It has been weeks since a popular Nollywood actor, Junior Pope, died. Videos of his drowned body circulated on social media. However, many viewers could not help wondering if the actor could have been alive if there was someone around him who knew how to perform CPR.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique that is useful in many emergencies when someone suddenly stops breathing due to some reason. In Nigeria, it is no news that life is taken for granted. Many people have died carelessly because people around them do not know how to provide emergency medical aid. Instead, videos of people doing the wrong things circulate online often, like crowding, fanning or kabashing over a drowned or cardiac arrest victim. Some even concentrate on taking photos and videos to post on social media for likes and follows instead of looking for help.
Therefore, this article enlightens readers about how to perform CPR. It is an important skill everyone should learn because no one knows where they will encounter an emergency that will require such a skill. You can be someone’s lifesaver or even save yourself because you passed this information forward.
What is CPR?
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), CPR is an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating. For instance, CPR can be performed on someone who suffers from a heart attack or nearly drowned. AHA recommends starting CPR with hard and fast chest compressions. This hands-on technique can be performed by both untrained bystanders and first responders.
A study released by the Resuscitation Science Symposium found that men are more likely to receive bystander CPR in public locations compared to women. About 45 per cent of men received assistance compared to only 39 per cent of women. The study also posited that men were 1.23 times more likely to receive bystander CPR in public and their chance of survival was 23 per cent higher compared to women.
The reason for the discrepancy is not farfetched. It could be that bystanders are more comfortable performing CPR on men due to their anatomy, compared to women, especially if the location is a gender-sensitive one. However, men receive similar CPR assistance within the home.
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How to perform CPR
Performing CPR on someone who is not breathing can help keep them alive until the emergency services arrive. It is an important technique to learn as it can double or even triple the chances of them surviving. A person needs CPR when they are not breathing due to several reasons such as a cardiac arrest or heart attack, choking, a road traffic accident, near-drowning, suffocation, poisoning, a drug or alcohol overdose, smoke inhalation, electrocution and suspected sudden infant death syndrome.
There are two ways to perform CPR. These include:
- Hands-only CPR: This involves pushing on the chest in a rapid motion after calling for help. These movements are called chest compressions which can prevent a delay in getting blood moving through the body. This method is recommended for both trained and untrained individuals.
- Traditional CPR with breaths (also called CPR with breaths): This technique alternates chest compressions with mouth-to-mouth breaths. It can give the body more oxygen in the critical moments before help arrives.
How to perform hands-only CPR
Survey the scene and call for help
Ensure that it is safe to reach the person in need of help. Then check if they are responding. You can tap their shoulders and shout: “Are you okay?” If they are not responding, call the local emergency line or you can tell a bystander to do it. If possible, the bystander can go look for an automated external defibrillator (AED machine).
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Place the victim on a flat, firm surface and check for obstructions
Place the person safely on a flat surface and kneel beside them. Then, tilt their head back slightly by lifting their chin. Open their mouth and check for any obstruction, such as food or vomit, and remove them if they are loose.
Check for breathing
For this, place your ear next to the person’s mouth and listen for no more than 10 seconds. If the person is not breathing, begin CPR immediately. If the person is breathing, CPR is not needed.
Begin compressions
To begin compressions, place one hand on top of the other and clasp them together. Then the heel of the hands on the centre of the chest of the person, slightly beneath their nipples, and push hard and fast. You should push at least two inches deep, compressing their chest at a rate of at least 100 times per minute. The chest should rise fully between compressions.
Repeat
Repeat the cycle of 30 chest compressions until the person starts breathing or help arrives. If the AED arrives, continue the compressions until it is fully set up.
How to perform CPR with breaths
CPR with breaths is also called mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It is an appropriate technique to give to an adult, teen, child, or infant. The breaths are usually done between compressions. To do this, open the person’s mouth to make sure it is clear. Then pinch their nose shut, place your mouth fully over theirs, and blow to make their chest rise. Each breath should last for about a second.
If the chest does not rise after the first breath, re-tilt their head and blow into their mouth again. Note that if their chest is not rising especially after a second second breath, the person is probably choking. Repeat the process.
Meanwhile, continue the CPR by alternating the compressions with the breaths until the person is revived or help comes.
Conclusion
CPR is a lifesaving emergency technique. It can improve a person’s chances of survival. You do not need a medical degree to know how to perform this technique. However, only use CPR when a victim is not breathing. Whether the person is an infant, child or adult, the basic cycle of chest compressions and rescue breaths is still the same. So learn how to perform CPR. it might save someone’s life someday.
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