Cardiac Arrest can be caused by heart attack, drowning, electric shock and other problems that cause a person’s heart to stop beating.
ADULT C.P.R.:
Should be performed on anyone that is 8 years of age or older. The basic steps of Adult C.P.R. are:
1. Make sure that the scene is safe for you and the victim.
2. Check if the victim will respond before starting C.P.R. Kneel at the victim’s side, tap him/her and shout “Are you OK?”
3. If no response – immediately phone 911 or delegate a bystander to do call 911.
4. Open the victim’s airway – place your palm of one hand on the person’s forehead, place 2 fingers of the other hand under the chin and rock the head back. Bend down near the patient’s face and Look at the chest for shallow breathing, Listen for breath sounds, and Feel for air movement against your cheek.
5. Give 2 rescue breaths:
a. Hold the airway open by tilting the head back and lifting the chin up with 2 fingers
b. Pinch the nose
c. Using CPR face shield, cover the victim’s mouth with your mouth and blow in a breath lasting 2 seconds. Watch for good chest rise. Take another breath and blow in another breath to the victim, again watching for good chest rise. Then evaluate the patient “are they breathing, moving or coughing? (Only medical personnel need to check for a pulse). If not…..
6. Start Compressions:
• Make sure the victim is lying flat on his/her back on a hard and flat surface (not a bed or couch). Expose the chest by removing or cutting clothing away.
• Place the heel of one hand on the center of the victim’s chest directly between the nipples. Place your second hand over top the other hand and lace your fingers.
• Push down on the chest 1 ½ inches to 2 inches. Push hard and fast 30 times, allowing the chest to come back to its normal position between compressions. Count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 – up to 30 compressions.
• If no response from the patient (moving, breathing or coughing), give another 2 breaths, followed by 30 compressions in rotations of 30 compressions and 2 breaths until help arrives.
If, at any time the patient begins moving, breathing or coughing, monitor breathing, assist with rescue breaths to ensure that the patient is breathing once every 3-5 seconds.
If the victim is breathing normally, but not responding, roll the victim on his/her side and wait for help to arrive.
CHILD C.P.R.:
Child C.P.R. is classified for children between the ages of 1 and 8. With small children, do not use the same amount of air for breaths as for large children and adults, but each breath should make the chest rise. C.P.R. for a child is conducted the same as for adults except the following:
• Compressions should be 1/3 to ½ the depth of the child’s chest
• Use only one hand for compressions on very small children
• When alone, do 5 sets of 30 compressions/2 breaths
INFANT C.P.R.:
Should be performed on children from birth to the age of 1 and is performed the same as Adult C.P.R. except the following:
• Compressions should be 1/3 to ½ the depth of the infant’s chest
• Use only 2 fingers just below the nipple line
• When giving 2 breaths, make sure to cover infant’s mouth and nose with your mouth and breath only enough to cause the chest to rise
ADULT/CHILD CHOKING:
How to help a choking victim 1 year of age or older when an object like food or a toy gets in the airway. If the victim can make sounds or cough loudly, the block is mild and you should stand by and let the victim cough.
If the victim cannot , has a cough that has no sound, cannot talk or cry, has a high pitched noisy breath or makes the choking sign (holding the neck with one or both hands), you should do the following:
1. Kneel or stand firmly behind the victim and wrap your arms around him/her so that your hands are in front.
2. Make a fist with one hand and put thumb side of fist slightly above belly button and below the breastbone. Grasp the fist with your other hand and give quick upward thrusts into their belly until object is forced out and the victim can cough or talk.
3. If the victim stops responding, call 911 or send someone to call and lower the victim to the ground and start the steps of C.P.R. Every time you open the victim’s airway to give breaths, look for the obstruction in the victim’s mouth and throat. If you can see the object, remove it. Otherwise, keep giving 2 breaths and 30 compressions until the victim starts to move or help arrives to relieve you.
4. Women in the later stage of pregnancy or victims with large abdomens should be given abdominal thrusts on the chest, rather than the belly. Put your arms under the victim’s armpits and your hands in the center of the patient’s chest pulling straight back to give chest thrusts
INFANT CHOKING:
When an infant is choking and cannot breath or make any sounds, act quickly by using back slaps and chest thrusts.
• Hold the infant face down on your forearm, supporting the head with your hand.
• Give up to 5 backslaps with your other hand between the infant’s shoulder blades.
• Give up to 5 chest thrusts using 2 fingers between the nipple line
• Repeat with 5 backslaps and 5 compressions until the obstruction comes out and the infant can breathe, cough or cry.
• If the infant stops responding, begin the steps for C.P.R.