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CPR FOR INFANTS (Age less then 1)

This is intended as a supplement to information learned in a complete CPR course instructed by the American Heart Association. It is not to be used as your only guide for CPR unless in emergency situations. Please use this only as a guideline for the proper steps in CPR. For more information please contact your local American Heart Association for class information.

According to generally accepted guidelines, Infant CPR is administered to any victim under the age of 12 months.

Infants, just as children, have a much better chance of survival if CPR is performed immediately. If you are alone with the infant, do not dial 9-1-1 until after you have made an attempt to resuscitate the victim.

Check the infant for responsiveness by patting his feet and gently tapping his chest or shoulders. If he does not react (stirring, crying, etc.), immediately check his Airway

"A" is for AIRWAY. It is normal for an infant to take shallow and rapid breaths, so carefully look, listen and feel for breathing. If you cannot detect any signs of breathing, the tongue may be obstructing the infant's airway.

Although the head tilt/chin lift technique is similar to adults and children, when clearing an infant's airway it's important not to tilt the head too far back. An infant's airway is extremely narrow and overextending the neck may actually close off the air passage.

Tilt the head back into what is called the "sniffer's position" - far enough to make the infant look as if he is sniffing

If the victim is still not breathing on his own, you will have to assist him

BREATHING

"B" is for BREATHING. Cover the infant's mouth and nose with your mouth creating a seal, and give a quick, gentle puff from your cheeks.

Let the victim exhale on his own - watch his chest and listen and feel for breathing. If he does not breathe on his own, again place your mouth over his mouth and nose and give another small puff

If the infant remains unresponsive (no crying or moving), immediately check his circulation

CIRCULATION

"C" is for CIRCULATION. An infant's pulse is checked at the brachial artery, which is located inside of the upper arm, between the elbow and the shoulder

Place two fingers on the brachial artery applying slight pressure for 3 to 5 seconds. If you do not feel a pulse within that time, then the infant's heart is not beating, and you will need to perform chest compressions

COMPRESSIONS

An infant's delicate ribcage is especially susceptible to damage if chest compressions are improperly performed, therefore it is important to use caution when rescuing an infant.

Place three fingers in the center of the infant's chest with the top finger on an imaginary line between the infant's nipples. Raise the top finger up and compress with the bottom two fingers (Figure 1). The compression should be approximately ½ inch deep - remember, ½ hand (2 fingers), ½ inch.

Count aloud as you perform five compressions and follow up with one breath. Repeat this cycle 20 times before checking the infant for breathing and pulse

REMEMBER TO DIAL 9-1-1.

If there is no pulse, continue administering 5 compressions/1 breath until an ambulance arrives. If at any point the infant regains a pulse but still does not breathe on his own, give him one rescue breath every three seconds.review

Let's Review

INFANT CPR REVIEW

What to remember when giving an infant CPR:

1. Check for responsiveness by patting the infant's shoulders or chest.

2. Remember your A-B-C:

Airway: an infant's head should be tilted into the "sniffer position". Do not overextend an infant’s neck as this may close off the airway.
Breathing: cover the infant's nose and mouth with your mouth and use gentle puffs, breathing from your cheeks, not your lungs.
Circulation: check for pulse at the brachial artery, in the infant's inside upper arm. If there is none, perform five compressions - 2 fingers (approximately ½ the size of a hand), ½ inch.

3. Perform rescue efforts for 1 to 2 minutes before dialing 9-1-1.

4. Continue performing rescue efforts, checking for pulse every minute until help arrives.

Congratulations! You've completed Pediatric Basic Life Support and should now take the following quiz to reinforce what you've learned about Infant CPR before proceeding to the final review/test.

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