Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, otherwise known as CPR, is a basic life saving procedure that should be performed when someone is experiencing a heart attack, near drowning, or other life threatening emergencies in which someone breathing or heartbeat has stopped. It consists of chest compressions and rescue breathing (mouth to mouth breathing)
When performing CPR on a cardiac arrest victim, it is essential to act quickly, as CPR can double or triple the chances of survival after sudden cardiac arrest. The infographic below explains the 4 easy steps to perform CPR at home and save the life of your loved ones.
1. Assess the Victim
Ensure that the victim is in a safe place in your home. You need to tap the victim's shoulder and ask, "Are you okay?" loudly to check if s/he is responsive or not.
If the victim is unconscious, check for normal breathing and pulse for less than 10 seconds. Call 911 and perform CPR immediately if the victim is not breathing and doesn't have a pulse.
If the victim has a pulse and is breathing, you don't have to perform CPR. Put the victim in a recovery position instead and monitor their condition until the emergency medical services take over.
2. Perform CPR
Place the unresponsive victim on their back and kneel beside their chest. Tilt their head back slightly by lifting their chin. Open their mouth and check for any obstruction, such as food or vomit. Remove any obstruction if it is visible.
3. Chest Compressions
Place one of your hands on the center of the victim's chest. Place the other hand on top of the first hand and interlock your fingers. With the heel of the hands and straight elbows, push hard and fast in the center of the chest, slightly below the nipples.
The chest compression rates is100-120 compressions per minute, with a depth of at least 2 to 2.4 inches deep. Let the chest rise fully between compressions.
If you're not trained in CPR, provide hands-only CPR or compression-only CPR until the unresponsive victim starts breathing or when emergency medical help arrives. According to the American Heart Association, hands-only CPR recommendation applies to untrained bystanders and trained responders who are not confident in providing rescue breaths.
4. Rescue Breathing
If you are CPR certified, administer 2 rescue breaths (mouth to mouth breathing) after 30 chest compressions. To do rescue breathing, ensure that the unresponsive victim's mouth is clear. Tilt their head back slightly and lift their chin. Pinch their nose shut, place your mouth fully over theirs, and blow to make their chest rise.
If their chest does not rise with the first breath, tilt the head again to open the airway and administer the 2nd rescue breath. If their chest does not rise with a second breath, stop administering rescue breaths and perform chest compressions only.
Repeat the CPR cycle of 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths until the victim shows any obvious signs of life, such as normal breathing or when emergency medical help arrives. If you have an Automated External Defibrillator at home, perform CPR until the machine is set up and ready to use.
Key Takeaway
- Cardiopulmoary Resuscitation consists of high-quality chest compressions and rescue breathing (mouth to mouth breathing)
- CPR is a basic life saving procedure that should be performed when someone is experiencing a heart attack, cardiac arrest, and near drowning.
- Tap the cardiac arrest victim's shoulder and ask, "Are you okay?" loudly to check if s/he is responsive or not.
- The chest compression rate is100-120 compressions per minute, with a depth of at least 2 to 2.4 inches deep.
- High-quality chest compressions generate blood flow to the vital organs
- If you are CPR certified, administer 2 rescue breaths after 30 chest compressions.
- If you're not trained in CPR, provide hands-only CPR or compression-only CPR until the unresponsive victim shows signs of life, such as normal breathing, or when emergency medical help arrives.
- If the victim has a pulse and is breathing, put him in a recovery position instead.
