CARDIAC ARREST AND CARDIOPULMONARY RECUSICITATION

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— Recall the procedures to administer 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 airway, using the procedures outlined 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: