Basic CPR certification courses provide you with skills and knowledge to save an individual who has gone into cardiac arrest. CPR group training and CPR online programs can help you learn the different techniques of CPR for different age groups and situations. Child CPR training is different from infant and adult CPR training. The function is the same – to maintain blood flow and oxygen throughout the body to sustain life and organ function. The technique is different because the body sizes are different. Using adult techniques on an infant could injure them. Using infant CPR techniques on an adult would not be sufficient enough or effective enough to save their life. CPR training classes provide you with all the knowledge, confidence, and skills you need to perform CPR on any age to help save a life.
Infant CPR is used on babies under the age of one year. Child CPR is performed on children ages one year to eight years old. Adult CPR is used for children older than eight years. Of course, you will need to evaluate each situation separately. If you have a child that is nine years old but is very small and petite in size, child CPR may be the best choice for that child. It is common for a first responder to arrive on the scene and not know anything about the victim including age. Bystanders are often able to give first responders the vital information of what happened and any known personal information on the victim so that the emergency first responder can make decisions quickly in the best interest of the victim.
When performing CPR on a child, you place one hand on the breastbone and do chest compressions that are two inches deep for thirty counts. Then you give two breaths. To give a CPR breath to a child, tilt the chin so the head is angled slightly back. Pinch the nose and place your mouth over the child’s mouth and give a breath. You will see the chest cavity expand from your breath. That counts as one breath. Do that one more time and then immediately go back to chest compressions. CPR should be continued until emergency medical help arrives to take over. If you are alone and there are no bystanders nearby, be sure to dial 911 before you start CPR. It can take an average of four to ten minutes for an ambulance to arrive. CPR will need to be performed to sustain life until the paramedics can take over. CPR training and certification are important skills to learn. No one ever hopes to have to use those skills, but knowing them and being able to perform them correctly and with confidence can help save lives.
