The PedFACTs course also covers the “4Cs of Pediatric First Aid” help focus providers on the steps they need to take to safely manage emergencies: Check, Call, Care, and Complete.
C=CPR consists of 2 techniques – 30 chest compressions and 2 breaths of mouth-to-mouth.
The chain of survival consists of four key steps: early recognition and activation of the emergency response system, early CPR, rapid defibrillation, and advanced life support.
The Three C's of First Aid - Check, Call, and Care.
Check, Call, and Care are the three basic Cs. The three Ps of first aid— Preserve Life, Prevent Deterioration and Promote Recovery —must always be kept in mind.
There are 5 critical components of high-quality CPR: minimize interruptions in chest compressions, provide compressions of adequate rate and depth, avoid leaning between compressions, and avoid excessive ventilation.
The seven steps of CPR are as follows: check for Danger, call for Help, check the Victim's Airway, give Two Rescue Breaths, perform Chest Compressions, switch Roles with the Compressor (if available), and continue Compressions until Advanced Medical help arrives.
Push hard, push fast. Compress the chest at least 2 inches. Compress at least 100 times per minute. Let the chest rise completely before pushing down again.
Thirty chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths is considered one cycle.
For respiratory and cardiac arrest, provide 1 breath every 6 seconds (10 breaths per minute).
The six interdependent links in the chain of survival are early recognition of sudden cardiac arrest and access to emergency medical care, early CPR, early defibrillation, early advanced cardiac life support, and physical and emotional recovery.
For someone unresponsive, first, try to know ABC. ABC stands for airway, breathing, and circulation. Airway: Try to find out whether someone is breathing. If not, clear the person's airway.
The approach to all deteriorating or critically ill patients is the same. The underlying principles are: Use the Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure (ABCDE) approach to assess and treat the patient. Do a complete initial assessment and re-assess regularly.
If they do have a pulse but aren't breathing, give them CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) until help arrives. CPR chest compressions are important because they provide oxygenated blood flow to all parts of the body and keep organs alive until medical personnel arrive on scene.
The golden rule of CPR is to “push hard and push fast.” This means that chest compressions should be given at a rate of 100-120 per minute and with enough force to compress the chest by at least 2 inches.
Giving CPR
Continue giving sets of 30 chest compressions and 2 breaths. Use an AED as soon as one is available! Minimize interruptions to chest compressions to less than 10 seconds.
If an AED is immediately accessible, get the AED and use it right away. However, in all likelihood, there will not be an AED close enough and CPR should be started first. If there is only one person present, that person should start CPR right away and continue until first responders arrive.
Pulseless electrical activity (PEA) is a condition where your heart stops because the electrical activity in your heart is too weak to make your heart beat. When your heart stops, you go into cardiac arrest, and you don't have a pulse. PEA is a “nonshockable” heart rhythm, meaning a defibrillator won't correct it.
Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) during chest compression is generally detected by arterial pulse palpation and end-tidal CO2 monitoring; however, it is necessary to stop chest compression during pulse palpation, and to perform endotracheal intubation for monitoring end-tidal CO2.
CPR (or cardiopulmonary resuscitation) combines chest compressions (pressing on the chest over the heart) and rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation).
Today, the links in the American Heart Association version of the Chain of Survival are: Immediate recognition of cardiac arrest and activation of the emergency response system. Early CPR with an emphasis on chest compressions. Rapid defibrillation.
Give 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths, known as “30:2”. Aim for 5 sets of 30:2 in about 2 minutes (if only doing compressions about 100 – 120 compressions per minute).
Seal your mouth over their mouth and blow steadily and firmly into their mouth for about 1 second. Check that their chest rises. Give 2 rescue breaths. Continue with cycles of 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths until they begin to recover or emergency help arrives.