Rescuers who
are well-aware of the Basic Life Support techniques and have no specific
knowledge about the pediatric resuscitation should use the adult Basic Life
Support sequence or else the victim may succumb to death if nothing is done. Non-specialists
such as the general public or healthcare providers who work in pediatric units
who wish to learn pediatric resuscitation because they have responsibility for
children should definitely make sure to go for a pediatric BLS class Louisville in which the life-saving techniques for
helping out children and infants in the middle of cardiac emergencies would be
taught to the students. Always select an accredited training center for your
training. If you are a resident of Kentucky you can go for a program at the AHA
accredited CPR Louisville where certified instructors conduct the classes
through a series of audio and video lectures.
When
conducting CPR on a child or an infant and there are two responders, the ratio
of compressions to rescue breaths is 15:2.
Read on to know about the Pediatric
Basic Life Support sequence:
The
following sequence should be followed by healthcare providers while responding
to pediatric emergencies:
1. Ensure safety of the rescuer and the
child.
2. Check for the responsiveness of the
child by gently shaking the child or by talking loudly to him or her.
3. If the child responds by moving or
answering:
·
Leave
the child in the position in which you find him and do make sure that he or she
is not in further danger; check for the victim’s condition and call for help if
needed.
·
If
the child is unresponsive, shout for help and call for the emergency medical
services; turn the child on his back; tilt the head and lift the chin of the
child and open the airway; gently tilt his or her head back by placing your
hand on his forehead; at the same time, with your fingertip(s) under the point
of the child’s chin, lift the chin. Do not push on the soft tissues under the
chin as this may obstruct the airway; if you still find it difficult in opening
the airway, go for a jaw thrust which you should carry out by placing the first
two fingers of each hand behind each side of the child’s mandible and pushing
the jaw forward.
4. After opening the airway, check for
the normal breathing of the child which you can do by putting your face close
to the child’s face:
·
Look
for chest movement.
·
Listen
for the breath sounds at the child’s nose and mouth.
·
Feel
for any air movement on your cheek.
(After a
child is struck with a cardiac arrest, he or she may take slow, infrequent
gasps, so look and listen for breathing sounds. If you have even a minor doubt
about the child’s breathing, waste no time and start with the Pediatric BLS
techniques)
5. If the child is breathing normally:
·
Call
for emergency medical services.
·
Check
for continued breathing.
6. If the breathing is not normal or
absent:
·
Remove
any obvious airway obstruction.
·
Provide
the victim with 5 initial rescue breaths.
·
While
performing the rescue breaths, check for any cough or gag response to your
action. These are “signs of life” which should never be overlooked.