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Child Basic Resuscitation :: Australia

February 5, 2010 in Cuteness with 4 Comments

This week I’m sharing the notes I took during a half-day first aid course. I hope you enjoy and benefit from them, but please remember that this information is not a substitute for hands-on first aid training.

Several things I learned in class were specific to Australia, and I will share them here. What are the equivalents where you live?

image source :: greenwichmeantime

The emergency telephone number in Australia is 000. Or, on a mobile phone, dial 112 (this will work even without a SIM card in the phone). Either can be dialed while the mobile phone keypad is locked.

Emergency calls are routed to a central call centre in the Eastern States, so you must specify from which state you are calling (e.g. Western Australia), as well as the town, address, and a street crossing to help the ambulance find you as quickly as possible.

Good Samaritan laws protect first aiders responding to a casualty as long as they “acted as a calm and rational person of the same level of training would have under the same circumstances.”

Anyone who performs first aid and feels anxious or distressed as a result can call the St John counseling service. Staff are trained to help first aiders work through intense emotions.

With excellent training, laws to protect ordinary citizens who want to help their neighbours, and an emotional safety net available via trained counselors, I feel confident that I can use my new first aid skills to “do something, help somebody.”

Child Basic Resuscitation :: choking

February 4, 2010 in Cuteness with 2 Comments

This week I’m sharing the notes I took during a half-day first aid course. I hope you enjoy and benefit from them, but please remember that this information is not a substitute for hands-on first aid training.

During the tea break I asked our instructor if we would be learning the Heimlich maneuver. She explained that the Heimlich maneuver is no longer recommended in Australia because (a) arms are not long enough to reach right around every adult, and (b) rib and spleen injuries have been associated with the maneuver. Instead, the accepted protocol for a choking victim is as follows:

Help the person who is choking to relax. This will cause the muscles in the throat to relax and could be all that is needed to dislodge the obstruction.

Ask the choking victim to breathe as deeply as possible. This not only helps the person to calm down, but also may shift a partial obstruction.

Encourage coughing, which should dislodge a partial obstruction.

The majority of choking cases are cleared by following those first three steps (relax, breathe, cough).

If the choking victim is an infant who cannot respond to requests to cough OR coughing is unsuccessful, call emergency services.

With emergency services en route, lean the casualty forward with head and chest low. If an infant, position infant on your forearm with the head downwards.

photo source :: childsafetyaustralia.com.au

Deliver up to five sharp blows between the shoulder blades, pausing after each blow to check if the obstruction is cleared. For an infant, use two fingers. For children and adults, deliver the blows with the heel of your hand.

After five blows, if the obstruction is not cleared, next deliver up to five sharp blows to the casualty’s breast bone, in the same manner as the blows to the back.

Alternate in sets of five, back and front until the obstruction is cleared or emergency services have arrived.

Tomorrow I will conclude this first aid series with some Australia-specific information.

Child Basic Resuscitation :: restart the heart

February 3, 2010 in Cuteness with 2 Comments

This week I’m sharing the notes I took during a half-day first aid course. I hope you enjoy and benefit from them, but please remember that this information is not a substitute for hands-on first aid training.

Never forget that the heart is a pump. When the heart stops, chest compressions keep the pump primed so that it can start back up more easily.

image source :: South Dartmoor Community College

Each person’s heart is roughly the size of her clenched fist – this holds true from babies all the way through to adults.

In children, the most common reason for the heart stopping is asphyxia. Therefore when a child’s heart stops it usually lies completely still. CPR usually restarts the breathing and therefore the child’s heart. A defibrulator is not useful in restarting a completely still heart. If a defibrulator is called for, it must be at a lower power than an adult defibrulator (50 jules rather than 150).

In adults, the most common reason for the heart stopping is heart disease. Therefore when an adult’s heart stops, it usually quivers as it tries to continue pumping. Compressions in CPR keep the heart primed and ready to resume pumping, but will not often restart a diseased heart. Defibrullation combined with CPR is often effective in restarting a quivering heart.

