You are walking through the city streets when suddenly a women collapses to the ground. She appears unresponsive and her face appears pale. People surround her as somebody dials 911 on their cell phone. Her chest fails to rise and fall depriving her body of life sustaining oxygen and her lips are beginning to assume a worrisome bluish tint. What do you do? Will you be an impassible standbyer as life slips away from her or will you jump into action and be the hero bringing her back to life?
If you have learned the ABC’s of CPR ( Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) very likely you will be ready to take action. You will know how to respond in such an emergency and you may be able to ultimately save a life.
How CPR works
In order to work well CPR must be administered immediately. There is a grace period of 4-6 minutes before permanent death of the brain cells takes place where the victim may not be any longer brought back to life. Most common causes of cardio pulmonary arrest are as follows: stroke, cardiac infarction, drowning, choking, blood loss, drug overdose, electric shock, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Of course, before administering CPR, you will need to evaluate that they really need CPR. You want to start out by trying to arouse them by calling their name, tapping their shoulder or gently shaking them for a response. Then if there is not response,- you must dial 911 and immediately start looking for signs of cardio- pulmonary arrest. Look for the typical rise and fall of the chest and place your ear near the victim’s nostrils to hear and feel the air flow. You do not want to spend more than 10 seconds in determining if the person is breathing or not as precious minutes are slipping away.
If there are no signs of breathing, then this is a sign that the victim is suffering from cardio- pulmonar arrest. Cardio- pulmonary arrest takes place when the heart is no longer pumping life sustaining oxygen rich blood to several vital organs and the heart itself. With the body deprived of oxygen rich blood, lungs stop working, brain cells die and the heart begins a process known as necrosis (tissue death).
The typical CPR position where the victim is placed lying on its back with his/her neck tilted back and the chin lifted upwards has a specific function. When a person becomes unconscious often the tongue relaxes and rolls back on itself blocking airflow. You do not want to perform CPR and then make it totally ineffective because the tongue is blocking airflow!
When performing CPR it is also a good idea to check if there are any objects or food blocking the airway especially if the victim was suspected of choking. The food or object may be tried to be expelled either manually by looking in the mouth and throat and dislodging it with fingers or through forceful compressions of the abdomen (Heimlich maneuvers). If no foreign object is found lodged and the victim is still not breathing, mouth to mouth resuscitation along with chest compressions must be started.
Pinching the victim’s nose close before starting CPR ensures that the breaths given are delivered effectively and straight to the lungs. As you fill the lungs, you will see the victim’s chest rise first and then deflate after you remove your mouth and the air escapes through the victim’s mouth. For people hesitant in providing CPR because they fear transmission of diseases such as HIV or influenza, special masks can be used for extra protection.
The action of performing chest compressions imitates the pumping action of the heart, eventually restoring blood flow to the oxygen starving body. At the same time, blowing into the victim’s mouth imitates the expansion of the lungs, eventually restoring the flow of air to the oxygen lacking body.
CPR works best when the two actions are performed in a sequence of 2 breaths and 30 chest compressions. In order for the chest compressions to work well, you must place your hands in the center of the chest and push down at least 2 inches deep as this is the best way to effectively restore blood flow.
However, it is important to note that CPR not always works. If the victim was very sick before CPR is started he or she may not be restored to breathing. Even when professionals use CPR there are times where their efforts do not work. On the other hand, when CPR does work, it may not immediately restore health to the victim but it may provide prescious minutes before health care personnel arrive on the scene. These minutes are what can make the difference between life and death. So where do you stand? Will you watch next time or take action? It’s all up to you, take a CPR class and be prepared!
