Infant CPR
Carers, parents, grandparents and others who are responsible for the care and safety of an infant can now learn the life saving skill of Infant CPR and the relief of choking in just a few minutes.
For those that have backyard pools and babies or small children this is especially relevant.
Where can I learn?
Hospital maternity wards, child care centres, and other relevant groups can host training sessions and teach CPR for babies to those who may not normally take a traditional resuscitation class. This is a great way to reach into the community and help to train more people in the life saving skills of Infant CPR.
There is also much information available on line, including videos which show the important aspects of this technique.
Infant CPR is suitable for any victim under the age of 12 months, apart from newborn babies in the first hours after birth.
Respiratory arrest in infants is more commonly caused by an injury such as poisoning, smoke inhalation or drowning, rather than by sudden heart attack.
Here you will find more on CPR Training Online and CPR Recertification.
The A B C of Infant CPR
“A” is for AIRWAY.
An infant will normally take shallow and rapid breaths, so it is necessary to carefully look, listen and feel for breathing. Try to wake the infant up. Really little babies respond well to having the soles of their feet rubbed or tapped. For infants, that are more than 2 months old, you should tap their shoulder or chest. Call out their name in a loud voice. Do not hurt the baby, but you are trying to wake them up.
If you are not able to detect any signs of breathing, the tongue could be obstructing the infant’s airway. Although the technique of head tilt/chin lift is similar to that used for adults and children, when clearing an infant’s airway it’s important not to tilt the head back too far. An infant’s airway is quite narrow and overextending the neck may actually close off the air passage.
“B” is for BREATHING. To artificially breath for the infant, place your mouth over both his mouth and nose and give a gentle puff from your cheeks. Let the baby exhale, and watch the chest and listen and feel for any breathing. If the infant does not breathe on his own, then again place your mouth over his mouth and nose and give another small puff.
“C” is for CIRCULATION. The pulse of an infant is best checked at the brachial artery,located on the inside of the upper arm, between the elbow and the shoulder. Locate this artery, and place two fingers on it. Apply slight pressure for 3 to 5 seconds, and try to feel a pulse. If you cannot feel a pulse within that time, the infant’s heart is probably not beating, and you need to perform chest compressions.
An infant’s ribcage is very delicate and is susceptible to damage if chest compressions are not performed properly. It is very important to use caution when performing this Infant CPR technique on an infant.
How to:
Place the infant flat on his back on a hard suface such as a table or the floor,and place two fingers in the center of the chest just below the nipple line. The compression should be to approximately one third the depth of the chest.
1 person CPR for the very young:
Check the infant for response by patting his feet and gently tapping his chest or shoulder.
Provide 5 cycles of CPR (30 compressions and 2 ventilations).
Dial 9-1-1.
Continue CPR
2 person Infant CPR:
• Check the infant for response by patting his feet and gently tapping his chest or shoulder.
• A trained rescuer should remain with the victim to begin CPR.
• Second rescuer telephones 9-1-1.
• Continue CPR.
When asking someone to call 911, make sure to tell them why they are calling. If you do not, they may not tell the dispatcher exactly what is happening. If the dispatcher is aware that the baby is not breathing or responding, they may be able to give you instructions on Infant CPR that help.
There is available on the internet much more information about this important technique, much of it is free information.
