FEATURE
FIRST AID – CPR & AEDS
AIRWAY
In an unconscious casualty , maintaining an open and clear airway is priority . The unconscious casualty is at risk of aspirating vomit and their airway obstructing as
Use the head tilt and chin lift method to open the airway
the tongue drops backwards . Inside the mouth needs to be visually inspected for any foreign objects and the airway must be ‘ opened ’ by lifting the chin and tilting the head backwards . Doing this will lift the tongue off from the top of the airway , allowing for unobstructed breathing .
BREATHING
Once the airway of an unconscious casualty has been opened , the next step is to check that they are breathing . To do this the rescuer places their cheek close to the casualty ’ s mouth while looking down towards the chest . This allows the rescuer to look for chest movement , to listen for any breathing noises
Look , listen and feel to check for breathing
and CPR commenced .
IMPORTANT – COVID-19 ADJUSTMENTS TO ADULT CPR
During the COVID-19 pandemic , the resuscitation guidelines have been changed to prevent cross infection from casualty to rescuer and vice versa . The rescuer must not place their head / face close to the casualty ’ s , but instead perform a visual breathing assessment from a safe distance . If the patient is found to be in cardiac arrest , no artificial ventilations should be performed . Instead , place a light cloth over the casualty ’ s mouth and nose to prevent expired air from being forced upwards towards the rescuer and commence chest compression only CPR , which is uninterrupted compressions at a rate of between 100 and 120 compressions per minute .
CALL FOR HELP
It is important to call for help at the earliest opportunity . Bystanders can be used for this task , or if you are a lone rescuer and have a mobile phone with good signal , calling 999 and using the speaker function will keep your hands free for carrying out CPR . If you are on your own and have no mobile phone or poor signal and the casualty is an adult in cardiac arrest , you must place them into the recovery position before leaving to go for help . On your return , you would then start CPR .
STARTING CPR
Early recognition of a cardiac arrest and the swift commencement of good quality CPR is required if the casualty is to stand any chance of surviving . Once a cardiac arrest is confirmed , the rescuer should
Place your hands on the middle of the chest and to feel for any exhaled breaths on the side of their face . This breathing check should last no longer than ten seconds . If the casualty is breathing effectively , then place them into the recovery position . However , if the casualty is not breathing or is only making occasional gasps that are ineffective breaths ( agonal breathing ) they should be considered in cardiac arrest start to perform chest compressions . To carry out compressions , the rescuer needs to kneel beside the casualty and place the heal of one hand onto the
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