Performing CPR in 7 Simple Steps

CPR is a life-saving maneuver that saves thousands of lives in America annually. If you’ve been wanting to learn how to perform CPR, or if you simply want to brush up on your pre-existing knowledge, then this guide is exactly what you’ve been looking for. Here’s a simple seven-step guide on performing CPR effectively:

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1. Assess the Situation

As with any potentially life-saving procedure, you’ll need to do some prep work before performing CPR. Doing so ensures that not only the victim you’re treating is safe, but that everyone else in the immediate area is safe as well. For this reason, you should assess your current situation, and ensure there are no immediate hazards to you or the person you’re treating. Traffic, violent pedestrians, and other conditions should be removed from the area before you begin performing CPR on the victim, after all. With protrainings.com, you can learn all about the proper way to assess a situation pre-CPR and the current standards for performing effective CPR in emergencies as well. 

2. Check for Responsiveness

Before you can begin CPR, you’ll also need to check on the person’s current health and responsiveness. If the person is completely unresponsive, then you’ll know the situation is dire. Even if they are slightly responsive, they may still need CPR, however. Check their pulse and breathing rate, and follow your training, to determine if CPR is needed and necessary, and you’ll be good to go. Breathing issues, bleeding, and other health conditions should all be assessed before CPR begins. You should check for these conditions by using the standard shout-tap-shout method that you’ve been taught during your latest CPR certification. If possible, knowing the person’s health insurance status can be useful.

3. Call 911 if Needed

In the vast majority of scenarios, you will need to call 911 for help. Unless the person you’re treating suddenly becomes stable and fully healthy, you should call EMS for help. After all, CPR is meant to stabilize and save lives pre-treatment. More work will likely be needed by fully licensed and trained professionals in the aftermath of a cardiac attack or breathing episode. If the person you’re treating is not responding to you, is gasping for breath, or is not breathing at all, 911 is an absolute must. If you cannot call 911 yourself in this scenario, you should have someone nearby you on the scene call emergency services instead. 

4. Prepare for CPR

Now that you’ve made sure the scene is secure, that the person you’re treating has been properly assessed, and have called 911, it’s time to begin the prep work for performing CPR. You will first need to lie your patient down on the ground on a firm, flat spot (with their back flat on the ground). Then, you will need to check their airways to ensure that they do not have an obstruction present. Once you’ve completed these two steps, you’ll be fully prepared to begin actually doing CPR. 

5. Begin Chest Compressions

First, you should perform thirty chest compressions. Make sure your hands are directly centered on the chest, and that your shoulders are directly over your hands (with your elbows locked) when performing these chest compressions. You should push at least two inches into the patient’s chest if at all possible, and you should perform the chest compressions at a rate of about 100, to 120, per minute. Before you perform the next round of chest compressions (after breathing steps), you should allow the chest to return to normal. 

6. Begin Breathing Steps

Now that you’ve done chest compressions, it’s time to begin breathing steps. You should open the airway to a past-neutral position (doing so by using the head-tilt technique). Then, you should pinch the nose shut, breathe in a normal, large breath, and then make a seal over the person’s mouth with your mouth. Then, you should breath breathes for one second each, ensuring that the chest rises with each breath given. You should always allow all the air to exit the person’s chest before giving the next breath in the CPR process, however. 

7. Continue the CPR Process

As you wait for EMS to arrive, you’ll need to continue the CPR process. You must do everything in your power to keep the person stable during this time. If they become stable, you may sit back and comfort them until EMS arrives instead. The more people who are trained in CPR properly, the safer America will be. You can keep your family members, friends, and co-workers safer by learning CPR in 2023.