CPR For Beginners: What Every Bystander Should Know
It’s the holidays and you’re out shopping with an armful of Christmas presents. Just as you’re about to reach the front of the gift-wrapping queue, someone collapses right in front of you – and worse, they’re not breathing. Right now, what you do really matters
Knowing how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is not only relevant to doctors and healthcare professionals. It’s a basic first-aid skill that anyone can learn. Read on to learn the easy steps of how to conduct CPR.
Why is CPR So Important?
Cardiac arrest is a medical term that refers to the sudden stopping of the heart. When the heart stops, blood does not circulate to the brain or other important body parts. Within minutes, permanent damage begins.
Cardiac arrest can happen because of a heart attack, drowning, or a traumatic accident. When you perform CPR, you manually keep the blood circulating and oxygen flowing to the brain until emergency services arrive.
How to Perform CPR
CPR sounds tricky, but the truth is that it’s not hard to do. Here are the essential steps of CPR.
Assess the Scene and Call for Help
If there’s traffic, fire, or any danger, wait until it’s safe and move the person to safety if possible. Once clear, you need to see if the person is responsive.
Tap them hard on the shoulder, shout their name or ask, “Are you okay?” If they don’t respond, call for help. Dial the Affinity Rescue emergency number or shout for someone else to call while you start CPR.
Check for Breathing
Tilt their head back slightly and open their airway. Put your ear close to their mouth and listen for breathing. If you’re unsure, look for chest movement. If they’re only gasping or not breathing at all, that’s your signal to start CPR.
Start Chest Compressions
Place the heel of one hand in the centre of their chest, right on the breastbone. Place your other hand on top, lock your fingers together, and keep your elbows straight. Now, push hard and fast. You need to go at least five centimetres deep and aim for a speed of about 100-120 compressions per minute.
Rescue Breaths
Conventional CPR teaches us to give two rescue breaths after every 30 compressions. But if you’re not trained in rescue breaths or just uncomfortable with the mouth-to-mouth part, studies have shown that hands-only CPR can be just as effective in those first few minutes.
If you want to perform rescue breaths, here’s how to do it:
After 30 compressions, tilt the head back again, pinch the nose shut, and cover their mouth with yours. Blow in for about one second, and watch for their chest to rise. Then give them a second breath before resuming compressions.
Keep Going Until Help Arrives
Performing CPR might be exhausting, but you need to keep those compressions going until professional help arrives or the person starts breathing on their own. If you get tired, don’t be afraid to ask someone nearby to take over.
Children and Babies
When it comes to doing CPR on a child or infant, the technique is slightly different to that of an adult. For a child, use only one hand for compressions. For infants, you’ll use two fingers to push down in the centre of the chest and do rescue breaths.
What is an Automated External Defibrillator?
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are portable devices often seen in airports, gyms, shopping centres, and schools. Defibrillators evaluate the heart rhythm of the patient and can provide a high-energy shock to restore a normal heart rhythm if needed. They are designed for ease of use and have clear voice prompts and step-by-step instructions, so even someone with no medical experience can use them in an emergency.
What if I do it wrong?
Doing something is far better than doing nothing. The biggest mistake you can make is being a bystander while someone needs urgent CPR. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed in an emergency. Learning the basics of CPR could be the reason someone lives to see another day, another holiday, another season. If you have health conditions that put you at a risk of cardiac arrest, your Affinity Rescue plan is here to provide immediate emergency care to improve your chances of survival.