Save life! How to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in children

We know. Reading about CPR on children and watching videos is not the most fun thing you can spend your free time on. There are so many fun cat videos, books and series you'd rather get your attention on. But. This is important. And knowledge is a fresh product. So even if you took a CPR training a few years ago, your memory needs to be refreshed. Nazir's story gives us proof of this. A 10-year-old girl, who thanks to the fact that she just learned cardiopulmonary resuscitation, saves the life of her mother. According to The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency about 200 children in Sweden per year suffer from sudden unexpected cardiac arrest (hospital cases are excluded). The most common causes are drowning and suffocation, usually during play or that they put something in the throat. Most of those affected are one-year-old children, but it is important to know that it can affect any child (and adult). Keeping track of cardiopulmonary resuscitation can therefore save lives and alleviate injuries in the event of an accident.The information below is a compilation of instructions and information that can be read in its entirety 1177, Swedish Red Cross and CPR Council

CPR in children - when do you do it and what is it?

1. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is performed on a child who has stopped breathing or whose heart has stopped beating.
2. CPR consists of two parts: breaths and chest compressions.

Inblåsningar, mera känt som mun-mot-mun-metoden, är när man lägger sin mun tätt över någon annans mun och blåser in luft. Bröstkompressioner, å andra sidan, är när man rytmiskt trycker händerna mot bröstkorgen för att få blodet att cirkulera. Tillsammans försöker de få igång andningen och hjärtverksamheten igen.

Here are the instructions. Come along!

You are alone on the beach and suddenly see a child at the water's edge who seems lifeless. What are you doing?

1. Checks the condition. Is the child conscious? Does it breathe? Do you see any other signs of life?
2. If the child is unconscious but breathing normally: put it in recovery position and ring 112.
3. If the child does not breathe, or does not breathe normally and shows no other signs of life: start giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation and then call 112 after 1 minute.

This is a very stressful situation that can lead to a total black-out or that you do not know at all what to do. Call 112 immediately then, and they can guide you in CPR via the speaker function on your phone at the same time as they ask questions about the child's condition and where you are, among other things.If you are not alone in the place or see someone you can call on: take the chance to split up! That is, one of you calls 112 and the other begins cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Important! Start with mouth-to-mouth breathing immediately

It is very rare for the heart to stop beating in children. The most common reason they become unconscious is that they have stopped breathing. And then you have to give mouth-to-mouth breathing right away!Children are super sensitive to lack of oxygen, and can already after a few minutes get permanent brain damage if they do not get enough oxygen. Their heart can also stop beating and if it does, you need to quickly start with chest compressions as well.

Different techniques depending on age

Unfortunately, there is not one technology that works for all children. But do not worry, it's just about 2 techniques in total. One that applies to children up to one year, and one that applies to children older than 1 year.The Swedish Civil Contingences Agency has made two films that clearly go through CPR 0–1 years and CPR 1 year – puberty. If you prefer to read instructions, we have summarized them in text form below.https://youtu.be/3ZaTQgwih-0https://youtu.be/Obsr0quEMtU

CPR in children - step by step

ONE: Check for signs of life!

• Is the child conscious? Shake the baby gently and try to make contact.
• Does the child breathe normally? Lift your chin and bend your head back. Watch, listen and feel if the child is breathing.

If you cannot see, hear or feel any breathing, start with the mouth-to-mouth method. Does the child breathe normally but is unconscious? Put it in stable side position and call 112.

TWO: Do mouth-to-mouth breathing - 5 breaths

• Continue to keep the airways open by placing one hand on the forehead and two fingers on the tip of the chin.
• For infants: place your mouth over the baby's mouth and nostrils. If the child is 1 year or older: pinch your nostrils and place your mouth tightly over the child's mouth.
• Make 5 slow breaths (1 second per breath). In the case of infants, you blow in as much air as can fit in your own mouth, but for older children, you adjust the amount of air according to the child's size. Check that the chest rises when you blow in air and lowers when the baby exhales.
• Watch, listen and feel if the child shows any signs of life. Does the child show any signs of life? Not? Switch to CPR with chest compressions. It is not dangerous to do chest compressions even if the heart is beating.
• If the child is conscious but not breathing normally, continue with mouth-to-mouth breathing but with 20 breaths per minute. After the first round, call 112 if you have not already done so. Then continue to blow in air until the ambulance arrives.

THREE: If the baby shows no signs of life: switch between 2 breaths and 30 chest compressions

Chest compressions:

• Lay the baby on its back on a hard surface.
• If the baby is younger than 1 year: place the index finger and middle finger in the middle of the chest, on the lower half of the sternum.
• Children 1 year and older: place your wrist in the middle of the chest, on the lower part of the sternum. Keep your arm straight and lean over the baby when you press.
• Press down one third of the depth of the chest, about 4 cm on infants and 5 cm on older children. Press 30 times, each time should be a little faster than 1 second.

Inhalations:

• Make two breaths.

Then start over. When you have done three rounds of compressions and breaths, call 112 and then continue to do CPR until the ambulance shows up.Remember! Try to switch between the steps at a steady pace. Do not stop to check for signs of life. If there are more of you on site - feel free to change after 2 minutes. It is strenuous to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation. And last but not least: it's always better to do something than nothing at all!

Become a CPR professional

A strong tip is to take a course of a few hours to practice the steps so that you feel safe and perform them correctly. BVC usually arranges free education for new parents, Roda Korset offers courses of both 3 and 6 hours and here you can find a course that is completely web based, if you would prefer it. While waiting for your course, you can download free posters and set up where you think it is needed ;)Do you have children or want to know more about children? Take a look at our blog and you can read everything from common childhood diseases to our top tips when it comes to travel and children.