ADULT CPR
Controllable Risk Factors
- Smoking
- Untreated high blood pressure
- High fat diet
- Lack of exercise
- Obesity
Non-Controllable Risk factors
- Age
- Male
- Race
- Heredity/genetics
SECTION ONE: Know the signs
- Four most common life threatening emergencies
- Heart attack
- Cardiac arrest
- Stroke
- Choking with a blocked airway
- Heart Attack Symptoms are:
- Victim is usually awake and can talk
- Severe pain or pressure in center of chest lasting several minutes
- Nausea
- Cold sweats
- Light-headedness
- Shortness of breath
- Cardiac Arrest
- Often caused by abnormal heart rhythm called Ventricular Fibrillation. A condition where the heart quivers uselessly and can’t pump blood, when blood does not reach the brain; the victim collapses, becomes unresponsive and cannot breath normally.
- Could have occasional gasping breaths or no breathing at all.
- Stroke Symptoms are:
- Slurred speech
- Severe headache
- Blurred or double vision
- Dizziness/falling
- Weakness on one side of the body or face
- Nausea
- Choking with a blocked airway
- Victim cannot cough, talk or breath
- Causes
- Foreign body
- Relaxed tongue in an unresponsive victim
- Swollen air passage (allergic reaction or medical condition)
Adult Chain of Survival
- Early access: call 911
- Early CPR
- Early defibrillation
- Early Advanced Care
If they are choking, FIRST try to expel the object, if they become unresponsive: call 911 immediately
ADULT CPR STEPS
- Make sure the scene is safe
- Check for unresponsiveness
- Yell for Help
- Phone 911
- Open airway, check for breathing (look, listen and feel for breathing!)
- Perform rescue breathing (enough air to make the chest rise and fall)
- Give two slow rescue breaths
- Perform 30 compressions (30 compressions / 2 breaths)
Chest compressions
Place the heel of one hand on the center of the breast bone between the nipples and over the lower half of the breast bone/place the heel of the other hand on top of first hand
As you look down, position your body directly over your hands/keeping arms straight, press downward about 1 ½ to 2 inches at a rate of 100 times per minute. Release pressure completely between each compression but don’t lift hands off the chest.
Choking
Always ask the victim:
- Are you choking?
- Can you speak?
- I am going to help you.
