Let’s start by clearing up one common misconception. Cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) does not restart the circulatory system. The purpose of CPR is to maintain the supply of oxygen to the brain and other vital organs until the patient can receive professional medical aid from a doctor, nurse or paramedic who may be able to restart the heart or until a defibrillator becomes available.
If a patients heart stops beating due to injury, illness or shock or if it is beating in an ineffective manner, as in the case of a heart in fibrillation (often known as a heart attack), the circulation stops which cuts the supply of oxygen to the brain, internal organs and the body’s other tissues. WIthout oxygen the brain will suffer irreversible brain damage within less than five minutes, most other organs can survive longer without permanent damage. If a limited circulation of blood can be the maintained then the body will automatically divert it to the brain to keep it alive. That is what CPR is intended to do, prevent permanent brain damage from occurring, it will not cause a persons heart to restart, as you often see in films.
Once you are certain a person is not breathing, have attempted to open the airway to remove any blockage and are certain they are unresponsive you can then attempt CPR.
Locate their breast bone, this is the length of bone in the centre of the chest, (it runs along its length like the spine on the back) and separates the two halves of the rib cage.
Place the heel of your hand on the breast bone between the nipples.
Place your other hand on top of that hand so as its palm is pushing down on the back of it.
Kneeling down lean forwards so you are looking down at your casualty and able to push straight down.
Push down with your hands onto the breastbone, the depth you should be compression the chest by is approximately a third its depth.
Perform thirty of these, approximatly one every second or to the beat of Nelly the elephant or Another one bites the dust!
After thirty cycles open the patients airway and attempt two rescue breaths, close their nostrils and blow in their mouth as hard as you can.
Return to thirty chest compressions.
Continue with this sequence until you are physically incapable of continuing (it is tiring), are yourself in danger or a paramedic tells you to stop.
Before starting CPR ensure that an ambulance has been called, given the correct address and told that the patient is not breathing. THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN STARTING CPR!
