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Basic Life Support - DRSABCD

CPR Australia for iPhone APP

Recommended FREE Index App from Better Health Channel website

CPR - Cardiac Pulmonary Resusitation

Airway – Is their airway clear? Is the person breathing?

If the person is responding, they are conscious and their airway is clear. Assess how you can help them with any injury.

If the person in not responding, they are unconscious. You need to check their airway by opening their mouth and having a look inside. If the mouth is clear, tilt their head gently back (by lifting their chin) and check for breathing. If the mouth is not clear, place the person on their side, open their mouth and clear the contents. Then tilt the head back and check for breathing.

Breathing – check for breathing by looking for chest movements (up and down). Listen by putting your ear near their mouth and nose. Feel for breathing by putting your hand on the lower part of their chest. If the person is unconscious but breathing, turn them onto their side, carefully ensuring that you keep their head, neck and spine in alignment. Monitor their breathing until you handover to the ambulance officers.

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) – if the person is unconscious and not breathing, make sure they are flat on their back then place the heel of one hand in the centre of their chest and your other hand on top.

Press down firmly and smoothly (compressing to one-third of their chest depth) 30 times. Give two breaths.

To get the breath in, tilt their head back gently by lifting their chin. Pinch their nostrils closed, place your open mouth firmly over their open mouth and blow firmly into their mouth. Keep going with the 30 compressions and 2 breaths until you handover to the ambulance officers or another trained person, or until the person you are resuscitating responds.

CPR techniques for young children and infants CPR steps for children aged eight years or younger are the same as for adults and older children, but the technique is slightly different.

Child aged 1–8 years Use the heel of one hand only for compressions, compressing to 1/3 of chest depth. Follow the basic steps for performing CPR described above.

Infants (up to 12 months of age) Place infant on their back. Do not tilt their head back or lift their chin (this is not necessary as their heads are still large in comparison to their bodies). Perform mouth-to-mouth by covering the infant's nose and mouth with your mouth – remember to use only a small breath. Do chest compressions, using two fingers of one hand, to about 1/3 of chest depth. Follow the basic steps for performing CPR described above.

What to do if the person recovers CPR may revive the person before the ambulance arrives. If the person is breathing on their own, stop CPR and place them on their side with their head tilted back.

Further information (Better Health Chanel)