Page 1 How to Perform CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, more commonly known as CPR, is a method used on victims in cardiac arrest in attempt to restore breathing and blood circulation. These instructions will detail how to perform CPR step by step on a victim in need. Please note that reading these instructions do not make you an expert at administering CPR. In order to be confident in your CPR skills you should practice many times on a practice dummy. Furthermore, these instructions do not qualify you to perform CPR in any professional setting. If you wish to be certified to perform CPR, you should seek a class that will properly train and prepare you for any CPR related incident. Table of Contents What you will need 2 Survey the Scene 2 Primary Assessment 2 Administering CPR 4 Hand Placement 4 Compressions 5 Breaths 5 Reassessing 7 5 Reasons to Stop CPR 8
Page 2 WARNING: PERFORMING CPR ON ANY PERSON THAT DOES NOT NEED CPR AS THESE INSTRUCTIONS DESCRIBE CAN BE EXTREMELY HARMFUL AND POSSIBLY LETHAL TO THIS PERSON. What You Will Need CPR Mask Access to a phone. Survey the Scene 1. Before approaching the victim, check to make sure that the scene is safe for you to proceed for no less than 10 seconds. 2. If there is anything in the area that could pose a danger to you, do not proceed. Do not put yourself in harm s way. If for any reason the scene should become unsafe during this process, do not proceed. Immediately stop and move yourself to somewhere that is safe. You may continue CPR if the scene again becomes safe. Your safety is the number one priority. Primary Assessment 1. If the scene is safe, approach the victim and tap them 2-3 times on the shoulder to see if they are responsive. NOTE: If there is a response, do not continue with instructions. STOP. The victim is conscious and not in need of CPR. They may be in need of some other form of medical attention that these instructions do not detail or none at all. Performing CPR could be extremely harmful to the victim. 2. Call 911. If a phone is not available to you, leave the victim to go find a phone and call 911, then return to the victim to give CPR. 3. Lay the victim flat on their back with their arms at their side and their head facing upward if they are not already in this position.
Page 3 4. If the victim is unresponsive assess their condition. 4.1. Place your index and middle fingers of either hand on the victim s carotid artery, applying light pressure. The carotid artery is located on the victim s neck, approximately two inches to the left or right of where a man s Adam s apple would be. See Figure 1. NOTE: It is Important not to cross your arm over the victim s body when checking their carotid artery. Every person has a carotid artery on each side of their neck, so you must check the carotid artery on the side of the victim s body that you are already on. Figure 1: Placing your fingers on the carotid artery 4.2.Place your ear approximately one inch above the victim s mouth, with their mouth open and your head looking down towards the victim s chest. 4.2.1. Open the victim s mouth if needed. 4.3. Remain in this position for 10 seconds, practicing the following procedures simultaneously and counting the seconds out loud. 4.3.1. LOOK: While looking down at the victim s chest, watch to see if their chest is rising and falling, indicating that they are breathing. 4.3.2. LISTEN: With your ear over the victim s open mouth listen for the victim s breath, indicating that they are breathing.
Page 4 4.3.3. FEEL: With your two fingers on the victim s neck feel for a pulse, indicating that their heart is beating. 4.3.4. FEEL: With your face over the victim s mouth, feel for breath from the victim on your face, indicating that they are breathing. 4.4. If the victim does not have a pulse and is not breathing, begin CPR. NOTE: If the victim has a pulse and is breathing, do not continue. STOP. If the victim has a pulse with no breathing, do not continue. STOP. The victim does not need CPR, but may need other medical attention not outlined in these instructions. Performing CPR could be extremely harmful to the victim. Administering CPR Hand Placement 1. Place the heel of one of your hands at the bottom of the victim s sternum, approximately 1 inch below the nipple line. See Figure 2 for correct hand placement. 2. Place your other hand, palm down, on top of the hand already on the victim s sternum. 3. Interlock your fingers, closing the fingers of your top hand through the webbing of the fingers of your bottom hand. See Figure 2. American Heart Association Figure 2: Proper hand placement.
Page 5 Compressions 1. Thrust downward with your hands approximately 2 inches deep into the victim s chest. 2. Perform 30 of these thrusts in succession, at a rate of 100 thrusts per minute. NOTE: 30 compressions should take approximately 18 seconds. It may help to thrust to the beat of Staying Alive by the Bee Gees or Another One Bites the Dust by Queen if you know either of these songs. 3. Count your thrusts out loud as you perform them, so if someone arrives to take over for you they know how far along you are. Breaths 1. Remove your CPR mask from its container. 2. Place the CPR mask on the victim s face, with the protruding side facing up and the hollow side over the victim s mouth. The pointed end should be over the victim s nose and the rounded end should be over their mouth. See Figure 3. Figure 3: Proper CPR Mask placement
Page 6 3. Create a seal between the CPR mask and the victim s face. 3.1. Create a C with your index finger and thumb. 3.2. Place the entire area from your index finger to your thumb palm down on the side of the mask, applying pressure. See Figure 4. 3.3. Repeat with your other hand. Note: Depending on your body placement in relation to the victim, you may put your hands on either side of the mask, logically, as long as each hand is on the opposite side as the other and the insides of the C s you have formed are facing each other. See Figure 4. 3.4. Apply pressure so that the bubble section of the mask is tight against the victim s face so that no air can escape. airwayjedi.com Figure 4: Hand placement on CPR mask to create a seal. 4. Place your lips around the cylindrical mouth piece of the CPR mask. 5. Breathe one full breath into the mouthpiece. The breath should last approximately 10 seconds.
Page 7 6. Give one more breath for one more second, keeping the seal. 7. Return to giving compressions. 8. Repeat entire Administering CPR section. This process should be done a total of 5 which is approximately 2 minutes. 9. Count every full cycle of CPR out loud, so if someone takes over for you they know how many cycles have been completed. Reassessing 1. Remove the CPR from the victim s face. 2. Return to previous position with two fingers on the victim s carotid artery and your ear above their mouth, looking down towards their chest. 3. Look, listen, and feel for 10 seconds. 4a. If victim still has no pulse and is not breathing, perform 5 more cycles of CPR (repeat Administering CPR section again). 4b. If the victim now has a pulse but is not breathing, administer Rescue Breaths (Instructions Not Included). 4c. If the victim now has a pulse and is breathing, even if it is only light breathing, lay them on their side in recovery position. See Figure 5. wikimedia Figure 5: Recovery position.
Page 8 4c.1. Extend the arm on which side they are laying completely straight above their head, so their head can rest on it. 4c.2. Bend their other arm across their body, placing the hard under the victim s face, for their face to rest on. 4c.3. Bend their knees slightly, so they do not fall over. 5. With the victim in recovery position, stay with them and monitor their condition, checking for pulse and breathing every few minutes. 5 Reasons to Stop CPR There are five reasons why you should stop CPR. If you encounter any of these, STOP immediately. 1. The scene becomes unsafe. 2. Paramedics, or someone with a higher medical ranking than you, arrives to help. 3. An AED arrives. See Figure 6. 4. You become fatigued beyond your safety. Your safety is always top priority. 5. The victim becomes conscious or shows obvious signs of life. Dan Woong Figure 6: AED