Heart Start Defibrillator with ECG Display

photo source :: buydefibrillator.co.uk

Lay people’s defibrullators are becoming increasingly available. The most common place to find them is at the airport. The machines are straightforward to use and even include voice prompts. Additionally, the machine will not allow you to do anything unsafe or not indicated (for instance, it will not attempt to shock a heart that is lying completely still).

After giving a shock, restart chest compressions immediately. It will be clear if the heart has restarted.

Tomorrow I will talk about what to do if someone starts choking, a very relevant skill for those of us with enthusiastic young eaters!

Child Basic Resuscitation :: DRABCD

February 2, 2010 in Cuteness with 3 Comments

This week I’m sharing the notes I took during a half-day first aid course. I hope you enjoy and benefit from them, but please remember that this information is not a substitute for hands-on first aid training.

In a situation where someone is injured, a trained first aider can “do something, help somebody.” St John first aid training focuses on the acronym DRABCD.

D is for Danger – stop moving; check for danger to yourself, others, and finally to the casualty; if possible remove the danger, and

R is for Response – ask the casualty “can you hear me?” “can you open your eyes?” and give a squeeze on their shoulders in case they cannot hear you. Tell them who you are. Hearing is the last sense we lose, and it can fade in and out. It is always a good idea to tell the casualty what you are doing. If no response, call for help! Ask someone to call emergency services, then

A is for Airway – check the airway. if not clear, turn onto side (rescue position) and remove any visible obstruction. Never reach fingers in if you can’t see an obstruction and never reach back farther than the roof of the mouth. Once airway is clear, keep it open by lifting the jaw and tilting the head back. Then check for

B is for Breathing – look, listen, and feel. You need to see two breaths within ten seconds. If you see them, move the casualty into the recovery position. If not, give two breaths and check for another ten seconds. If the casualty is still not breathing, perform

C is for CPR – with the casualty on his back on a firm surface, give 30 compressions (counting aloud will help you stay calm) at a rate of two per second. Pause every 30 compressions and blow two breaths, pausing between breaths. Immediately resume compressions. If you can’t or won’t give breaths, simply pump the heart with compressions on the breastbone. Scan the casualty’s face and limbs for signs of life rather than just watching your hands. Take turns with one or more other people if possible. Continue until emergency services arrive, or, if you have access to one,

D is for Defibrillation – Get someone to bring the machine. Turn it on, bare the person’s chest, and follow the voice prompts on the machine. Attach adhesive pads as per the diagrams on the pads. Continue resuscitation (CPR and defibrillation) until emergency services arrive.

I learned some fascinating things about hearts and defibrillation that I will share in my post tomorrow.

Child Basic Resuscitation :: introduction

February 1, 2010 in Cuteness with 3 Comments

This week I’m sharing the notes I took during a half-day first aid course. I hope you enjoy and benefit from them, but please remember that this information is not a substitute for hands-on first aid training.

While Ben was formulating his health, safety, and environment (HSE) goals for his next performance cycle at work, he decided to book me on a St John first aid course on basic resuscitation for children and infants.

My last CPR course was in conjunction with Red Cross swimming lessons as a child. Now as an adult it was high time I updated my skills. I enjoyed the 3 1/2 hour course very much, although at one point I did have to cross my arms firmly across my chest to prevent leakage – later Ben and I compared notes and that was right when Vi started fussing!

Our instructor has been teaching St John first aid courses for the last 20 years. She said she wondered if what she was doing had any impact when she heard a statistic that, after calling emergency services, most people don’t do anything further when someone stops breathing.

photo source :: ABC

CPR should be initiated within the first four minutes. Here in Western Australia ambulances take an average of 9 to 12 minutes to arrive. First aid skills fill that gap and make a very real difference between life and death.

I learned so much on the course, and I will write up my notes into a few posts. But I’m curious. When did you last take a life-saving course? How confident would you feel about administering aid?

It’s difficult to think about, but if you do not know what you would do right now if someone you love stopped breathing, please take a resuscitation course.