Giving CPR to a child or baby | Paediatric First Aid Refresher | iHASCO

If a child or baby is unresponsive and not breathing normally, then you’ll need to give them cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR. CPR is a combination of chest compressions and rescue breaths which you’ll need to do if their heart has stopped beating. By doing rescue breaths you’re acting as their lungs by helping to top up the oxygen; and by doing chest compressions you’re acting as their heart by keeping the blood pumping around their body.
Before you start CPR ask someone to call the emergency services if this hasn’t been done already. If you’re on your own and the emergency services haven’t been called yet, you need to do CPR for one minute BEFORE you call for help.
To find out more about first aid procedures and how to perform them on children and babies, follow the link below for your free trial on our Paediatric First Aid Refresher -
www.ihasco.co.uk/courses/deta...
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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
If a child or baby is unresponsive and not breathing normally, then you’ll need to give them cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR.
CPR is a combination of chest compressions and rescue breaths which you’ll need to do if their heart has stopped beating. By doing rescue breaths you’re acting as their lungs by helping to top up the oxygen; and by doing chest compressions you’re acting as their heart by keeping the blood pumping around their body. Before you start CPR ask someone to call the emergency services if this hasn’t been done already.
If you’re on your own and the emergency services haven’t been called yet, you need to do CPR for one minute BEFORE you call for help.
It’s really important that you start CPR immediately. And, if the child is over 1 year old, and there’s a chance that there’s an automated external defibrillator or AED at the location and there’s someone who can help you, tell them to get the AED quickly. To give CPR to a child or baby, this is what to do:
• Lay them down on their back on a firm surface.
• Make sure their airway is open by putting one of your hands on their forehead and gently tipping their head back using two fingers placed under their chin.
• Give them 5 rescue breaths.
• To give a rescue breath this is what to do: take a breath and, if it’s a baby place your lips around their mouth and nose. For a child pinch their nose firmly closed and seal your lips around their mouth.
• Blow gently and steadily into their mouth for one second, watching for their chest to rise.
• Keeping their head tilted and their chin lifted, take your mouth away and watch for their chest to fall as the air comes out.
• If their chest rises and falls, you have successfully given a single rescue breath.
• Repeat 4 more times. If their chest doesn’t rise, try adjusting the position of their head and try again.
• You now need to give them 30 chest compressions.
• To give chest compressions, this is what to do: lean over them with your arms straight.
• For a baby place two fingertips on their chest or for a child place the heel of one of your hands in the centre of their chest, generally level with their nipples. For a large child you may need to use both hands with your fingers interlocked together.
• Try to keep your hands or fingertips away from their ribcage, so you won’t be pressing down on their ribs.
• Push firmly in the middle of their chest about a third of its depth.
• Release the pressure without removing your hands or fingertips from their chest. Allow their chest to come back up fully - this is one compression - before giving the next compression.
• Compress their chest 30 times at a rate of about twice per second. This is quite fast - it’s roughly the speed of the Bee Gee’s song ‘Staying Alive’.
• Now give two more rescue breaths. Carry on giving 30 chest compressions, followed by two rescue breaths until help arrives.
If another first aider arrives you can switch positions every two minutes while waiting for emergency help. If it’s really clear that the child or baby is breathing normally on their own - for example if they start coughing, making a sound or moving - stop CPR and put them in the appropriate recovery position, keeping their head tilted back. It’s important to keep monitoring them. If they stop breathing or become unresponsive or unconscious again, you’ll need to restart CPR.
Stay with them, keep talking to them to reassure them.
Even if they’re too young to understand you the sound of your voice will be soothing and reassuring for them. However, unless it’s really obvious that they’re breathing on their own you should continue full CPR until the emergency services arrive to take over or until someone brings an AED and it prompts you to stop.

[@marinestorres5463]

thanks

[@thekaraokemistresspeacepri4958]

Thank you for this

[@nileshvagal]

Is it two breaths or five ??