How to do CPR

CPR, for its acronym CPR is an emergency procedure used to resuscitate a person who has stopped breathing or whose heartbeats have stopped. It is a technique that, in most cases, is applied by people with training in the field, such as paramedics, nurses, and rescue corps, among others; however, it can also be carried out by someone who knows the technique when there is a significant emergency.

In this FastlyHealarticle, we explain how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the steps to follow, and what you should avoid during the procedure.

When can CPR be applied?

It is essential to clarify which cases an adult can suffer from cardiopulmonary arrest, which occurs when the heartbeat and breathing stop. The most common scenarios are:

• Heart problems such as a heart attack or heart attack, a change in heart rate, etc.
• Lung disease.
• Stroke or stroke .
• A drug or medication overdose.
• Choking.
• Drowning
• Poisoning.
• When a person is electrocuted and receives a great shock.
• Severe bleeding.
• Significant injuries or accidents.
• Septicemia or infection in the blood.

Act fast and check the person’s status

The first step before doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation is to make sure that the person is unconscious, without breathing or heartbeat. If the affected person is face down, you must place him, carefully, face up. It is essential to do it delicately because, depending on your condition, you could have a spinal injury.

Tap him on the shoulder, speak into his ear, or if you know his name, give him a call and ask and it feels good. See if there is any movement, reaction, or sound that lets you know that the person has not had a cardiopulmonary arrest.

Call the emergency service.

Whether the person reacts to the stimulus or remains unconscious, asking for help is essential, so you should immediately call the emergency number in your city or country to request an ambulance as soon as possible. Explain in detail that the person is unconscious and may need CPR.

It would help if you did not separate yourself from the victim until emergency services arrived.

Open the airway

Acting quickly and promptly is very important because, after 4 minutes without breathing, the first signs of brain damage may appear; if the unconscious time and without air progress, death can occur.

To make sure you have to do CPR, the first thing you have to do is open the airway. When someone suffers a respiratory arrest, their muscles relax, and the tongue falls backward, covering the trachea and preventing the air from leaving correctly. To clear the throat and facilitate breathing, we must free the airway in this way:

1. Place one hand on the victim’s forehead and two fingers under his chin.
2. Bring your head back so that the chin goes up and the airway clears, as you can see in the image.

Observe, listen and feel for breathing

Once you have carried out the last maneuver, bring your ear to the victim’s mouth to check if you hear or feel his breathing, you should also observe if his chest is lowered and raised, giving signs that he is breathing. If the person is breathing, do not perform chest compressions, or you could cause their heart to stop; in this case, accompany the person until emergency services arrive.

If a person is not breathing, it is unnecessary to check the heartbeat because the absence of breathing will make his heart stop in a few minutes. On the contrary, if the failure has been cardiac, it will also cause shortness of breath, so going immediately to chest compressions is recommended.

Do chest compressions

Chest compressions must be fast and robust. To perform them, we must:

1. Place the open dominant hand in the center of the thorax, approximately between the two nipples. On top, we will place the other hand with interlaced fingers, as shown in the first image.
2. Straighten your arms and drop all of your weight on the victim’s chest with solid and quick movements. The thorax should sink between 4 and 5 centimeters.
3. Perform 30 quick compressions with continuous, rhythmic movements. It is essential to count contractions.
4. Once the compressions are completed, allow the chest to expand and immediately pass mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation

After the 30 compressions, two ventilations should be carried out; this 30/2 rhythm must be maintained until the victim breathes again, until the emergency services arrive, or until the person who is physically helping is no longer able to do so. Conveniently, two people are alternating to avoid exhaustion.

The mouth to mouth breathing or ventilation must be performed in the following way:

1. As explained in the fourth section, we bring the person’s forehead back and raise their chin.
2. We cover the victim’s nose to prevent air from escaping.
3. We breathe in air in a usual way and place our mouth over the person’s mouth, trying to cover it completely.
4. We release the air that we have inspired into the victim’s mouth to reach their lungs and regain their breath; this process should take about 1 second. While we do it, we must observe if the person’s chest expands; in that case, the ventilations are carried out correctly.
5. If we carry out the ventilation, the air does not enter entirely because we have not adequately sealed the victim’s mouth; we should not repeat the breath. Perform the subsequent ventilation and continue.
6. Remember that it is 30 compressions and two ventilations, so on until breathing and heartbeat return or medical help arrives.
7. If the affected person has vomited, has poor oral hygiene, or any other condition that prevents mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, perform only 30 chest compressions, wait 2 seconds, and continue with the subsequent 30 compressions until the person is resuscitated.

Tips for Performing CPR

• Never perform CPR on a patient who is breathing; chest movements could cause his heart to stop.
• Chest compressions must be fast and robust, maintaining the rhythm to produce some oxygen to reach the heart and brain until the patient can be seen by a medical professional. This rhythm is exhausting, so it is recommended to do resuscitation between two people who alternate to provide better first aid.
• Don’t interrupt the technique until the person reacts or help arrives.
• This procedure should be applied only from 9 years of age; younger children require another technique.
• Do not abandon the victim until emergency services arrive.

This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation, we recommend that you enter our category of Blood, heart and circulation .

Alivia Nyhan

I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.