Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
What is CPR?
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR is a process of supporting and maintaining the breathing of an infant, teen or an adult who has stopped breathing. It may also happen due to blockage of heart/ cardiac arrest.
CPR and First-Aid
We know that first aid is vital for saving lives. Mostly, first-aid help during a life-threatening incident that may occur or injury before the arrival of the emergency. CPR is a type of first-aid that aims to preserve life and promote the recovery of a person suffering from cardiac arrest.
Process of CPR
Hence, CPR can thus increase the chances of a person’s survival, if you perform it carefully with the following steps
First, open a person’s airway to check if he is breathing. CPR can only be performed if the breathing is not normal. Don’t forget to call the emergency before CPR begins.
Then, make sure that the person is lying on his back. Afterward, place your hand on his chest. Then interlock your fingers, keeping your arms straight. Keep in mind that your shoulders are directly on his chest. Then give chest compressions for about the rate of 30.
Likewise, open his mouth slightly to open the airway again. If you don’t see any change, close his nose nostrils with your hand and give him breaths, until you see his chest rise. Don’t forget to check his chest falling. Repeat these steps six to seven times.
Types of CPR
There are various types of CPR as described:
The first one is basic life support CPR (BLS) that is a certification usually taken by nurses, doctors, babysitters, and guards.
The second one is advance cardiac life support (ACLS) which is a certification of CPR taken by doctors, therapists and other professionals.
The third one is pediatric advance life support (PALS) which is a CPR certification for those who treat pediatric patients.
Last but not least is the heart saver first aid CPR. This is a course given to normal people like workers as well as safety professionals.
Importance of CPR
It is very important for us to have CPR certification. CPR training increases awareness of performing emergency situations. CPR increases the person’s chance of survival by 40%. What is more beneficial than saving a person’s life? The sad reality is that if nothing is done to the victim, he has only an 8% survival chance. Our few hours of training class can give someone the rest of their life!
Is CPR risky?
As long as you are doing the CPR correctly there is no issue. But if you are doing it on a person who is breathing normally, it can be risky! Because if that happens, you can break the victim’s bones while applying pressure on his chest. Another complication is that even if CPR has no problem, there are chances of internal injuries due to chest compression. CPR can also cause the victim to vomit. Moreover, CPR has the risk of exposure to body fluids when providing mouth-to-mouth breaths. But, taking the risk is better than taking one’s life. So, if you don’t find any hospital urgently you should go for CPR!