ABC of CPR (1983) Pt. 1 of 2

it's given to feuless to save a life in an operating theatre by snatching it from the sea or rescuing it from a fire but faced with this a person who is suddenly not breathing and whose heart perhaps has stopped as well most of us can save a life if we know the ABC of cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR to live we need oxygen the vital ingredient in that air that we breathe in and out several times a minute every minute of our lives when we breathe in air is drawn through the nose and mouth down the throat and windpipe and into the lungs in the lungs some of the oxygen from the air is transferred to the blood which is then pumped by the heart to all the tissues of the body if the blood is deprived of that oxygen or the heart stops pumping the blood then you die unless someone does something quickly and quickly usually means the for medical help can get there you can be deprived of oxygen by drowning by breathing gases or fumes that contain little or no oxygen by suffocation or by choking on your own tongue while you're unconscious it often happens in accidents you can't breathe if a heavy weight is on your chest and there are certain drugs which interfere with the nerves which control breathing but whatever the cause if breathing stops for more than three minutes or so the heart stops as well in electrocution the nerves which control breathing and the heart can be paralyzed simultaneously with an unconscious person act quickly without panicking listen for breathing and feel for it with your cheek while watching the chest if he's not breathing then support the nape of his neck tilt his head backwards extend his neck and pull his chin forwards this makes an airway without which everything else you do is pointless often with an unconscious person the tongue has dropped to the back of the throat blocking the airway when you open the airway by tilting the head back this may turn out to be the only thing you have to do to restore the casualties breathing yes it really can be that easy to save a life so a in our ABC stands for airway see that it's open you should clear the mouth as well of false teeth food and other debris and if he is now breathing tuck the arm nearest to you under his body cross his ankles then gently roll him towards you put his knee up to stabilize him and his arm spread comfortably and he's now in the recovery position there's no danger of his choking if he vomits and remember head back to keep that airway open if opening and clearing the airway is not enough then you'll have to breathe for him using the kiss of life mouth-to-mouth ventilation it's based on this simple principle about 20% of the air you breathe in consists of that vital ingredient oxygen but the air you breathe out contains almost as much about 16 percent quite enough for someone who has none at all what it amounts to in practice is taking a deep breath pinching his nostrils together and blowing into his lungs watch to see that his chest rises showing that his airway is open and clear that's the general idea but in fact you start by giving for rapid inflation's first without watching his chest after that build up a rhythm watching the chest all the time the rate doesn't matter much your own natural rate of breathing will do just keep the nostrils closed make a good seal with your mouth and get air in you can if you like close his mouth instead and breathe through his nose a technique often used with children or if the mouth is injured or inaccessible just get air in as soon as you detect spontaneous breathing put him in the recovery position let's look at a real-life example