4 Things to Do Before Your Perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation or CPR is an extremely useful skill. Knowing how to perform it means that you could potentially save a life when the need arises.

However, if you don’t know the proper technique, you could actually do more damage than good. For instance, if you use more force than needed, you could potentially fracture the victim’s ribs or spine. Therefore, it’s very important that you attend a profession CPR training course learn to do it the right way.

In addition, you might not actually need to administer CPR at all. That’s why in this article, we’re going to take a look at the things you need to do before you move onto cardiopulmonary resuscitation. By following these steps, you’ll make sure that you’re always doing the appropriate thing to save someone’s life.

Check Whether There’s an Immediate Danger

Is there a fire nearby? Is the person lying unconscious in the middle of a road? In scenarios like this, the very first thing you need to do is to first deal with the immediate danger. For instance, if smoke is filling up the room, the first thing you need to do is shut off the source (like a stove). However, if there is nothing you can do to control the danger, then you have to move the person and yourself to a safe area before you attempt CPR.

Check Whether the Victim Is Responding

You don’t want to administer CPR if you can bring the person back to consciousness with a simpler method. The very first thing to do is to tap their shoulder gently and ask them loudly whether they’re okay. If they’re able to respond, then CPR is not necessary. However, if they’re still unconscious, try pinching their earlobe or rubbing their sternum.

If there is still no response, move on to checking their pulse.

Call for Help

Before you begin CPR, you want to make sure an emergency medical service team is on their way. If you’re with someone else, get them to call dial 000, which is the emergency hotline in Australia.

Give the dispatcher clear details about the location and inform them that you’re about to perform CPR. Keep them on speaker while you go through all the steps so that they can properly advise you on any updated techniques. It’ll also give you some confidence to have a professional guide you through the process.

Check Whether the Victim Is Breathing

The very last thing you need to do before you administer CPR is to check whether the victim is breathing normally. Check for chest movements and bring your ear close to his/her mouth and nose to check for breathing sounds.

Pry their mouth open, tilt their head back and check whether there are any visible objects blocking the airways. You can even probe using your fingers but be careful not to send them too far back.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is something that everyone should learn. It can really come in handy when someone is in immediate need of medical attention. However, you must also make sure that CPR is absolutely the right course of action. That’s why the above four steps should be followed before you proceed with the actual procedure.