enough to avoid permanent damage.

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