How to Perform CPR

Performing CPR (cardiopulmonar resuscitation) should be done by people who have been trained to do so – but since emergencies don’t wait for training, at least brushing up on these step by step instructions will help you prepare in the event you need to know how to perform CPR.  If you would like to obtain training and CPR certification, try visiting  http://www.cprtoday.com/ for online certification, or contact your local American Red Cross for their certification classes. The steps of CPR are slightly different for infants and children than they are for adults.  The following are the steps to performing CPR on adults:

Step One: Make sure you are not in danger.  It’s great to be prepared to rescue a victim, but take a look at your surroundings to ensure you will not become a victim yourself before beginning.

Step Two: Try to wake the victim.  Call 911.  If the victim moves, moans, or shows signs of breathing, you do not need to perform CPR.

Step Three: Check to see if victim is breathing. Tilt the victims head back carefully and place your ear near the victims mouth to feel and listen for breathing. While doing so, look at the chest to see if any movement occurs from breathing.  If the victim is breathing, you do not need to perform CPR.

Step Four: If there is no breathing, start rescue breathing.  Make sure the victim’s airway is open by tilting the head back.  Pinch the victim’s nose, make a seal over the victim’s mouth with your mouth (or use a CPR mask if you have one) and blow a breath into the victims mouth to see the chest rise.  When the chest falls, repeat the rescue breath again.

Step Five: Begin chest compressions by placing the heel of your hand on the middle of the victim’s chest, and lace the fingers of your other hand with it by putting your other hand overtop your first hand.  Push down on the chest about 1.5 to 2 inches and allow the chest to completely come back up before giving another compression.  Give 30 compressions, counting “one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand” to make sure you are doing them at the right rate.

Step Six: Repeat rescue breathing for two breaths, re-tilt the head to open airway and immediately give the first breath without first checking for breathing.  When the chest rises and returns to it’s normal position, give the second breath.

Step Seven: Repeat chest compressions and give 30 compressions.

Step Eight:  Repeat rescue breathing and chest compression steps for about two minutes or until emergency help arrives.

Step Nine: After two minutes, tilt the victims head back again and place ear near mouth to check for breathing. Look for the rise and fall of chest.  If the victim is breathing, do not continue CPR.  If the victim is still not breathing, continue CPR with rescue breaths and chest compressions until help arrives.