CPR Tips to Remember

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a life-saving technique that is performed in emergency situations. It’s the act of combining chest compression and artificial ventilation to maintain blood flow to the heart, brain, and other vital organs. This procedure is only done if you see a person in a state of cardiac arrest, that is, if their heart stopped beating or they have stopped breathing.

CPR is an important skill to learn because it can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival if they are in this state of emergency. By keeping the blood flowing — even minimally — you can keep a person alive until medical professionals arrive.

This can be a lot of pressure for bystanders, as they have to react quickly yet effectively. So, we highlighted some top tips to keep in mind if you are ever the one who has to administer CPR in a critical situation. American CPR Institute aims to make First Aid And Cpr Certification Online training opportunities much more readily available. We believe that the online platform and our competitive pricing policies help us meet the goal.

Before Performing CPR

It is important to note that a cardiac arrest is very different from a heart attack, and CPR is not the right solution for those experiencing the latter. So, before performing CPR, ask yourself these three questions to ensure it’s the right course of action:

Are they responsive? Talk to the person and see if they are able to respond to any of your questions.

Are they breathing? Look at their chest to see if it’s rising or place your cheek close to their nose and mouth to feel any air passing.

Do they have a pulse? Check for signs of a pulse by placing your index and middle fingers on the inside of their wrist or their neck.

During CPR

Below is a step-by-step process on how to perform CPR. It’s important to learn these instructions if you are the one who can help in this emergency.

Get in the right position: You want to make sure that the person is lying flat on their back and that you are kneeling beside them. Then, place the heel of one of your hands directly at the center of their chest. Keeping your arms straight, place your second hand on top of the first one, and interlock your fingers together. You should only have the heel of your first hand touching their chest, so keep fingers raised.

Start pumping: Lean forward so that your shoulders are directly over their chest and press down, keeping your arms straight and fingers interlocked. Use your whole upper-body so that you are pressing down their chest by about two inches. Then, release the pressure without moving your hands or body out of position because you will be repeating this movement about 30 times at a rate of 100 compressions a minute.