Contents
First Aid Basics
The First Aid Kit
What to Do During an Emergency
CPR
Respiratory Problems
Anaphylactic Shock
Bleeding
Heat and Cold Ailments
Head, Neck, and Spinal Injuries
Skeletal Injuries
Burns
Poisoning
Bites and Stings
Emergency Medical Issues
Learn more with these titles from Barnes & Noble
|
 |
 |
 |
|
CPR
CPR, short for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is a technique that keeps blood and oxygen flowing through the body of a person who isn’t breathing and whose heart has stopped. Immediate CPR applied until medical help arrives doubles a victim’s chances of survival.
Rescue Breathing
If the victim is not breathing, it’s crucial to get air into his body by giving rescue breaths. Rescue breaths can be given through a face shield or mask, or directly mouth-to-mouth. The steps for delivering rescue breaths are:
- Head tilt: Use a head tilt to make sure the victim’s airway is open (see Assess the Victim).
-
Form a seal: If using a face shield or mask, place it over the victim’s face, holding the edges of the shield snugly against the face with the fingers of both hands to make a tight seal. If providing direct mouth-to-mouth, place your mouth over the victim’s mouth to make a seal. Pinch closed the nose, using the hand that’s tilting the victim’s head back.
- Give two rescue breaths: Take a normal breath, then give a one-second-long rescue breath. Repeat. Watch for the victim’s chest to rise with each rescue breath.
- If the chest does not rise: The breath may not be getting through the airway. Re-tilt the head and give two more rescue breaths. If the breaths still aren’t going in, give care for choking.
- If the victim begins breathing: Put him in the recovery position and wait for medical help.
- If the victim does not begin breathing: Begin chest compressions (see below).
Rescue Breaths on Infants
Rescue breathing for infants is identical to that for adults, except that you should form a seal over both nose and mouth with your mouth.
Chest Compressions
Chest compressions circulate blood through the victim’s body until the heart begins to beat on its own. Chest compressions for adults and children are performed differently from those for infants.
Chest Compressions for Adults and Children
- Place the heel of one hand in the center of the victim’s chest, on the sternum (breastbone). Place the heel of your other hand on top of the first hand. Interlock your fingers and lift them up, but keep the heel of the hand against the victim’s chest. Make sure the heel of your hand is on the middle of the victim’s sternum, not on the bottom end, which is fragile and may break off.
- With your body directly over the victim and elbows straight, push down firmly. Compress the chest about 1 1/2–2". Allow the chest to return to the normal position between compressions but always keep your hands in contact
with the victim’s chest.
Give compressions at a rate of about 100 per minute—about one and a half compressions per second.
Chest Compressions for Infants
To give chest compressions to an infant, place your middle and index fingers slightly below the nipple line at the center of the chest. Push the chest in about 1/2–3/4".
Cycles of CPR
After the two initial rescue breaths, CPR should be given in cycles—30 chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths. Two full cycles of CPR would be:
- First cycle: 30 compressions, 2 breaths
- Second cycle: 30 compressions, 2 breaths
Continue giving cycles of breathing and compression until the victim has started to breathe on his own or until medical help has arrived. If the victim starts breathing at any time, put him in the recovery position and wait for medical help.
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a machine that can deliver an electric charge, or defibrillation, that for certain types of cardiac arrest can “shock” the heart back into normal rhythm. Used in combination with CPR, AEDs greatly increase survival rates.
AEDs can be dangerous to you and to the victim if used incorrectly. They should be used only by people who have received the proper training. Most Red Cross and American Heart Association chapters offer AED training.
| Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
