Learn life saving skills - CPR

St John Ambulance, the nation’s leading first aid charity, is bringing you some simple, but life saving, first aid tips – this week: cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on an adult.

If you see or find someone who has become unresponsive and they are not breathing normally they could be in cardiac arrest. You need to act quickly as they’ll only have a chance of surviving if they receive lifesaving first aid immediately. 

What you need to do: 

• Shout for help.
• Open the airway to check if they are breathing normally. Tilt their head back with one hand on the forehead and lift the chin with two fingers from the other hand. Look for chest movement, listen for breaths and feel for breath on your cheek. Take no longer than 10 seconds to do this.  
• If they are not breathing normally or you are unsure, assume that they are not breathing normally and get emergency help - ask a bystander to call 999 or 112 or call them yourself whilst staying with the casualty.
• Ask a bystander to find and bring an AED, if available. Start doing CPR with chest compressions straight away. Do not leave a casualty to look for an AED yourself.  

CPR:

• Kneel by the casualty’s chest and put the heel of your hand in the middle of their chest, put your other hand on top and lock your fingers together lifting them off the ribs.  
• Keep your arms straight and lean over the casualty so that your weight goes through your arms to your hands and the chest. Press down hard to a depth of about 5-6cm before releasing the pressure, allowing the chest to return, but keeping your hands in contact with the chest. Repeat the compressions 30 times; at a rate of about 100-120 compressions per minute.  
• Then open the airway again to prepare to perform rescue breaths.
• Pinch the soft part of the nose closed. Allow the mouth to fall open. With the head still tilted, take a breath in and place your mouth over the casualty’s, forming a seal. Blow in, taking one second to do this, until the chest rises. Take your mouth away and watch the chest fall. Repeat the rescue breath, so that 2 breaths are given.
• If you are not trained or willing to perform rescue breaths, give continuous chest compressions. 
• Continue to perform chest compressions, alternating after 30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths, if able, until: emergency help arrives and takes over, the person starts showing signs of life and starts to breathe normally, or you are too exhausted to continue.

For more information go to www.sja.org.uk

Article supplied by Kate Rutsch