Extracted from an article by Emily Bashforth
Every year 30,000 people have a cardiac arrest in the UK. If someone is unresponsive and you find they are not breathing, they could be in cardiac arrest. In these situations, it’s understandable why we panic and become flustered. However, it’s vital we can spot the signs and know exactly what to do to ensure someone has the best chance of survival.
A cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating suddenly and stops pumping blood around the body to your organs, including the brain. Without treatment, a person will die within minutes. It can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time; however, around 80% happen in the home. The average age of someone having a cardiac arrest is 66 years and they are more common in men than in women.
It is vital to act immediately if you see someone go into cardiac arrest, as every second counts. For every minute without CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or defibrillation, a person’s chances of survival decrease by up to 10%. The most important thing to do first is to get help and call 999.
Next check out the following:
DANGER – Before approaching the casualty, check your surroundings and make sure the area is safe.
RESPONSE – Check if the person is responsive or unresponsive. Introduce yourself as you walk over, asking them questions. Kneel down next to them and shake their shoulders gently, asking what happened. Tell them to open their eyes, and if they can do so or can give another gesture, they are responsive. Otherwise, they are unresponsive and should be treated quickly.
AIRWAY – Check that the person’s airway is open and clear. Open their airway by placing one hand on their forehead to tilt their head back, and two fingers on your other hand to lift their chin. If they remain unresponsive, move straight on to check their breathing.
BREATHING – Check if the casualty is breathing normally by placing your ear next to their mouth to listen for breathing or put your hand close to their mouth to see if you can feel their breath on your hand.
If they remain unresponsive, after calling 999 for emergency help you should start CPR straightaway. The call handler can tell you where the nearest defibrillator is (there is one at Tattenham Corner Station and another inside Tattenham Library). If the casualty is breathing, move on to circulation.
CIRCULATION – Only if the person is breathing should you move on to check circulation. Otherwise (as in the case of cardiac arrest), move straight on to performing CPR. Check circulation by placing two fingertips on the patient’s carotid artery, located in the depression between the windpipe and the neck muscles, and apply slight pressure for several seconds
How to perform CPR
Kneel down next to the casualty and place the heel of your hand in the centre of their chest. Interlock your fingers with your other hand on top of the first. Do not touch the ribs.
Next, keeping your arms straight and leaning over the person, press down hard by 5-6 cm before releasing the pressure, allowing the chest to rise back up. You can do this to the beat of the song Staying Alive to get the correct rhythm.
Keep going until professional help arrives and takes over, or the person starts to show signs of regaining consciousness, such as coughing, opening eyes or breathing normally.
If an automated external defibrillator (AED) is available, switch it on and follow the automated instructions. It will tell you how to fix its two pads to the patient’s chest and when a shock is needed. Do not be afraid of the machine; it is fool proof and all you need to do is follow its instructions.
Once breathing has been restored put the patient in the recovery position. Place the nearest arm at right angle to their body, put the back of other hand next to the cheek closest to you and hold it there. Bend the far knee, grasp the far leg and roll them onto their side. Check that their airway is still open.
*NOTE: THERE ARE AEDs (AUTOMATED ELECTRONIC DEFIBRILLATORS) LOCATED OUTSIDE TATTENHAM CORNER STATION AND INSIDE (ONLY AVAILABLE DURING OPENING HOURS) TATTENHAMS COMMUNITY LIBRARY.