CPR

Procedure in performing CPR:

1. First, check the scene for any hazards present to you, the rescuer. You are no use to anyone as another victim!
2. Approach the victim. Shake them, make sure they're not sleeping. Also make sure he has no pulse and he's not breathing. Due to the methods used in performing CPR, they should not be used on anyone who is not suffering from cardiovascular arrest.
3. Send someone to call 911. State your intention in a calm, clear voice.
4. Prepare the victim for CPR:
   1. Make sure the victim is placed upon their back, facing upwards. If they are lying on their chest, enlist the assistance of another person to roll them over, one person keeping the head stable. Also, now would be a great time to don protective gear such as gloves. A CPR mask would also be useful in avoiding blood-borne pathogens.
   2. Using both hands, move the head so the chin is pointing upwards, and the scalp area is pressed against the ground. This causes the tongue to fall away, leaving the airway open.
   3. Sealing the nostrils with one hand, breathe two full breaths into the victim. Watch to make sure his chest rises/falls. If it does, move onto the next step. If it does not, sweep the victim's mouth with a hooked finger to attempt removal of any blockages.
   4. Locate the victim's xiphoid process. Find a spot approx. two inches above that spot on the sternum. Place the heel of one hand on that spot, place the other hand on top of that hand, and interlace the top hand's fingers with the ones of the bottom hand.
   5. Without moving your hands, raise your body above the victim's, locking your elbows so you can transfer maximum force into his chest.
   6. Proceed to deliver fifteen compressions, one approximately every other second. It often helps to count aloud, like: "One-AND-Two-AND-etc."
   7. Reposition head as in step 2. Give two breaths.
   8. Repeat compressions.
5. Every so often (about 3 cycles of the breath-compression routine) check breathing and pulse of the victim.
6. Continue CPR until:
   • You are too tired to continue.
   • The victim revives.
   • The EMTs arrive.

Until then, you are responsible for the victim's life.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR as it's often called, is an emergency procedure used to treat victims whose heart and breathing has stopped. (Cardio refers to the heart part, pulmonary to the breathing or lung side of things.) CPR can be done as a first aid technique by any individual trained in its delivery, or in a hospital with drugs and special equipment. In either case, it is essential that it be done as quickly as possible to avoid the brain damage or death that inevitably result after 4 to 6 minutes without oxygen.

The first aid procedure combines external heart massage, which keeps blood flowing through the body, with artificial respiration, which keeps air flowing in and out of the lungs. The victim must be placed face up and prepared for artificial respiration. The person administering CPR places his or her hands (one on top of the other, with fingers laced) with the heel of the hands on the victim's breastbone. The administrator then leans forward, and makes 15 quick, rhythmic compressions at a rate of 1 per second, pressing in about 2 in. (5 cm). This is followed by two breaths, administered using the mouth-to-mouth method of artificial respiration. CPR for infants and children differs in the ratio of compressions to breaths, and the compression of the chest is only 1 to 1.5 in. (2.5 to 3.8 cm). Ideally the procedure is done by two people, one to give mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration and one to apply external heart massage, and special training is recommended. In an emergency, though, no one is likely to be checking your credentials.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the hospital is an aggressive technique, as so many modern medical procedures are. It uses drugs and equipment to administer electric shocks to the heart in an attempt to restore the heartbeat. Many people believe it should not be used on patients whose prognosis is poor.

The current recommendations for CPR are that the rate of cardiac compressions should be 100 compressions per minute, regardless of whether the patient is a adult or infant.

If there is only one person doing CPR, do 15 compressions to two quick breaths.

If there are two people, have one person doing compressions and the other doing breaths. Do one breath for every 5 compressions. Do not stop doing chest compressions for breaths.

Every minute or two, stop for a few seconds to check for spontaneous breathing and a pulse.

If there are more than two people around, have someone occasionally check the femoral pulse to ensure that there is good blood circulation.

todo: write about when to start and when to stop CPR. role of defibrillators. role of drugs.

First Aid