How to Perform CPR and Use a Defibrillator

When a person's heart stops beating or when they are not breathing, it is important that they get CPR as soon as possible. Online first aid and CPR classes can help more people learn how to perform this life-saving procedure. It helps to know whether CPR is the appropriate first aid to administer for a victim but you should also know how to administer it.

This articles will give you key information to be able to save a person who has stopped breathing or has no pulse. You can consider this as your basic online first aid and CPR guide.

Signs that a Person Needs CPR:

One of the first signs is that the person is unresponsive. If you find a person unconscious, the first thing to do is to try and get their attention. Shake their shoulders as you call out to them. If they do not respond, you need to check for signs of breathing.

As you check for breathing, dial the emergency service and inform them about the state of the victim. To check for breathing, observe the chest for 10 seconds and see if it is rising and falling. Also, put your ear to their nose and try to hear any sign of breathing.

If a person is not breathing, even if there is a pulse, it will eventually disappear so CPR is necessary.

CPR Procedure:

CPR is intended to put pressure on the chest so that the person’s heart can restart and the breathing can continue. Before you start to perform this procedure, ensure there is no bleeding. CPR can cause the person to lose even more blood so you would have to start by attending to the bleeding.

If there is no bleeding, then CPR can commence.

Get Them in Position:

CPR is performed when the victim is lying flat on their back. So roll the victim into the right position. The person giving the first aid then kneels beside them and places the heel of one hand in the middle of the chest, just above the diaphragm.

The second hand is then placed over the first one and the fingers are interlocked.

Now, apply pressure onto the chest, pushing down about two inches at a rate of 100 beats per second. Make this pumping movement 30 times before you take a break to give two puffs of air into the mouth.

With one hand on the forehead and the other on the chin, tilt the victim’s head back to open the airway and then breath into their mouth. Cover their mouth with a clean handkerchief or cloth is you have one.

As you blow, hold the nose shut so that air does not escape and will go directly to the lungs. Watch to see that the chest rises as you blow for one second.

After two breaths, continue with the chest compression. This process should go on until the person starts to breathe or the paramedics arrive.

How CPR Works?

CPR is intended to simulate the pumping action of the heart and to move air through the lungs. Each time you make a compression, the rib cage is forcing the heart to move blood through the veins and arteries.

The reason you have to make 30 chest compression is that the heart beats about one or two times per second while the lungs take in and let out air about 12 times a minute. CPR is an artificial way to keep these functions working until they can resume on their own or until a defibrillator is available to restart the heart.

The rate of compression recommended is based on the knowledge that the compression need to be effective enough but also you should not get tired too fast. At 100 beats per second, it should be possible to sustain the compression for two minutes, after that you may begin to relax. It helps if you have another person who can help with the CPR, then you can take turns and you can speed it up to 180 beats per seconds which can be more effective.

Using a Defibrillator:

Defibrillators are easy to use, they come with instructions, so even someone without any training is still able to use them. A defibrillator will monitor the person's heart function and then advise when to apply shock treatment to the heart. It is the best way to restart a heart that has stopped beating.

To start with, follow the instructions on it that show how to use it. You will need to remove the victim's clothes to expose the chest and then put the two pads as shown in the illustration.

When the prompt recommends shocking, make sure no one is touching the victim and then press the shock button. Continue to do this until the heart restarts.

Remember that even with the information and training from CPR courses in London you may have, you should always call in the emergency team once a person is unresponsive.