In an try to get extra men and women to carry out CPR the AHA is suggesting that if you witness sudden cardiac arrest of an Adult and you are unable or unwilling to carry out mouth to mouth breaths, you may perhaps carry out compressions only.
This Hands-Only technique does not apply to young children under 12 years old or infants.
Compressions only is not the preferred system. But, it is greater than nothing for adults following a witnessed collapse. It is believed that the victim could have up to two minutes of air in the lungs that can be circulated. Just bear in mind, it could realistically take Fire Department paramedics six-eight minutes to arrive on scene and take over. That would leave your victim with no oxygen to the brain and other essential organs for more than 4-6 minutes. In three-four minutes brain harm can happen, soon after four minutes it becomes permanent.
To perform Hands-Only CPR you only need to confirm that the victim is not breathing. Call 9-1-1. An straightforward rule of thumb to establish breathing is if the victim isn’t moving, they are not breathing. Of course the very best indicator is to watch for Chest and/or abdominal rise in the victim. Next, align hands with fingers interlocked on victims sternum (breastbone) at the mid-nipple line. Just begin continuous compressions at a rate of 100 per minute. Push complete depth. The American Heart Association slogan is “Push difficult, Push speedy”.
My greatest concern as a CPR instructor and professional rescuer is most people do not carry any protection such as a CPR barrier mask or gloves with them. This leaves the rescuer vulnerable and with two selections. Neither solution is a fantastic concept. The first option (no mask) is not to execute mouth to mouth. Not a very good choice for the victim. Second option is to do mouth to mouth devoid of protection. Not a very good option for you.
The resolution is carry a barrier mask, gloves and antimicrobial wipe. This combination keeps the rescuer secure and gives the maximum benefit for the victim.
yoursite.com is a twenty five year fire captain in southern California. He is also the owner of Survival Skills & Co. a enterprise specializing in Disaster Response education for Schools and Businesses. He has educated over 20,000 persons because 1991 how to save lives in his 1 day “Disaster Survival Skills” workshops. His organization also supplies realistic kits and supplies for disaster preparedness. His business provides NIMS education, CPR & First Help classes.