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How to administer Adult CPR
Steps: Check the scene for safety. Is there a car exhaust running? A gas stove? Is there a fire? If there
is anything that could endanger you or the victim, see if there is something you can do to counteract it. Open a window, turn off the stove, or put out the fire if possible. Anything you can do to counteract the danger. However, if there is nothing you can do to counteract the danger, move the victim. The best way to move the victim is by placing a blanket or a coat underneath their back and pulling on the coat or blanket. Now that the scene is safe, check the victim for consciousness by shaking or tapping their shoulder and saying in a loud, clear voice, "Are you okay? Are you okay?" If they respond, they are conscious. They may have just been sleeping, or they could have been unsconcious. If it still appears to be an emergency situation (e.g. they are having trouble breathing, they appear to be fading inbetween consciousness and unconsciousness, they were unconscious, etc.) continue on to the next step. If they were conscious, but the situaition still appears to be an emergency, check for injuries, broken bones, etc. If they do not respond, continue on to the next step. Send for help. The more people available for this step the better, however, it can be done alone. Send someone to call the Emergency Medical Services(EMS). Call 911 in North America, 000 in Australia, 112 by cellphone in the EU (including the UK) and 999 in the UK. If you are alone, preform CPR for one minute (which is about three cycles of CPR. Next, if possible, send someone to wait for the ambulance, and then, if there is one in the building, send someone to get an AED (Automatic External Difribulator). However, if you are alone, only call EMS after one minute of CPR. Check for signs of life: Place your hand on the victims forehead and two fingers on their chin a and tilt the head back in order to open the airway, place your cheek above their mouth and stare at their chest. Do this for ten seconds, if you do not feel a breath or see the chest rising, continue to the next step. If there are signs of life, treat for shock. Cover them if it is cold, and if possible, uncover them if it is hot, etc. If there are no signs of life, place a breathing barrier over the victim's mouth. Give two rescue breaths Keeping the airway open, take the fingers that were on the forehead and pinch the victim's nose closed. Make a seal with your mouth over the victims mouth and breath out for about one second. Make sure you keep your eye on the victim's chest. If the breath goes in, you should see the chest slightly rise and also feel it go in. If the breath goes in, give a second rescue breath. If the breath does not go in, re-position the head and try again. If it does not go in again, the victim may be choking. Place your hands on top of each other and place them inbetween the two nipples. Compress the chest approximatley two inches deep. Do thirty of these compressions. Repeat Steps 6 and 7 for one minute. Recheck for signs of life. Continue CPR until someone takes over for you, emergency personnel arrive, you are too exhausted to continue or an AED is available for immediate use.
Published: December 21, 2007
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