CPR and Heimlich maneuver

What is CPR?: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure involving chest compressions and artificial respiration. It has the power to restore blood flow to someone suffering cardiac arrest, keeping them alive until an ambulance arrives.

What is a cardiac arrest?: When the heart stops beating regularly and can no longer pump blood trough the body.

Why get trained?:Once the heart stops pumping, seconds count. For every minute that passes without help, a person's chance of surviving drops by about 10%. But if you know how to respond to a cardiac arrest, their odds of survival and recovery may increase by 30% or more.

How to perform CPR?: 1. Make sure the environment is safe for you 2. Then send someone to call 911 3. Check for the person conscieness. 4. Check for breathing signs 5. Give two insufflations 6.Check for heart beat 7.Proceed to chest compressions (30) 8. Give two insufflations 9. Repeat step 7&8 until the ambulance arrives or the person give any signs of life.

For children 2-12 : Instead of 30 chest compressions give 15 and with only one hand.

How to perform Heimlich maneuver : Look for signs that the person is choking, the Universal sign is; hands clutched to the throat. Step behind the person. Wrap your arms around the waist. Tip the person forward slightly. Make a fist with one hand. Position it slightly above the person's navel. Grasp the fist with the other hand. Press hard into the abdomen with a quick, upward thrust- as if trying to lift the person up. Repeat until the blockage is dislodged.