CPR/AED Vocab

Agonistic breathing

Agonistic breathing

in an unresponsive person; gasping, isolated breathing.

Recognizing cardiac arrest

Agonistic breathing

Sudden collapse

No heartbeat

Oxygen and the Human Body

Body does not store oxygen
Must continually supply oxygen through respiratory and circulatory systems
If process is interrupted, brain cell death occurs in minutes

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)

Electrical system of heart malfunctions, results in ventricular fibrillation
Affected person abruptly becomes unresponsive, stops breathing

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

Combination of chest compressions and rescue breaths
Can restore limited blood flow and oxygen to brain
Does not address underlying problem with heart

Early Defibrillation

Most effective way to end ventricular fibrillation, and restore normal heartbeat
AEDs allow bystanders to defibrillate earlier than EMS

Chain of Survival

Most effective approach to manage sudden cardiac arrest
All links in chain must be strong for person to survive

Chest Compressions

External compressions of chest increase pressure inside chest and heart
Forces blood to move from chest to rest of body
Quality matters
Compress deeply, more than 2 inches
Compress fast, between 100 and 120 times per minute
Allow chest to fully recoil. Avoid leaning on the chest at top of each compression
Children and Infants — Chest compressions on children and infants are similar to adults except for hand positioning and the depth of the compressions

Rescue Breaths

Artificial breaths given by blowing air into the mouth to inflate the lungs
Enough oxygen in exhaled air to provide what is needed

Establishing an Airway

Airway is only path to get air containing oxygen to lungs
Tongue will likely block airway when person is unresponsive, flat on back
Head tilt-chin lift technique moves tongue and opens airway
Airway is higher priority than suspected spinal injury

Using Barrier
Devices

Use barrier device like CPR mask or overlay shield to give rescue breaths

Delivering Breaths

Each breath about 1 second in length
Only enough air to create visible rise of chest, but no more
During CPR, give 2 breaths at a time, quickly as possible within 10 seconds
Children and Infants — Rescue breaths for are performed in the same manner as for adults. Special care should be taken to not give too much air in a single breath. Provide only enough air to make the chest visibly rise, but no more

AEDs

Simple to use: voice, light, and screen instructions guide you

AED Operation

Same basic operation steps apply to all AEDs
Turn on AED
Adhere defibrillation pads to bare chest
Allow AED to analyze the heart
Deliver shock if directed by AED

Children and Infants

Cardiac arrests likely caused by initial loss of airway or breathing
Steps the same as for an adult
Most have especially designed pads or reduced energy for small body size
If specially equipped AED not available, use one configured for adults

Troubleshooting

AEDs designed to detect problems during use
If troubleshooting message occurs, follow AED voice instructions

Primary Assessment

Simple way to quickly identify if a life-threatening condition is present

Steps - unresponsive person

Check for responsiveness
If unresponsive, activate EMS and get AED if available
Assess for normal breathing

Provide Indicated Care

If not breathing or only gasping, perform CPR beginning with compressions
If breathing normally and uninjured, place person in side-lying recovery position to protect airway

Gasping

Weak, irregular gasping sounds provide no useable oxygen, not normal breathing

Treating Cardiac Arrest

Immediate high-quality CPR and rapid defibrillation can double or triple survival chance from SCA

Steps for Care

Primary assessment to determine if cardiac arrest occurred
Begin CPR with compressions; ongoing cycles of 30 compressions and 2 rescue breaths
When AED arrives, use immediately
Continue until another provider or EMS takes over, or too exhausted to continue

High-Quality CPR

Minimize interruptions
CPR is tiring; take turns performing CPR by switching every few minutes

Do Your Best

Someone in cardiac arrest will not survive without help
Nothing you can do can make the outcome worse

Compression-Only CPR

Untrained bystanders encouraged to provide compression-only CPR, which is a limited approach
As trained provider, provide both compressions and breaths
If unwilling or unable to give rescue breaths, provide uninterrupted compressions

Children and Infants

Steps for caring for cardiac arrest on a child or infant very similar to those for an adult

Multiple Providers

Working together can improve quality, minimize interruptions

Switching Providers

CPR is tiring and switching providers about every 2 minutes helps maintain CPR quality
Communicate ahead of time about how and when to switch
Take less than 5 seconds to switch

Before AED Arrives

Switch places at end of CPR cycle while rescue breaths are being given

When Attaching an AED

Continue CPR until the pads are placed and AED analysis begins

If AED Is Attached

Switch during CPR pause when AED analyzes, which is about every 2 minutes

Choking

Occurs when solid object enters narrowed part of airway, becomes stuck

Mild Blockage

Some ability to inhale; affected person can cough up object

Severe Blockage

Person cannot inhale air to create effective cough

Abdominal Thrusts

Forceful thrust beneath ribs and up into diaphragm increases pressure in chest, pops obstruction out of airway
Repeat thrusts until person can breathe normally
If person becomes unresponsive, perform CPR and look for object each time before giving rescue breaths

Considerations

Use chest thrusts if person is pregnant or obese
If alone, press abdomen quickly against rigid surface, such as back of a chair

Children and Infants

Care for choking on a child is very similar to an adult
For infants, repeating cycles of 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts is recommended