What is the primary purpose of first aid?

The primary purpose of first aid is to provide immediate care for specific medical emergencies. First aid involves recognizing an emergency situation and acting promptly to provide initial care to an injured or ill person. This initial response can prevent the condition from worsening, reduce the risk of complications, and sometimes even save a life while waiting for professional medical assistance to arrive.

In contexts such as acute illness or injury, first aid aims to stabilize the patient's condition, provide comfort, and protect the person from further harm until more advanced medical care can be administered. This can include actions like applying pressure to a bleeding wound, performing CPR, or addressing choking.

While circulating oxygenated blood to the brain and heart is an important aspect of advanced medical treatment (like CPR), it is a part of the broader process of what first aid may include but does not represent the overall goal of first aid itself.