This free online course will teach you when and how to use emergency oxygen in any first-aid situation.

The cells and tissues in the body need a constant supply of oxygen to work properly. When a person isn't getting enough oxygen, organs of the body, especially the brain, heart and kidneys fail to function. Oxygen is an integral part of emergency treatment given to ill or injured patients and is considered a life-saving therapeutic agent. However, extreme care should be taken when administering oxygen to both conscious breathing or unconscious non-breathing casualties. Guidelines for oxygen administration states that oxygen should only be administered by staff who are trained and competent as oxygen overdose or saturation can be fatal. In this course, we will show you the importance of oxygen administration for a casualty and teach you the responsibilities of a first aider at the incident scene. You'll learn how and when to administer supplemental oxygen and how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) appropriately.

As a first aider, we will first teach you the importance of assessing any emergency situation as well as ensuring that there are no risks to yourself or the casualty. You'll learn how to recognise and respond to emergency situations that require the application of oxygen or oxygen resuscitation and perform CPR on an injured individual. We'll show you the different parts of oxygen-delivery equipment, how to assemble them and maintain the flow rate and pressure in casualties of different ages. You'll study the safe application of emergency oxygen to individuals having hypoxia, cardiac arrest or diving accidents like near-drowning or lung overexpansion injuries. Upon that, you'll explore the protocols to follow when dealing with COVID–19 patients. Oxygen is a life-saving drug and like all drugs, it too can cause harmful effects on the body if not used properly. You will learn to recognise the symptoms of oxygen poisoning, denitrogenation and hypoxic drive and ways to prevent it.

Next, we will introduce you to the different masks used for administering emergency oxygen to breathing and non-breathing individuals and show you how to use a CPR face mask and a Bag-valve mask (BVM) and their benefits. Upon that, you will discover how to use and store oxygen cylinders safely and securely and the precaution to take when travelling with oxygen. This course is suitable anyone and qualified first aiders, first responders, dental care professionals, nurses and healthcare professionals. Oxygen administration is considered a necessary training for security teams and special forces and for those involved with climbing, navigation and diving activities. Taking this course will help you gain a vital skill needed within emergency services and health care professions or supplement your existing first aid training. Anybody who wishes to specialize in first aid provision using specialised equipment can take this course. There are no formal entry requirements. So why wait? Enrol today.