When a teenager or adult collapses suddenly, it can be a scary situation. While you can’t change what has already happened, you have the ability to act quickly and potentially save a life. Many people experience anxiety at the possibility of hurting the victim or doing something wrong, but CPR can save lives and the victim is better off with help than without.
In case you do see a teenager or adult suddenly collapse, these are the steps to follow:
In case you do see a teenager or adult suddenly collapse, these are the steps to follow:
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I remember cautions against too much compression, lest the sternum be cracked. Still, it almost sounds like any CPR done within limits is better than nothing.
You're absolutely right. The AHA actually just released a statement about how CPR by an untrained bystander is better than not helping at all:
http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=634267
www.heart.org/presenter.jhtml
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The American Heart Association(AHA), and American Red Cross both have non-heathcare provider courses that are great for the lay rescuer. I implore everyone to seek proper training for this technique for there is a lot that can be harmed by improper hand placement, and non correct depth of compression.
my credentials on this subject. I AM AN AHA CPR INSTRUCTOR FOR THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER LEVEL, as well as an AHA first aid instructor.
First, you should check for a pulse, to make sure you even need to be doing this. If the heart is already beating, you don't want to mess it up.
Breathing is important, you need to check to see if the victim is breathing. The whole point is to keep oxygen circulating through the body. If you make sure there is a clear air-way, they might start on their own anyway. There are other methods of resuscitation other than mouth-mouth. You can also use a barrier, like thin cloth.
The position of your hands on the sternum is important, there is a tiny, triangle shaped bone at the base, which can be broken off pretty easily. Use two fingers to measure up from the base.
100 compressions per minute seem like a really high rate, but it's been a long time.
This instructable is misleading and dangerous!
CPR should ONLY be administered if a victim's heart has STOPPED beating.
CPR stands for cardio pulminary resuscitation, and if given to someone WITH a pulse, can KILL them!
There are many precautionary steps that should be taken before administering CPR (such as making sure the victim in fact does NOT have a pulse), and there are many important pieces of information this instructable is missing, such as proper hand positioning, the depth of each compression, how frequently to check the victim's vital signs (and how to do so)
PLEASE, do not attempt cpr if you do not know what you are doing, because you may cause someone who DOES know CPR to leave the scene. If you are not CPR certified, the good samaritan laws will not protect you, and you could be prosecuted in the court of law!
Why is everyone so scared of breathing into someone elses mouth anyways?