Every parent should know how and
when to administer CPR. When performed correctly, CPR can save a
child's life by restoring breathing and circulation until
advanced life support can be given by health care providers.
What Is CPR?
The letters in CPR stand for
cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a combination of
rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation) and chest
compressions. If a child isn't breathing or circulating blood
adequately, CPR can restore circulation of oxygen-rich blood to
the brain. Without oxygen, permanent brain damage or death can
occur in less than 8 minutes.
CPR may be necessary for children during
many different emergencies, including accidents, near-drowning,
suffocation, poisoning, smoke inhalation, electrocution
injuries, and suspected
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Reading about CPR and learning
when it's needed will give you a basic understanding of the
concept and procedure, but it's strongly recommended that you
learn the details of how to perform CPR by taking a course. If
CPR is needed, using the correct technique will give your child
the best chance of recovery.
When Is CPR Needed?
CPR is most successful when
administered as quickly as possible, but you must first
determine if it's necessary. It should only be performed when a
person isn't breathing or circulating blood adequately.
First, determine that it's safe to
approach the person in trouble. For instance, if someone was
injured in an accident on a busy highway, you'd have to be
extremely careful about ongoing traffic as you try to help. Or
if someone touched an exposed wire and was electrocuted, you'd
have to be certain that he or she is no longer in contact with
electricity before offering assistance, to prevent becoming
electrocuted yourself. (For instance, turn off the source of
electricity, such as a light switch or a circuit breaker.)
Once you know that you can safely
approach someone who needs help, quickly evaluate whether the
person is responsive. Look for things like eye opening, sounds
from the mouth, or other signs of life like movement of the arms
and legs. In infants and younger children, rubbing the chest
(over the breastbone) can help determine if there is any level
of responsiveness. In older children and adults, this can also
be done by gently shaking the shoulders and asking if they're
all right.
The next step is to check if the
victim is breathing. You can determine this by watching the
person's chest for the rise and fall of breaths and listening
for the sound of air going in and out of the lungs. In a CPR or
basic life support (BLS) course, participants practice
techniques for determining if breathing or circulation is
adequate. If you can't determine whether someone is breathing,
you should begin CPR and continue until help arrives.
Whenever CPR is needed, remember to call
for
emergency medical assistance.
Current CPR courses teach you that if you are alone with an
unresponsive infant or child, give chest compressions for 5
cycles (about 2 minutes) before calling for help.
Three Parts of CPR
The three basic parts of CPR are
easily remembered as "ABC": A for airway,
B for breathing, and C for
circulation.
-
A is for airway.
The victim's airway must be open for breathing to be
restored. The airway may be blocked when a child loses
consciousness or may be obstructed by food or some other
foreign object. In a CPR course, participants learn how to
open the airway and position the child so the airway is
ready for rescue breathing. The course will include what to
do to clear the airway if you believe an infant or child has
choked and the airway is blocked.
-
B is for breathing.
Rescue breathing is begun when a child isn't breathing.
Someone performing rescue breathing essentially breathes for
the victim by forcing air into the lungs. This procedure
includes breathing into the victim's mouth at correct
intervals and checking for signs of life. A CPR course will
review correct techniques and procedures for rescuers to
position themselves to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to
infants, children, and adults.
-
C is for circulation.
Chest compressions can sometimes restore circulation. Two
rescue breaths should be provided and followed immediately
by cycles of 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths. It
is not necessary to check for signs of circulation to
perform this technique. This procedure involves pushing on
the chest to help circulate blood and maintain blood flow to
major organs. A CPR course will teach you how to perform
chest compressions in infants, children, and adults and how
to coordinate the compressions with rescue breathing.
Taking a CPR Course
Qualified instructors may use
videos, printed materials, and demonstrations on mannequins
representing infants, children, and adults to teach proper
techniques for performing CPR. The American Heart Association's
basic life support course that includes CPR lasts about 3 hours
and takes place within one session. The course covers adult,
child, and infant CPR and choking.
Participants practice the
techniques on mannequins and have opportunities to ask questions
and get individualized instruction. The final test for the
course is a combination of demonstrating CPR skills and taking a
written test.
Because CPR is a skill that must
be practiced, it's wise to repeat a course at least every 2
years to maintain your skills. Repeating the course also allows
you to learn about any new advances or discoveries in CPR
techniques.
Your local chapters of the
American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and local
hospitals are good sources for finding a CPR course in your
area. Taking a CPR course could help you save your child's — or
someone else's — life someday.
