subject: First Aid Tips Should Be A Mandatory Subject [print this page] Knowledge about first aid should be a mandatory subject in all schools, in my opinion! Everyone should take a first aid course as this could save the life of a loved one or even a stranger. The tips below are very basic in nature and for information purposes only. To get your first aid certificate many community colleges as well as St. John's Ambulance offer these programs.
Mouth to mouth artificial respiration is done for people who have stopped breathing. Brain damage can occur to a person who is oxygen deprived in as little as four to six minutes.
First, listen for breathing with your ear to their mouth and check if the chest is rising and falling. You can also use a mirror, if handy to see if any moisture appears on the mirror.
If breathing has stopped, tilt the head back. (If you suspect a neck injury do not tilt back the head, but rather do a jaw thrust. Jaw thrust is where you lift the mandible upward. You can Google jaw thrust to get a more detailed description of this method).
Once the head is tilted back, place your hand under the neck to gently lift it. Put your fingers under the bony part of the chin and lift it upward. This will open up the airway. Open the mouth and look for any object that could be blocking the airway. Remove the object if applicable. If the above steps do not help the victim start breathing, then do it for them. With the head extended back, pinch the nose closed. Open your mouth and take a deep breath. Place your mouth over the casualty's mouth forming a tight seal and blow into the victim's mouth. Do this about three to four times, consecutively at first, (stacked breaths) and then provide approximately one breath every five seconds. Let the victim's breath escape. Check to see if the chest is rising and falling. If the chest is not rising there could be an obstruction. Make sure a bystander has called for an ambulance.
An obstructed airway is one reason why mouth to mouth may not work. Reasons for an obstructed airway is choking, an allergic reaction that has caused the throat to swell (this requires immediate medical attention), or perhaps an injury to the throat or neck.
There are several different methods for dislodging an object. The one method that will be discussed here is the abdominal thrust. The abdominal thrust is used to apply pressure in an inward and upward motion to the abdominal area, to try to pop out the object like a cork from a bottle of wine.
Stand behind the victim and wrap one arm around their abdomen. Wrap your other arm around the waist and make a fist with the thumb side placed between the belly button and lower middle rib cage. Place the other hand over the fist and provide four continual thrusts to the abdomen, pulling in with your fist, in a upward and inward direction. Ask the person to open their mouth so the object can fly out of the mouth.
Continue to use the abdominal thrust until the object is dislodged. Have someone call for help as well, because if the object isn't dislodged the victim will eventually go unconscious. Be prepared to brace the person if they do go unconscious and fall. Lie them on their back on a firm surface.
Note, sometimes when a person does go unconscious the throat will relax somewhat and the object can be dislodged, so check the mouth again for any sign of the object. If no object is found and the victim is still not breathing continue with the chest thrust method (read about this method) for an unconscious victim, to know how to do this maneuver.
Do not use the abdominal thrust method for an infant, unconscious person or pregnant women. The chest thrust would be better in this case. Chest thrusts for infants and children are used with less pressure than in an adult. Please Google the chest thrust method for more detailed information. It will not be addressed in this article.
It would be better to pick up a book or take an course in order to practice the above methods on manikins used for this purpose. The above methods are basic only and there are other methods one can use to do the same thing, so please do not rely on this article to become an expert at first aid.
