Cpr Essay, Research Paper
I?m sure all of you have heard of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, better known as CPR.
I?m going to go over the steps of infant, child, and adult CPR. If you don?t know how to
perform CPR, I hope this will give you a good understanding of it and if you already
know how to perform CPR, I hope this will be a good refresher.
I will begin with infant CPR. This would be used on a child who is less than one
year old. The first step is to determine if the infant is responsive. Shout and gently tap
the child on the shoulder. If there is no response, position the infant on his or her back.
The next step is to open the airway. This is done by placing the heel of one hand gently
on the forehead and lifting the chin up with the other hand. After the head is positioned,
check for any breathing. If the infant is not breathing, cover the baby?s mouth and nose
with your mouth and give two small gentle breaths. Each breath should be 1.5 to 2
seconds long. You should see the infant?s chest rise with each breath. After the first two
breaths, check for a pulse. On an infant, this can be most easily found near their armpit.
If no pulse is found, chest compression?s should be started. Position your index and
middle fingers in the center of the chest an inch below the nipples. Give five gentle
compression?s, pressing down one-half to one inch, at the rate of 100 per minute. Repeat
with one breath and five compression?s. After one minute of repeated cycles, call 911
and then return to the victim. If you feel a pulse return, discontinue chest compression?s
and give one breath every three seconds.
Next I will discuss adult CPR. First you should check for responsiveness. If there
is no response, their airway should be opened. You should then look, listen, and feel for
any breathing. If there is no breath, pinch the nose closed, cover the mouth with yours
and blow until you see the chest rise. After the first initial breath, call 911 and then return
to the victim. Check the victim for a pulse. On an adult, the pulse can be found be
placing your index and middle fingers in the center of their neck and then sliding them
down around the side. If there is no pulse give two breaths, each taking two seconds and
give fifteen chest compression?s. Compression?s should be given using the heel of one
hand and the other hand on top of the first hand. Push down on the chest one and
one-half to two inches, right between the nipples, at the rate of 100 times per minute.
Continue with two breaths and fifteen compression?s until help arrives or you are no
longer able to continue.
CPR for children is similar to adult CPR. This CPR would be used on a child
between the ages of one and eight. There are, however, four differences. The first
difference is that if you are alone with the child, give one minute of CPR before calling
911. Instead of using both hands, use only the heel of one hand. The sternum should be
pressed down only one to one and one-half inches instead of the one and one-half to two
inches used for an adult. The final difference is the ratio of breaths to compression?s. In
a child, one full breath should be given followed by five chest compression?s.
Although it may all seem hard to remember, the ABC?s of CPR have helped many
people. The A meaning airway, which needs to be opened and cleared of any debris. The
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B stands for breath. You need to check to see if they are breathing and give a breath if
they are not. The C is short for circulation. You need to check for a pulse to determine if
chest compression?s are needed. If someone is not breathing, but has a pulse, only
breaths need to be given. While some of the steps differ between infant, child, and adult
CPR, the ABC?s should help you recall the steps needed.
I hope I have given you a better understanding of how to administer CPR.
Attending a class where true-to-life dolls can be practiced on is the best way to learn.
CPR is a good resource to have that you hopefully never have to use.