Administering CPR to Adults? Here’s What You Should Know

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. When you notice that an individual is not breathing, CPR steps (chest compressions and mouth to mouth rescue breaths) could come in handy in restoring the circulation of blood and oxygen in the victim’s body.

If an AED is available, it could be used to restart a heart that has an abnormal rhythm.

It is vital that you check the airway to confirm breathing before administering CPR to adults. If he/she is breathing, call for help before proceeding with resuscitation.

CPR training saves lives often, especially in places where medics would take a bit longer to come to a victim’s rescue.

While training classes are an excellent way people gain knowledge of cardiac arrests and carrying out CPR, an unskilled person can also be valuable in the survival of the victim.

When a rescuer forgets the chest compression ratio to rescue breaths, one can carry out compressions only also referred to as hands-only CPR.

This technique can help in the circulation of blood and oxygen in the victim’s body until someone uses an AED to restart the heart or until the arrival of the medical response team.

If a person collapses out of the blues and fails to be responsive, and their heart is not beating at a healthy pace; the person can be declared clinically dead before executing any rescue operations.

At this time, you might as well commence on CPR since it can increase, three times, the chances of the victim surviving and having normal brain function.

Generally, CPR buys the victim time between the collapse and the arrival of medical personnel.

Common Reasons Passersby Fear Issuing CPR

While it may look like an easy procedure to carry out in class or during training, the real scenario can be overwhelming because you are tasked with resuscitating a patient who is in a kind of a life-and-death trap.

Here are some of the reasons why a bystander or passerby might fear conducting CPR on a victim by the roadside:

In situations such as big parties, what is referred to as a bystander effect prevails; it involves a lot of bystanders assuming altogether that any of them might react.

Fear of disease is perhaps the most common fear of all. People fear to conduct rescue breaths due to fear of transmission of disease through contact with mouth-to-mouth.

A victim might have vomited or emit a “mystery fluid” from the mouth, which may offset the rescuer and increase the delay time of doing CPR.

There are commercial mouth guards to curb this problem, but still, they may not be available in the environment setting of where the attack happens.

The fear of being sued is another common problem that passersby suffer when looking to help an accident victim or cardiac arrest patient.

A passerby fear may persist despite the availability of Good Samaritan laws in many countries and states that protect volunteers of medical emergencies.

Administering CPR Steps: How to Resuscitate Correctly

The procedure for carrying out a CPR is simple but has a tremendous impact when you get to save a life. Anyone can administer basic lifesaving CPR since no expertise is needed.

Here are a few steps to guide you in executing CPR:

Position your hand on top of the victim’s chest: make sure you put the victim on a firm surface in a supine position. Kneel on the side and position the heel of your hand on the center position of his/her chest.

Interlock your fingers: your arms should stay straight, use your other hand to cover the first hand by the heel and then interlock the fingers on both your hands. The fingers should be kept raised without touching the victim’s chest and ribcage.

Apply chest compressions: lean forward to place your shoulders vertically above the victim’s chest and compress his/her chest 2 inches deep. Relieve pressure from the chest without removing your hands to let the chest rise back up.

The compression of the chest should be administered at a rate of 100 compressions/60 seconds for 30 full compressions.

Open the victim’s airway: Tilt the victim’s head and lift their chin to assist in opening the airway allowing their mouth to open slightly

Watch for the rise and fall of the chest: when you are performing rescue breaths, it is essential that you take impulsive glances on the victim to see if they are showing any sign of respiration.

The rise and fall of the chest is a standard indicator of breathing in an individual.

Repeat the chest compressions while issuing rescue breaths: Repeat the procedure by placing your hands back on the chest and do a complete cycle of 30 full compressions.

When Should You Stop CPR?

It is equally helpful to know when to cease performing CPR as it is in knowing when to do them.

Here are a few indications to use, to determine whether to stop CPR on a victim:

When you notice signs of life – You should stop performing CPR on a victim if he/she indicates the presence of life. This is mostly signified by opening the eyes, breathing, sound, and movements.

However, if you stop and the victim becomes unresponsive again, it is advisable that you continue with the compression.

Fatigue – There is a limit to the amount of CPR one can perform in a given time. Chest compressions are an extremely physical activity and might cause fatigue for the rescuer after a specific time.

If you feel that you are fatigued from the process of CPR and you think you are incapable of carrying forth, you can stop giving CPR without being held liable for his/her situation.

However, abandoning the victim without prior help may be an act of negligence, and you might be held accountable.

Experienced personnel takes over – It goes without saying that when the medical staff arrives at the scene, you should surrender the victim to them since they are trained to handle the situation better.

Patients with chronic illnesses – If after you commence on giving CPR, new knowledge comes to the view that the victim might be suffering from a chronic disease such as cancer, then you should opt to stop the compressions.

Often, patients that are suffering from chronic illnesses fail to revive after going into cardiac arrest.

If they are lucky to live, they suffer from brain damage to which they require the assistance of a life-saving machine to keep them alive.

Sometimes the patient may have signed an order of no resuscitation in case of such an attack. In the case of such a scenario, it is advisable to obey the wishes of the victim and stop reviving him/her since it may turn to a legal issue.

Conclusion

It is vital to get acquainted with basic first aid skills, more so lifesaving tactics like CPRs. Online CPR classes are available for anyone looking to undergo lifesaving CPR training. They are an excellent alternative for busy people who can’t spare some time to go to a physical class. Take your practice today and save a life!