My Notes from Becoming Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED Certified

Note: These are my notes from the Red Cross Training Services for Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED. I want to give a general overview of First Aid/CPR/AED guidelines according to Red Cross Training.

They can be misinterpreted, so please make sure to do your proper research before doing any of these.

CPR

• For CPR, do 100–120 compressions per minute; have to do 2 inches deep
• For CPR, make sure the head is tilted and the chin is lifted for breaths. Then pinch their nose shut and do a complete seal over the person’s mouth
• Chest positions between compressions return to normal
• For compressions, place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest and another right on top.
• Interlace the fingers and put body weight on the chest
• If the chest doesn’t rise, reopen the airway and give a 2nd breath. If they are still not rising, then they are choking
• If it is because of drowning, then give two breaths, then give chest compressions

Continue giving chest compressions until:

• You notice an obvious sign of life, like breathing.
• An AED is ready.
• A trained responder is available to take over compressions.
• EMS personnel arrive and begin caring for the person.

CPR Cycles

Each CPR cycle consists of 30 chest compressions and 2 breaths.

30 Compressions

Push hard and fast at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute and a depth of about 2 inches.

• Allow the chest to return to a normal position between each compression.
• Between breaths, let the chest rise and fall
• Breaths: last 1 second, and chest has to rise
• When giving breaths, don’t push their head down
• Each breath should last about 1 second and make the chest begin to rise.

One-Hand CPR technique:

1 Only use with a small child.

2 Only use it if you can compress it deep enough.

3 Use one hand instead of two.

4 Place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest.

5 Compress the center of the chest about 2 inches.

Open the airway of a child to a slightly past neutral position. Then, give breaths that last about 1 second and make the chest begin to rise.

When giving breaths to infants:

• Use the head-tilt/chin-lift technique to open the infant’s airway to a neutral position.
• If choosing to use a breathing barrier, use an infant-sized pocket mask, if available, or alternatively, you can use a face shield.
• When giving breaths with a face shield, cover the infant’s nose and mouth with your mouth. When giving breaths with a pocket mask, make a complete seal over the infant’s nose and mouth.
• When opening the infant’s airway, do not tilt their head too far; overextending their airway can block it.

AED

Do not use pediatric AED pads for children to the onset of puberty and adults.

Place one on the upper right and lower left for the AED pads. Say Clear to make sure no one is touching the person. As soon as the shock is given, then give CPR.

General steps to using an AED include:

1. Turn on AED.
2. Remove clothing covering the chest and wipe the chest dry if necessary.
3. Place pads correctly
4. Plug the pad connecter cable into the AED if necessary
5. Clear everyone from touching the person while AED analyzes the heart rhythm
6. Clear everyone from touching the person if a shock is advised
7. Push the shock button to deliver a shock
8. After the shock is delivered, immediately start CPR, beginning with compressions.

It is safe to use an AED on pregnant women, in rain and snow, and when the person is lying on a metal surface.

An AED is also safe to use on a person with an implantable medical device (e.g., pacemaker), but the AED pads should not be placed directly over the device.

It is not necessary to shave a person’s chest hair before applying the AED pads nor remove jewelry or piercings before using the AED.

Breathing emergencies, such as asthma, bronchiolitis, drowning and choking, shock, and abnormalities in heart structure or function from birth, are common causes of cardiac arrest in children and infants.

The compression rate of 100 to 120 per minute is the same for a child as for an adult.

For a child, compress only slightly less, about 2 inches.

For a smaller child, you may use one hand to give compressions if you can compress deep enough.

Children up to 8 years of age and/or weighing less than 55 pounds (25 kg):

Pad choice: Use pediatric pads if available. If no pediatric pads are available, it is ok to use adult pads.

Pad placement: One pad on the upper right side of the chest and the other on the lower left side of the chest, a few inches below the left armpit OR, if pads touch in this position, one pad in the middle of the chest and the other on the back, between the shoulder blades.

Children older than eight years of age and/or weighing more than 55 pounds (25 kg):

Pad choice: Always use adult pads.

Pad placement: One pad on the upper right side of the chest and the other on the lower left side of the chest, a few inches below the left armpit.

Choking

Continue giving sets of 5 back blows and five chest thrusts until the infant can cough or cry or the infant becomes unresponsive.

