We have all heard of the emergency procedure CPR at some point in our lives. The procedure of CPR or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is done to revive a person whose heart has suddenly stopped beating.
Experts believe immediate CPR can improve the chances of the person surviving by 2 or even 3 times.
However, there are important things to keep in mind when you want to train yourself for CPR.
In this article, you will find some useful tips and tricks to ensure you can adequately perform CPR if someone nearby requires it.
1. Why should you perform CPR?
The first thing that you need to know is why you must perform CPR on a person. When someone’s heart stops beating, they go into cardiac arrest.
In simple terms, this indicates that the heart can’t pump blood to any part of the body, especially to the brain and lungs.
And since the human body cannot function without adequate blood supply to the brain and lungs, it’s important to revive the heart as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, the person who has suffered cardiac arrest can die within minutes. CPR mimics the pumping of the heart through chest compressions.
2. Is cardiac arrest the same as a heart attack?
No, suffering from a cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack, so CPR will not work on a person who has had a heart attack.
In our body, oxygenated blood flows from the heart to different organs, and then deoxygenated blood flows back from the organs to the heart.
A heart attack occurs when the blood flow back to the heart gets blocked. In this situation, a person might still be able to breathe and talk normally, although they do need medical assistance.
But a heart attack can eventually lead to cardiac arrest if it’s not treated immediately. In this situation, the patient requires CPR.
3. What sort of training is required to give CPR?
Fortunately, you don’t require formal training to administer CPR to a patient, but you must know how to perform chest compressions.
If you see a loved one or a bystander falling unconscious and it appears that the heart is not beating, call your local emergency services immediately.
Next, push down the center of the person’s chest hard and fast. Ensure the rest of the pushing is about 100-120 per minute.
If it’s tough for you to keep a count of the beats, you can keep pushing at the beat of the popular song “Stayin’ Alive.”
However, if you are uncertain and want to learn this technique properly, you can take CPR-related classes from established places like the CPD Institute in Australia.
4. What is the hands-only method of CPR?
The hands-only method of CPR is where you don’t need to administer any mouth-to-mouth resuscitation techniques.
As mentioned, you must keep pushing in the middle of the person’s chest for 100-120 beats per minute.
Hands-only CPR method is preferred for someone to help their loved one who has suffered from cardiac arrest. It has also proven to be very effective.
5. What is the mouth-to-mouth method?
The mouth-to-mouth method, also known as the traditional method of giving CPR, alternates chest compressions with mouth-to-mouth breathing.
Even though this method is slightly more complicated, it can supply more oxygen to the patient’s body compared to the hands-only method.
People who don’t have any prior CPR training or experience should refrain from using the mouth-to-mouth method as it can sometimes be uncomfortable. Traditional CPR is administered to anyone that undergoes a sudden cardiac arrest.
6. What is the CPR procedure for children?
You need to be very cautious while administering CPR to small children. First, ensure you have obtained consent from the child’s guardian and start CPR.
Next, check if the child is responsive by tapping on their shoulder or loudly calling out their name but don’t wait for more than 10 seconds. If there is no response, it’s time to start the process.
For a small child, you can give CPR using one hand only. But for older children, it’s better to interlock both your hands and then administer it. You can also blow into the child’s mouth for 1 second to see if the chest rises.
7. Does CPR have side effects?
Unfortunately, yes. CPR does have some side effects, but they’re usually very mild and might not even happen to either party.
For example, if you’re administering CPR to someone otherwise quite healthy, they have very little chance of suffering from any unwanted side effects.
However, if you’re giving CPR to someone old or weak, you must be as gentle as possible. Some long-term side effects of incorrectly-performed CPR include weak lungs and breathing, damage to the ribs, or even brain damage.
Conclusion
These are a few basic facts that you must know before performing CPR on someone. Then, if you still wish to know more about this life-saving procedure, you can join any local class and gain some expertise!
- Unshare workbook is greyed out Excel 2016?? - April 18, 2024
- Something went wrong, and Outlook couldn’t set up your account , but the problem persists - April 18, 2024
- how do I save clip art as picture? - April 18, 2024
