When someone faints to exhaustion or a near-drowning incident, administrating Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation or CPR should be under way. Emergency Medical Technicians or EMT’s should be called to the scene for additional support, since you may never know what could happen in tense situations like that.
The following shall be the two stages CPR, followed by an example situation and when it is best or most commonly used. These are just scenarios where they shine most, where they are most optimal.
The first stage would be chest compressions. It is the act of pumping a person’s air and blood. Having a steady circulation through the entire body means a steady supply for organs of the body, which is vital for life support.
If you are new to CPR, experts suggest at least 100 pumps a minute until help arrives. Oxygen and blood work side-by-side and is directly proportional in CPR. The more oxygen the body has, the better quality of blood.
This is particularly efficient when you are not yet ready for the more advanced skills and opt to do what you know. Sticking to your guns is better than doing something you are not well-versed with, especially if you get nervous when there are a lot of people around (crowded trains, transportation terminals, schools).
Some websites provide steps and techniques to hands-only CPR. Deriving from the name, it is the method used without the famous Kiss of Life or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Push hard and fast: it’s what most practitioners say when performing the skill. Once you get the hang of it, lifesaving becomes easier to perform and almost feels like clockwork. Training for the skill is important since you become someone better than you were before.
The second stage would be mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It is a step up the first method and is usually chained to the process. It is not a separate move and can actually be alternated with the Kiss of Life.
This is a move the professionals do and should not be done by acolytes. It would be detrimental for the patient since if one fails in the Kiss of Life, he/she could block the patient’s airway. If one would follow the three-lettered abbreviation in doing CPR, C-A-B or Compressions – Airway – Breathing, the second one would not be fulfilled, voiding the entire process immediately.
The Kiss of Life fits lifesavers who want to revive near-drowning survivors, who may still have excess water in their lungs, or those with difficulty breathing or need artificial respiration. Oxygen is one of the most important aspects of the entire process and it must be the priority.
If you know that you could not perform advanced techniques yet, but willing to do so for self-improvement, CPR training is available. It is an experience like no other, with willing instructors ready to help you with the training. They come from different experiences and sport colorful backgrounds that prompted them to learn the skill of lifesaving.
All you need to do is push harder.