• Place the infant’s back along your forearm.
• Place your other forearm on the infant’s front, supporting the infant’s jaw with your thumb and fingers.
• Turn the infant to a face-down position and hold them along your forearm using your thigh for support and keeping the infant’s head lower than their body.
• Use the heel of your hand to give five firm back blows between the infant’s shoulder blades.

If a choking infant becomes unresponsive,

1 Use the encircling thumbs technique when giving 30 compressions to an unresponsive choking infant.

2 If you see an object in the infant’s mouth, use your pinky instead of a larger finger for a finger sweep.

If you see an object in the infant’s mouth, use your pinky instead of a larger finger to do a finger sweep.

Illness

For some sudden illnesses, you can assist the person with their medications. To assist the person with their medication:

• Explain to the person or family member what you are going to do.
• Offer to get their medication.
• Ask them to confirm that you have the right medication.
• Assemble the medication device, if necessary.
• Give them the medication to self-administer.

Positioning is an important part of general care steps for a person who experiences a sudden illness. A recovery position should be used for a person who is unresponsive but breathing or who responds but is not fully awake.

Examples of medications that you may assist with when the person is experiencing a sudden illness include:

• Aspirin for heart attack
• Quick-relief (rescue) medications for asthma
• Epinephrine for anaphylaxis
• Naloxone for an opioid overdose
• Sugar or glucose tablets, gel or liquid for diabetes

Signs and symptoms of stroke:

• Facial weakness on one side of the body
• Arm or grip weakness on one side of the body
• Speech disturbances

Common causes of shock include:

• Life-threatening bleeding
• Infection
• Anaphylaxis
• Any serious injury or illness
• A rapid, weak heartbeat
• Rapid breathing
• Pale (grayish), cool, moist skin
• Changes in levels of consciousness ranging from unresponsive to confused, restless or irritable
• Nausea or vomiting
• Excessive thirst

Push hard on bleeding — direct pressure. Let them know it can hurt

Don’t add more than one gauze pad to the original

Put the gauze on and then roll it over them. Then, on right hand side, put two fingers and bring them around and then tie a knot.

Cardiac arrest

1. Contact 911 and ask for emergency medical services. Ask a bystander to do this.
2. Check if the unconscious person is breathing. …
3. If none is available, administer CPR by hand. …
4. Continue administering CPR until the emergency responders arrive.

Bleeding

• Anyone with any bleeding, whether it is life-threatening or not, should have direct pressure applied to stop the bleeding.
• Anyone with life-threatening bleeding from an arm or a leg should also have a tourniquet applied as soon as one is available.
• Use a hemostatic dressing.
• Hemostatic agents such as Celox, QuikClot, and Hemcon are designed to promote rapid blood coagulation in the event of a traumatic wound involving arterial bleeding. Hemostatic gauze products are now widely available to EMS professionals and first responders and approved for all levels of training in some areas.
• Tell them it will be painful.

A dressing is used when applying direct pressure.

• A hemostatic dressing is best!
• Otherwise, a gauze pad or clean piece of material, such as a T-shirt, can be used.

2. It takes a lot of pressure to stop life-threatening bleeding.

• You need to push hard!
• It might be painful for the person, but that’s ok!

Tourniquets are not good for children below 2

Tighten the strap so there is no room between the strap and the limb

Place the windless rod tourniquet 2 to 3 inches above the wound. Pull the tourniquet, then twist the rod and clip the rod

Signs and symptoms of burns include:

• Burned areas can appear red, brown, black, or white.
• You may see swelling, blisters, or both.
• Burns range in severity from minor to life-threatening.

Never use ice, ice water, or a freezing compress to cool a burn!

Give care for heat stroke while waiting for EMS to arrive. The priority is lowering the person’s body temperature:

• Immerse the person up to their neck in cold water if you can safely do so.
• If you can’t immerse the person in cold water, apply cold, wet clothes or towels to the skin, then apply ice packs and fan the person.
• Watch for changes in the person’s condition.

If the person is responsive and alert without signs of a life-threatening problem, call the national Poison Help hotline at 1–800–222–1222 and give care as advised.

1–800–222–1222

If they are unresponsive, not alert, there are other signs of a life-threatening condition, If you are unsure or multiple people are affected, call 911 and get equipment or tell someone to do so.