Cardiac Arrest – would you know what to do?

By Emma Hammett
Date: 03/10/2021
In 2012 the tragic death of Claire Squires in the London Marathon shocked the nation. A superfit young woman, who had recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and had trained hard for the Marathon. Claire’s death was the tenth since the London Marathon began in 1981.

Five of the previous 10 Marathon fatalities were a result of heart disease in runners apparently unaware that they had a problem. Four of these were cases of severe coronary heart disease.

Following so soon after the shocking collapse of Fabrice Muamba it is a scary reminder that anyone can suddenly suffer a Cardiac Arrest.

Would you know what to do if someone collapsed in front of you?

Please watch my training video to show you clearly what to do

Danger – First check it is safe and that there is nothing that has injured them and could be a danger for you.

Response – Speak to them to see if they respond, if not pinch them hard on their ears.

If you get a response – they are alive!!

If there is very little response then they are not sufficiently conscious to keep their Airway open – PUT THEM INTO THE RECOVERY POSITION now and phone 999 or 112 immediately!

Make sure they are over so that they would be dribbling!

If there is no response you will need to:

Airway – Open the Airway (2 fingers under their chin and one on their forehead and tilt the head and lift the chin to take the tongue off the back of the throat)
Now check for Breathing –

Look along the body

Listen for breaths

Feel their breath on your cheek to see if they are breathing

If you are positive that they are breathing – Put into the Recovery position NOW and phone 999/112
If you are not sure whether or not they are breathing, you will need to phone the Emergency Services and start CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation)
Push hard and fast on the centre of their chest – right between the nipples

Push down 5-6 cms

At a rate of 120 beats per minute

After about 30 compressions…

To give someone the best chance, you will need to:
Tilt the head and lift the chin to take the tongue off the back of the airway

then give 2 breaths – sealing your mouth around their mouth and blowing into them like a balloon.

Make sure their chest rises each time

Keep going – You are being a life support machine and keeping them alive.

When you push on the chest – you are being the heart

When you breath into them – you are being the lungs

Do not expect them to come back to life until the paramedics are there to help.

If there is an AED machine – USE IT!
Original article here: https://firstaidforlife.org.uk/cardiac-arrest-would-you-know-what-to-do/