!No Heartbeat

When to give chest compressions
-------------------------------
Check for a pulse (heartbeat) on the neck. Or listen by putting your ear on
the left side of the chest.

If there is no heartbeat, try to restart it with chest compressions. It is
important to start chest compressions quickly, so if you are not sure if you
have found a heartbeat, or if the heartbeat is very faint, it is safest to do
chest compressions.

   Give chest compressions
   -----------------------
   Push hard and fast on the center of the chest 30 times. Push straight
   down, about 5 cm (2 in). Try for a fast rate, at least 100 times a minute,
   but the exact rate is not important. Push hard and fast!

   Give rescue breaths
   -------------------
   After 30 chest compressions, give 2 rescue breaths that make the chest
   rise.

   Continue with compressions and breaths
   --------------------------------------
   Keep alternating between 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths. You
   may have to do this for a long time. Continue until the person is
   breathing and alert, or until there is no doubt he is dead.

   Get help
   --------
   If you can get the person to a hospital quickly, do so. Keep giving chest
   compressions and rescue breathing on the way. This will help to keep the
   body functions going until you can get help.

This may bring life back to someone after electrocution, drowning, if he
suffered a very hard blow to the chest, hypothermia (too cold), or drug
overdose.Chest compressions are less likely to help someone after a heart
attack, but are worth trying, especially if you can get more medical help.
(See more about heart attacks.)

A medical device called a defibrillator gives an electric shock to re-start
the heart after a heart attack. Find out before emergencies happen if there
are defibrillators in your community and where they are kept. They are
sometimes found in ambulances, or in public places like a police station or a
large hotel.

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from NEW WHERE THERE IS NO DOCTOR ©
Hesperian Health Guides 1919 Addison St Ste 304 Berkeley CA 94704
1.510.845.1447 [email protected]
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