CPR - adult
Key points
- CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is performed when someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped, as in cases of electric shock, drowning, or heart attack.
- CPR can be lifesaving, but it is best performed by those who have been trained in an accredited CPR course.
- In adults, major reasons that heartbeat and breathing stop include heart disease, injuries and accidents, excessive bleeding, drug overdose, and sepsis (infection in the bloodstream).
- First Aid The following steps are based on instructions from the American Heart Association.
Alternative names
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation - adult; Rescue breathing and chest compressions - adult; Resuscitation - cardiopulmonary - adult
Definition
CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is performed when someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped, as in cases of electric shock, drowning, or heart attack. CPR is a combination of:
- Rescue breathing, which provides oxygen to a person's lungs
- Chest compressions, which keep the person's blood circulating.
Permanent brain damage or death can occur within minutes if a person's blood flow stops. Therefore, you must continue these procedures until the person's heartbeat and breathing return, or trained medical help arrives.
Considerations
CPR can be lifesaving, but it is best performed by those who have been trained in an accredited CPR course. The procedures described here are not a substitute for CPR training. (See www.americanheart.org for classes near you.)
Time is very important when dealing with an unconscious person who is not breathing. Permanent brain damage begins after only 4 minutes without oxygen, and death can occur in as little as 4 to 6 minutes later.
When a bystander - whether friend, family, or stranger - starts CPR before emergency support arrives, the chance of surviving is tripled! Nevertheless, when most emergency workers arrive at a cardiac arrest, they usually find no one giving CPR. This would be a good time to find a convenient CPR class and learn how to save lives.
Machines called automated external defibrillators or AEDs can be found in many public places, and are available for home use. These machines have pads or paddles to place on the chest during a life-threatening emergency. They use computers to automatically evaluate the heart rhythm and administer a sudden shock if, and only if, that shock is needed to get the heart back into the right rhythm. Most people in ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest will survive if shocked within 3 minutes.
Causes
In adults, major reasons that heartbeat and breathing stop include heart disease, injuries and accidents, excessive bleeding, drug overdose, and sepsis (infection in the bloodstream).
Symptoms
- Unconsciousness
- No breathing
- No pulse
First Aid
The following steps are based on instructions from the American Heart Association.
1. Check for responsiveness. Shake or tap the person gently. See if the person moves or makes a noise. Shout, "Are you OK?"
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
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