FIRST AID IN THE WORKPLACE

How to provide first aid to a person who is unconscious and not breathing?

Video:

The video was created as part of the EU-funded project Safety training for practical life, Erasmus+ 2022-2-SK01-KA210-ADU-000095920. Subtitles in English, Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian and Bulgarian were added to the videos. On YouTube, you can turn it on in video settings via the

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Causes of the condition:

  • cardiac (heart attack, heart damage, ventricular fibrillation);
  • non-cardiac (drowning, choking, massive bleeding).

Basic first aid procedure – cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR):

  • SAFETY. Check the surroundings – prioritize your own safety. Beware of possible sources of injury – sharp objects, shards, dangerous persons, vehicles, electricity, etc.
  • ADDRESS Loudly address the person or shake their shoulders.
  • HEAD TILT. Tilt the affected person’s head back (place one hand on the forehead and fingers of the other hand under the chin; tilt the head back and move the lower jaw forward). This opens the airways, the tongue lifts away from the palate.
  • BREATHING CHECK. Check the breathing: Place your ear close to the affected person’s mouth and watch their chest. Can you hear inhalation and exhalation? Can you feel the exhaled air? Is their chest rising? If not → they are not breathing. Watch out for gasping (carp) breaths, the affected person is not breathing! Limit the breathing check to a maximum of 10 seconds.
  • EMERGENCY CALL. Call 155. Use the speakerphone and start chest compressions simultaneously. Never hang up first.
  • CHEST COMPRESSIONS. Perform chest compressions on firm surfaces (e.g. flat solid ground). Press in the center of the chest with both hands to a depth of 5–6 cm (using only the bottom of the lower hand’s palm). Rate of 100–120x compressions per minute.
  • RESCUE BREATHS. Give 2 rescue breaths after 30 chest compressions. If performed correctly, the affected person’s chest will rise. You can use a resuscitation mask or a mask from the first aid kit. Do not administer rescue breaths if the person has vomited, has a bloody mouth, or if there is a risk of infection. In such cases, keep compressing the chest. You can also skip rescue breaths if you are untrained or unsure about performing them correctly. Perform continuous chest compressions.
  • Continue CPR until emergency medical services arrive, alternate with another rescuer, or until your own complete physical exhaustion.