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Emergency life support for adultsPublished by Bupa's health information team, healthinfo@bupa.com, August 2007. This factsheet is for people who would like information about emergency life support. The information is for everyone, but for simplicity we have referred to the injured person (casualty) in the male gender throughout. Giving emergency life support to a person who has stopped breathing, or whose heart has stopped, can help them to survive until professional help arrives. It can make the difference between life and death. You can learn basic lifesaving skills, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), at a local training centre.
Why is emergency life support important?A person's heart or breathing can stop as a result of a heart attack, drowning, electric shock or other injuries. If this happens, their organs don't receive a supply of oxygen-rich blood and will soon die. CPR means giving chest compressions and rescue breaths (mouth-to-mouth breathing) to someone who has stopped breathing or whose heart has stopped beating. In some cases this can restart the heart and breathing. More commonly, such as after a heart attack, CPR circulates enough blood around the body to slow down organ damage. CPR buys the casualty time before the paramedics or doctors arrive. The medicines and specialist equipment they are trained to use will then have a much better chance of helping the person to survive. Giving CPR to someone who has just had a heart attack more than doubles their chances of survival. Chain of survivalA rapid response is a crucial part of emergency life support. This is called the "chain of survival" and involves:
TrainingThe skills of emergency life support are easy to learn. If you are interested in becoming a potential lifesaver, you can attend a class where you can learn and practice CPR and first aid. The Heartstart initiative, co-ordinated by the British Heart Foundation, runs courses on emergency life support for anyone aged over 10. Children much younger than this can learn how to dial 999 in an emergency. The British Red Cross and St. John Ambulance also provide training (see Further information for contact details). What to do in an emergencyStay calm and remember you can only do your best. First, use all your senses to assess the situation and make sure the area is free of hazards, particularly anything that may have caused the injury to the casualty. If you have had first-aid training, let others know and ask if anyone else has had training too - working together, you have a better chance of offering the best help. Once you have assessed the situation, you should quickly check the casualty's responses by talking to them and then by shaking his shoulders gently. If the casualty is conscious, put him in the recovery position (see Recovery position). Cardiopulmonary resuscitationIf the casualty is unconscious and is not breathing normally, it's important to get help. Instruct a bystander, or go yourself, to dial 999 and ask for an ambulance. You will then need to do CPR. The full sequence is:
AirwayA casualty can only breathe if his airway is clear. An airway can be blocked when a person is unconscious and, for instance, their tongue falls to the back of their throat. To open a casualty's airway:
Opening the airways during CPR animation BreathingNext, check if the casualty is breathing:
You need to look, listen and feel for up to 10 seconds before deciding if the casualty is breathing normally. Chest compressionsA casualty who is not breathing normally needs CPR. This involves giving chest compressions:
At the end of the 30 chest compressions, you need to perform two "rescue breaths" to deliver oxygen into the casualty's lungs:
After the two breaths, go straight back to the chest compressions. Repeat the cycle in the ratio of 30 chest compressions to two rescue breaths until:
Doing chest compressions is very tiring - if there is more than one rescuer, you should take turns doing CPR (swap every one to two minutes, or three to six sequences of CPR) to prevent fatigue. If you are not able, or willing, to breathe into the casualty's mouth, you can just do the chest compressions without a pause for the rescue breaths. This is much better than doing nothing at all. Only stop if the casualty starts breathing normally again. Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for adults animation Recovery positionIf the casualty is breathing but unconscious, it's usually best not to move them, particularly following an incident (such as a road accident) where they may have broken bones, or have a back or neck injury. Otherwise, place the casualty in the recovery position to keep the airway clear and allow fluid to drain from the mouth. With the casualty lying on his back:
If the casualty is bleeding, cover the wound with a gauze pad or a thick, clean piece of cloth and press on the wound hard enough to stop the bleeding. If you are sure that there are no broken bones, you should elevate the wound above heart level. Automated external defibrillators (AEDs)A normal healthy heart contracts in response to the electrical activity of special cells in the heart that act like pacemakers. When someone has a heart attack, this electrical activity becomes abnormal and the heart either stops beating (cardiac arrest), or twitches irregularly (ventricular fibrillation, or VF for short). When this happens, the heart is unable to pump oxygen-rich blood around the body. Defibrillators treat VF by delivering an electric shock to the chest, and so indirectly to the heart. This can stop the abnormal electrical activity and restart the normal rhythmic heartbeat. AEDs are defibrillator machines designed to be operated by untrained members of the public. They are sometimes available in public places such as in offices, shopping centres, railway stations and on aeroplanes. AEDs analyse a casualty's heart rhythm through pads connected to the chest area, and deliver an electric shock if VF is detected. They give spoken instructions and are easy for people without advanced training to use. It's crucial that the defibrillator is used promptly after a heart attack. Basic training in first-aid and life support often includes training on how to use an AED. Further information
Sources
Related topicsThis information was published by Bupa's health information team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been peer reviewed by Bupa doctors. The content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional. Publication date: August 2007. Expected review date: August 2009.
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