Insurance Resource Library: A Guide To CPR

CPR is an acronym that stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is a life-saving procedure that is performed both inside and outside of hospitals on people who are enduring cardiac arrest. In the procedure, chest compressions are performed on the victim in order to get blood to manually start pumping through the heart. Additionally, artificial ventilation, which is the rescuer exhaling into the mouth of the victim, may also be performed concurrent to the chest compressions. The goal is to restore fractional flow of oxygenated blood to both the heart and the brain.

How To Determine If CPR Is Needed

The best way to determine if CPR is needed is when any person is unresponsive. Being unresponsive is defined as showing no signs of breathing or only breathing in gasps. If this is observed in any person, there is a good chance that the person is experiencing cardiac arrest. There is an exception made if the person still possesses a pulse, but is not breathing. In this case, artificial respiration may be more appropriate. Because a pulse is often hard to identify in people who are having breathing problems, CPR is used straightaway.

• CPR: Describes the situations when CPR is necessary to parents.

• The Free Dictionary: Under the "Purpose" heading, it talks about the situations in which CRP should be performed.

• What is CPR?: Explains in the second paragraph that health professionals should not first check the pulse before starting CPR.
  

• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: Educates about how to identify when a person needs CPR.
  

• Enotes: Establishes when CPR should be done, which is if a person is not breathing.
  

• Infant & Child Safety: CPR: Gives instructions on how to proceed if a child is not breathing.
  

• Nursing Assistant Education: Educates people on determining if a person is just sleeping or is in need of CPR.

How To Perform CPR

Standard CPR is performed properly by first applying the correct compression to ventilation ratio in adults and children. For both adults and children, the correct ratio is 30:2, but if there are at least two rescuers present, the ratio for children changes to 15:2. The advised sequence of interventions is chest compressions first, then attention to the airway, and finally breathing. For both adults as well as children, the advised depth of compression is 5 centimeters. Rescuers must use two hands for chest compressions in adults; for children, they ought to only use one hand. Checking for a pulse is not advised for those who are only lay providers of CPR, and it is only advised for up to 10 seconds for professional rescuers.

• How to Perform CPR: Specific instructions on how to perform CPR.
  

• Seattle Central Community College: Teaches people how to go about performing CPR in very detailed steps.
  

• Son Safety: Instructs visitors using a step-by-step breakdown of CPR procedures.
  

• Streamlined CPG guidelines: A straight-to-the-point explanation of how to perform CPR on a victim.

• Process Report CPR: Walks visitors through the process for administering CPR on a victim.
  

• Thinkquest: Gives a brief explanation of what to do when performing CPR.
  

• Mayo Clinic: Detailed instructions for both trained and untrained people on how to perform CPR.
  

• Scum Doctor: Very brief and succinct series of steps on how to perform CPR.

Performing CPR On Children

Performing CPR on children requires different considerations from performing CPR on adults. The ratio of chest compressions to ventilation is 15:2 for children if more than one rescuer is present; this applies to standard CPR. While the depth of chest compression is the same for adults and children, the order of interventions is not. Some experts still advise the ABC order of interventions in CPR for children. ABC stands for airway, breathing next, and finally chest compressions.

• CPR for Children: Explains how to administer CPR if a child is found unresponsive.
  

• St. John Ambulance: Quick instructions on performing CPR on children.
  

• Parents.com: Links that inform about performing CPR on a baby.
  

• ABC Parents: Step-by-step guideline on how to handle CPR when done on a child.
  

• Safe Kids: All you need to know about performing CPR on a child.
  

• Medline Plus: Very true, government-sanctioned information on giving CPR to children.
  

• Cincinnati Children's: Quick tips on what to do when a child is not breathing.
  

• CPR Dude: Short instructions with a helpful graph on what to do to perform CPR on a child.

Children Performing CPR

Children performing CPR is generally not encouraged due to their lack of physical strength to properly perform the required chest compressions. Still, the prospects for children performing CPR successfully increase as they get into their teens. A British study from 2007 found that almost half of 13- and 14-year-olds possessed the adequate physical strength to deliver CPR successfully. Even if younger children are unable to perform CPR correctly, they still should learn the basics of the procedure. This will educate them about the time that victims need emergency help and when to start thinking about making a call to get an ambulance. Further, children who possess the knowledge of how to perform CPR could instruct adults who possess the necessary physical strength on how to administer it properly on a victim.

• Reuters: Article discussing how even young teens can, at times, perform CPR successfully.

• Livestrong: Information about CPR training especially for children.
  

• Kids Health: Information tailored to kids about CPR.
  

• MedPageToday: Information on kids as young as nine doing CPR.
  

• Irving III's CPR For Kids: Information about a non-certified CPR information course for kids.
  

• Teach Kids CPR: Tips on teaching CPR to kids from a paramedic.
  

• Connect Tristates: News article on teaching CPR to kids at an early age.
  

• CTV News: News article on the results of having kids teach CPR to their friends and family.

Getting Certified

Getting certified in CPR comes down to selecting a few different options. You can either contact the local chapter of your American Red Cross, which is sure to offer CPR training on different days for a price. The American Heart Association also offers CPR certification courses, so check with them. One of the most convenient ways of becoming CPR-certified is by taking an online course; this option is excellent for those who cannot pay the standard fees or make it to physical classes. The last option available is CPR certification through a local area board of education, which at times provide CPR certification classes to either local residents or parents.

• CPR Today: Website for online certification that saves people the trouble of attending classes in person.
  

• American Health Care Academy: Website of organization that offers CPR certification online, which is easy to comprehend.
  

• CPR Professor: Delivers CPR certification classes that are recognized nationally.
  

• CPR Certification Guide: All about getting CPR certification from the comfort of home.
  

• CPR Instructor: A list of links to state laws concerning CPR and the Good Samaritan Law.
  

• National Conference of State Legislatures: Contains lots of information about states and the laws concerning CPR and the Good Samaritan Law.
  

• Samaritan/CPR: Discloses information on the protections that the Good Samaritan Law gives to people administering CPR.