When Someone Stops Breathing
Choking, drowning, electric shock, auto or sports accidents,
poisonous gas, suffocation, stroke or other medical problems can
interrupt breathing. When a person stops breathing, it is a
serious emergency. The person's chest does not move, the face
and skin become bluish and there is no exhaled breath. Once
breathing has stopped, permanent brain damage or death can
result in four to six minutes Every second counts.
Rescue Breathing Saves Lives
Don't even loosen clothing or warm the victim before beginning
rescue breathing. Likewise, don't move the victim unless he or
she is lying in a dangerous area. It's more important to know
the steps of emergency breathing assistance and to begin
immediately:
While someone else calls or goes for help, such as dialing 9-1-1
or phoning for an ambulance, lay the victim face up.
Rescue Breathing For Adults
1. Establish unresponsiveness. Call for help. Turn or position the victim
2. Open the airway (clear any obstructions if possible)
3. Check for breathing by placing your ear over the victim's mouth and nose, and looking toward his chest-
a) Look for rise and fall of the chest
b) Listen for breath sounds
c) Feel for breath on the side of your face. If the chest does not rise and fall and no air is exhaled, then the victim isn't breathing-
Start rescue breathing if the victim isn't breathing!
1. Place your hand on his forehead, and pinch his nostrils together with the thumb and index finger of this same hand. Let this same hand exert pressure on his forehead to maintain the backward head-tilt and maintain an open airway. With your other hand, keep your fingertips on the bony part of the lower jaw near the chin and lift.
*If you suspect the casualty has a neck injury and you are using the jaw thrust technique,
close the nostrils by placing your cheek tightly against them.
2. Take a deep breath and place your mouth in an airtight seal around the victim's mouth. If the injured person is small, cover both his nose and mouth with your mouth, sealing your lips against the skin of his face.
3. Blow two full breaths into the victim's mouth (1 to 1 1/2 seconds per breath), taking a breath of fresh air each time before you blow. Watch out of the corner of your eye for the chest to rise. If the chest rises, sufficient air is getting into the
victim's lungs and you should proceed as described in step FOUR below. If the chest does not rise, do the following
-
a) Reposition victim's head and make sure that air is not leaking from around your mouth or out of the victim's pinched nose.
b) Attempt to ventilate again
c) If chest still does not rise, check for obstruction in victim's airway and clear if possible
4. After giving two breaths which cause the chest to rise, remove your mouth from his mouth and listen for the return of air from his lungs and attempt to locate a pulse on the victim. Feel for a pulse on the side of the victim's neck closest to you by placing the first two fingers of your hand on the groove beside the Adam's apple (carotid pulse). (Your thumb should not be used for pulse taking because you may confuse your pulse beat with that of the victim.) Maintain the airway by keeping your other hand on the victim's forehead. Allow 5 to 10 seconds to determine if there is a pulse.
5. Repeat this procedure (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation) at a rate of one breath every 5 seconds to achieve 12 breaths per minute. Use the following count: "one, one-thousand; two one-thousand; three, one-thousand; four, one-thousand; BREATH; one one-thousand" and so forth. To achieve a rate of one breath every 5 seconds, the breath must be given on the fifth count.
6. Feel for a pulse after every 12th breath. This check should take about 3 to 5 seconds.
7. Continue rescue breathing until the casualty starts to breathe on his own, until you are relieved by another person, or until you are too tired to continue. Monitor pulse and return of spontaneous breathing after every few minutes of rescue breathing. If spontaneous breathing returns, monitor the casualty closely. The casualty should then be transported to a medical treatment facility. Maintain an open airway and be prepared to resume rescue breathing if necessary.
|
RESCUE
BREATHING
