How and When to Administer CPR

I love the TV series Grey’s anatomy and everything medical, well, almost everything, except the dead bodies we used in anatomy dissection and the stressful number of work hours. I think the first thing that attracted me to the series Greys anatomy was a trailer for one of the earliest seasons that I saw on TV. Part of the trailer included a scene with CPR being performed, and all the attending urgency and desperation. I think for every health worker, CPR and chest compressions are one of the first things that come to mind when faced with an emergency situation. 

But, CPR is not just for health workers, it’s for everyone, because anyone can be at a scene where a person is in need of emergency resuscitation. From offering help to someone who almost drowned, to a family relative who collapses at a family dinner. CPR is a life saving skill that everyone should have.

WHAT IS CPR?

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It’s a life-saving technique useful in many emergencies like a heart attack or near drowning, where someone’s breathing or heartbeat has stopped. It is given to someone who is in cardiac arrest. It helps to pump blood around the person’s body when the heart can’t.

The goal of CPR is to keep oxygen flowing in and out of the lungs and to keep oxygenated blood flowing through the body. Immediate CPR can double or triple chances of survival after cardiac arrest. This will delay tissue death. CPR helps keep blood and oxygen flowing and greatly increases the chances of survival in those who suffer a cardiac arrest.

WHY SHOULD YOU LEARN AND PERFORM CPR?

The American Heart Association recommends it for everyone, both untrained bystanders and medical personnel. Here are some of the reasons why this is important:

1. CPR effectively keeps blood flowing and provides oxygen to the brain and other vital organs, giving the victim a better chance for full recovery. 88% of people who suffer from a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital die. However, when CPR is properly and promptly performed, it can dramatically improve a person’s chance of survival.  

2. CPR saves lives. Even though heart disease is on the rise, CPR can help save lives. According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurred in 2016. Anyone can learn CPR.

3. Anyone can learn CPR and everyone should. The American Heart Association reports that 70% of people feel helpless to act in the event of a cardiac emergency because they do not know how to effectively administer CPR, hence they are unable to help in an emergency situation that requires it. This is why everyone should learn CPR.

4. The life you save may be that of a loved one. Did you know that 4 out of 5 cardiac arrests occur at home? Not only that, but many victims of sudden cardiac arrest appear healthy and may not have any known heart diseases or risk factors. Performing CPR promptly may save the life of someone you love.

5. It prevents brain death. Brain death occurs 4 to 6 minutes after the heart stops breathing. CPR effectively keeps blood flowing and provides oxygen to the brain and other vital organs, giving the victim a better chance for full recovery.

WHEN TO PERFORM CPR

CPR should only be used if someone is:

• Unconscious and not breathing
• Unconscious and not breathing normally

Always call for an ambulance before starting CPR. Then keep doing CPR until professional help arrives and takes over, or the person starts to show signs of regaining consciousness. If you become tired, take turns with the other people nearby.

HOW TO PERFORM CPR

To carry out CPR a person presses up and down on the casualty’s chest (chest compressions) and gives them a series of rescue breaths to help save their life when they are in cardiac arrest.

This is how to do it correctly as recommended by the red cross:

1. Check the scene and the person
   Make sure the scene is safe, then tap the person on the shoulder and shout “Are you OK?” to ensure that the person needs help.

2. Call for assistance.
   If it’s evident that the person needs help, call (or ask a bystander to call or go get an ambulance or the nearest health facility). If a doctor is unavailable, or there is no bystander to help, stay with the victim, call for help and begin administering assistance.

3. Open the airway.
   With the person lying on his or her back, tilt the head back slightly to lift the chin. Check for breathing. Listen carefully, for not more than 10 seconds, for sounds of breathing. (Occasional gasping sounds are not breathing sounds.) If there is no breathing begin CPR.

4. Push hard, push fast. Place your hands, one on top of the other, in the middle of the chest. Use your body weight to help you administer compressions that are at least 2 inches deep and delivered at a rate of at least 100 compressions per minute.

5. Deliver rescue breaths. With the person’s head tilted back slightly and the chin lifted, pinch the nose shut and place your mouth over the person’s mouth to make a complete seal. Blow into the person’s mouth to make the chest rise. Deliver two rescue breaths, then continue compressions.

Note: If the chest does not rise with the initial rescue breath, re-tilt the head before delivering the second breath. If the chest doesn’t rise with the second breath, the person may be choking. After each set of 30 chest compressions, and before attempting breaths, look for any object or substance blocking the air passages, and, if seen, remove it. 

6. Continue CPR steps.
   Keep performing cycles of chest compressions and breathing until the person exhibits signs of life, such as breathing, or a trained medical responder arrives on scene.

Note: End the cycles if the scene becomes unsafe or you cannot continue performing CPR due to exhaustion.

To see the steps to perform CPR in action, you can watch this video.

HOW DOES CPR HELP?

By performing chest compressions and rescue breaths, you are taking over the role of the victim’s heart and lungs, pumping blood and oxygen around their body.

Every second counts, because any delay can quickly reduce a person’s chance of survival.

Signs of regaining consciousness include:

1. Coughing
2. Opening their eyes
3. Speaking or moving purposefully
4. Starting to breathe normally.

Stop CPR if the person regains consciousness. If the person starts to breathe normally but is still unconscious, put them in the recovery position and pay attention to their breathing until help arrives.