perform the back pressure/arm lift method, do the
following steps:
1. Place the victim on the stomach, face to one
side, neck hyper extend, with hands under the
head.
2. Quickly clear the mouth of any foreign matter.
3. Kneel at the victim’s head and place your hands
on the victim’s back so that the heels of the
hands lie just below a line between the armpits,
with thumbs touching and fingers extending
downward and outward.
4. Rock forward, keeping your arms straight, and
exert pressure almost directly downward on the
victim’s back, forcing air out of the lungs.
5. Then rock backward, releasing the pressure and
grasping the arms just above the elbows.
6. Continue to rock backward, pulling the arms
upward and inward (toward the head) until
resistance and tension in the victim’s shoulders
are noted. That expands the chest, causing active
intake of air (inspiration).
7. Rock forward and release the victim’s arms.
That causes passive exiting of air (expiration).
Repeat the cycle of press, release, lift, and release
10 to 12 times a minute until the victim can breathe
naturally.
CARDIAC ARREST AND
CARDIOPULMONARY
RESUSCITATION
Learning Objective: When you finish this chapter, you
will be able to—
R e c a l l
t h e
p r o c e d u r e s
t o
a d m i n i s t e r
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Cardiac arrest is the complete stoppage of heart
function. If the victim is to live, action must be taken
immediately to restore heart function. The immediate
administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
by a rescuer using correct procedures greatly increases
the chances of a victim’s survival. CPR consists of
external heart compression and artificial ventilation.
The compression is performed on the outside of the
chest, and the lungs are ventilated either by
mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose techniques. To be
effective, CPR must be started within 4 minutes of
the onset of cardiac arrest. The victim should be lying
on a firm surface.
CAUTION
A rescuer who has not been properly trained
should not attempt CPR. (To learn CPR, you
should take an approved course from a qualified
CPR instructor.) Improperly done, CPR can
cause serious damage. Therefore, it is never
practiced on a healthy individual for training
purposes; a training aid is used instead.
ONE-RESCUER TECHNIQUE
In an unwitnessed cardiac arrest, don’t assume that
an arrest has occurred solely because the victim is lying
on the floor and appears to be unconscious. Before
beginning CPR, you should—
1. Try to arouse the victim (shake the victim’s
shoulders and shout to try to obtain a response).
2. Lie the unconscious victim on his/her back.
3. Kneel at the shoulders and establish an open
a i r wa y, u s i n g t h e p r o c e d u r e s o u t l i n e d
previously in artificial ventilations.
4. Check for breathing by looking, listening, and
feeling.
a. Look to see if the chest is rising and falling.
b. Listen for air coming from the mouth.
c. Check close to the victim’s mouth and feel
for air coming out.
5. If the victim isn’t breathing, seal the nose, take a
deep breath, and blow four quick breaths into
the victim without allowing time for the lungs to
deflate fully.
6. Quickly remove your mouth and allow the
victim to exhale by himself/herself.
7. Check the carotid pulse as shown in figure 14-1.
If no pulse is present, start CPR immediately.
14-4
Student Notes:
