What is good CPR & How to perform it?

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR for short is an emergency procedure that consists of chest compressions that helps restore spontaneous blood circulation, it can also be performed alongside rescue breaths, to help get sufficient oxygen into the person the CPR is being performed on.

Why might someone need CPR?

CPR may need to be performed in many different situations, so you need to be able to recognise when it may be necessary.

• Sudden cardiac arrest
• Sudden collapse
• Overdose
• Drowning
• Electrocution
• After a car accident
• Sudden cardiac arrhythmia

When should CPR be used?

It can be difficult to tell if you should begin CPR on someone, fear and anxiety can cloud your judgment of the situation. So, it is important to know when CPR is needed and be able to recognise when you need to step in and be able to act as quickly as possible.

• They aren’t breathing. If the person is not breathing, you need to begin CPR as soon as possible to ensure you are circulating the oxygenated blood throughout the body. If the organs do not receive oxygenated blood they start to fail, the brain in particular is the most important as if it has been starved of oxygenated blood for too long it can die. The average brain can only handle 4-6 minutes with blood or oxygen before there is irreversible damage. A quick reaction could mean the difference between life and death.
• They do not have a pulse. If you cannot find a pulse it is important to act quickly, no pulse means the heart has stopped. The sooner you begin CPR the higher the chances that the heart will restart, and the person will survive. Compressions will keep the heart manually beating until paramedics or an AED arrive.
• They are unconscious and struggling for breath. When experiencing cardiac arrest some people may continue to breathe for a little while, however, these breath sounds will not be regular, they may be short, like a gasp and may only be occasional. You should begin CPR straight away; studies show that doing CPR when it isn’t needed is a lot less risky than not doing it when needed. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

How do I perform CPR?

Before you begin CPR there are a couple of steps you should take:

• Assess the situation. Look around and make sure there are no hazards that could put you at risk.
• Shake and shout. Gently shake the person and ask them, loudly, if they are alright. Shout out for help and ask them to get the nearest AED and call 999.
• Breathing. Check that the person is breathing.

Once you have established the situation is safe to perform the CPR and that it is necessary you will need to begin resuscitating the person.

• Kneel beside the person.
• Place one hand flat on the centre of the chest, place your other hand over the top and interlock your fingers with the first hand.
• With your arms straight and your elbows locked push down on the breastbone with your palm, so the chest is pressed down between 5-6 cm and release.
• This movement should be done repeatedly twice every second, you need to aim for around 100-120 beats per minute. Sing the song Staying Alive by the Bee Gees and stick to the beat, this will help you keep in time.
• Continue until health professionals arrive, if you get tired ask someone to take over.
• If there is an AED available, use it. This will increase the chance of survival.

If you would like to attend a CPR training course, they are available on our website.

https://defib4life.co.uk/training-12-delegates/

Learn CPR and save a life – 15 mintues online course

Learn CPR in 15 minutes | RevivR | BHF – BHF