If you are in an emergency situation where a person faints or you come across an unconscious individual, you need to check if they need cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This is a "life-saving" first aid technique and should only be performed when the victim really needs it. To figure out if you can proceed, you first need to check your airways, breathing, and blood circulation.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Check for Responsiveness
Step 1. Assess the situation
When you come across an unconscious person or witness a fainting, look at your surroundings to see if you can reach the victim without endangering your safety. You also need to check if there is a space large enough to operate and help. If the victim is in immediate danger (e.g. in the middle of the road), try to move him to a safe place before attempting any maneuvers - however, don't risk injuring yourself. If you throw yourself into a dangerous situation, you could hurt yourself as well. This way, not only can you not help the person you were trying to save, but you also provide emergency personnel with another victim to deal with.
Proceed with caution if you are concerned that there may be spinal or neck trauma, for example if the person has fallen from a considerable height or at the scene of the car accident you notice signs of an obvious serious injury. Anyone who has fallen from a height or been involved in a traffic accident should be treated as a victim of spinal trauma
Step 2. Talk to the person
One of the best techniques for checking an individual's level of consciousness is to talk to them. Ask him questions like, "What's your name?" and "Can you hear me?"; in this way, you can awaken him from whatever confused state he is in and induce him to respond. You can also touch his shoulder or arm while talking to him for the same effect.
If you get no response, try yelling once or twice to awaken the victim. Say words like "Hey!" or "Can you hear me?" to make them regain consciousness
Step 3. Rub the sternum
This procedure helps you determine if the person is completely non-reactive. You should not perform CPR on a person who has difficulty responding but who maintains circulatory and respiratory function. First, close your hand into a fist and rub the breastbone with your knuckles applying firm pressure.
- You can also grab her shoulder muscles between her thumb and other fingers and squeeze tightly at the hollow above her collarbone. As you perform these tests, lean over the victim and pay attention to any sounds or signs that indicate breathing.
- All people who are unconscious but who breathe awaken to the stimulus of pain.
- Observe his reactions and inform the medical staff as soon as he arrives at the scene of the accident.
Part 2 of 4: Check the Airways
Step 1. Position the victim
Before you can check the airways, you need to put the person in the right position. If you notice any bodily fluid (vomit, blood, etc.) around his mouth, wear gloves and remove it to clear the respiratory tract before moving the victim to the supine position. Roll it on its back on a flat surface, so that the body is stretched out and thus facilitate the intervention maneuvers. Make sure his hands are at his sides, his back and legs are straight.
Take a moment to gently push his shoulders back. With this movement, you dilate the width of the trachea and allow the jaw to remain elevated
Step 2. Move her head
To open the airways of a person lying on the ground it is necessary to correctly align the head with the air passages. Place one hand behind his head and the other under his chin. Tilt your head back and up.
The chin should point slightly upward, as if the person is sniffing the air
Step 3. Remove any foreign bodies from the airways
It happens in many circumstances that the air passages are blocked, for example by a foreign object, the victim's own tongue, vomit or other body fluids. If the obstruction is caused by vomit or other easily removable material, remove it from your mouth with a quick two or three finger motion. You can quickly turn the person's head to the side to facilitate ejection.
- Avoid pushing the obstruction deep into the windpipe and just sweep it away with your fingers until you can easily see the inside of your mouth. Do not try to "dig" into the victim's mouth, but to facilitate the escape of the material.
- If the tongue is blocking the airway, try the jaw subluxation method. Squat near the top of the person's head, so that you are facing their feet. Grasp her jaw gently but firmly, using both hands, and place your fingers on the soft part of her chin. Gently lift your jaw towards the ceiling without moving the rest of your head. This maneuver allows the tongue to fall back on the jaw, preventing it from blocking the throat.
Part 3 of 4: Controlling Breathing
Step 1. Look for obvious signs of breathing
There are some clear signs that indicate whether a person is breathing. Make sure your chest rises as you inhale. Watch the nose for fluctuations during breaths (if the victim breathes through the nose) or watch the mouth if it opens or closes as the person inhales and exhales.
- If the chest does not rise, try moving the airways slightly in one direction. You may have tilted your head too much or too little.
- If she is gasping for air or breathing hard, treat her as if she is not breathing and check for blood circulation.
Step 2. Check your breathing
If you don't see any clear signals, you can verify that the victim is breathing by hearing the sound or feeling the flow of air. Place your hand near his nose and mouth, trying to feel each breath. If you feel nothing, lean over the person and bring your face close to their face to try to hear the sound or movement of the air on their cheek.
If you can hear normal breathing, it means there is no need to proceed with CPR. You should still call 911 if the injured person does not regain consciousness
Step 3. Rotate the victim if breathing resumes
Sometimes it is enough to open her airways to allow her to start breathing again. If this happens, roll her onto her side to reduce the pressure on her chest. In this way, the person can breathe better.
Part 4 of 4: Check the Circulation
Step 1. Feel the heartbeat
Once you have determined that the victim is not breathing, you need to check that the blood is circulating in the body. Place the index and middle fingers on the raised chin, at the point where there is a hollow in the neck, just below the jaw, to the right or left of the larynx or Adam's apple; press your fingers here. This is the area crossed by the carotid artery; if the blood is circulating properly, you should feel a strong throb.
If the heartbeat is weak or absent, the person is in trouble and needs medical intervention
Step 2. Call 118
If the victim is not breathing or has no heartbeat, you should call for help. Healthcare professionals will be able to take care of the person right away and find the root cause of the fainting. If you are alone, first call 911 and then help the victim.
If someone else is there, ask them to call the ambulance while you deal with the person
Step 3. Practice cardiopulmonary resuscitation
If the individual is not breathing and the pulse is weak or absent, you must perform this maneuver. The procedure stimulates blood circulation and lung activity, allowing you to save the victim's life while you wait for help to arrive. CPR is a technique that keeps the person alive until professionals arrive who can treat the underlying cause.
- Make sure you are following the correct protocol when performing CPR. Consider signing up for a first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation course to learn how to perform the maneuver correctly.
- There are several methods: one for intervention on adults and one for intervention on children.
