Each minute of our life is a lesson but most of us fail to read it. I thought I would just add my daily lessons & the lessons that I learned by seeing the people around here. So it may be useful for you and as memories for me.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure that combines chest compressions often with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person who is in cardiac arrest. From School going children to Adults, everyone should have some awareness on CPR.  It not only saves life of person who is dying, but also saves his entire family from loosing the heart of their family

In the present busy and pressure world, everyone is exposed to one or other health issues. The frequent and common thing that we hear now a days is Heart Attack or Cardio Arrest. Its not limited to Humans(Adults, Infants, Kids), we can see even same issues in pets. Its good to know the life Saving Steps in the Event of a Heart Attack or Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

Heart attacks , Cardiac Attacks can strike without warnings. They are becoming increasingly common across world. The statistics are indeed worrying; 50% of all the heart attacks in Indians occur under 50 years of age and a quarter of all the heart attacks in Indians occur under 40 years of age, according to the data available with Indian Heart Association.

Also, those living in urban areas are three times more susceptible than the rural population. In the light of such disturbing statistics, one would be better off getting to know some steps which may come in handy in the event of a heart attack.

What is a heart attack?

The heart is a muscle, and like all muscles it requires an oxygen-rich blood supply. This is provided to the heart by coronary arteries. A heart attack occurs when there is a blockage of the coronary arteries. This is often caused by a blood clot. Such a blockage, if not quickly resolved, can cause parts of heart muscle to begin to die. (1-3)

What is a cardiac arrest?

A cardiac arrest is different to a heart attack. In a cardiac arrest the heart actually stops beating; whereas in a heart attack the heart normally continues to beat even though the blood supply to the heart is disrupted.

Symptoms of  heart attack are:

1. Shortness of breath
2. Chest pain like pressure, squeezing or fullness
3. Pain radiating to the shoulder, arms, neck, jaw, back and the stomach which be intermittent or last a few minutes
4. Cold sweats
5. Nausea or vomiting
6. Lightheadedness, dizziness and/or fainting
7. Anxiety
8. Feeling restless or panicky
9. Unexplained fatigue, especially in women and the elderly
10. Numbness, aching or tingling sensation, usually in the left arm, but may occur in the
    right arm too in some cases
11. Breathlessness or wheezing or coughing

Symptoms of  Cardiac attack are:

1. Sudden loss of consciousness/responsiveness
2. No breathing
3. No pulse
4. Chest pain
5. Shortness of breath
6. Weakness
7. Dizziness
8. Palpitations
9. Nausea

STEPS FOR HOW TO PERFORM ADULT CPR:

1. Give 30 Chest Compressions

• Push down hard and fast in the middle of the chest, over the breastbone, with one hand on top of the other and fingers interlaced
• Press down  2-2.4 inches deep and at least 100-120 compressions per minute
• Allow for full chest recoil between each compression

2. Give 2 Rescue Breaths

• Make sure the head is tilted back and the chin is lifted
• Pinch the nose shut and cover the victim’s mouth with your mouth to form a complete seal
• Blow inside the victim’s mouth for 1 second and check to see if the victim’s chest rises
• If their chest does not rise, give another breath 

Mouth to mouth is optional, but highly recommended for child and infant CPR

Continue 30 Compressions And 2 Breaths Until:

• The victim begins to breathe
• An AED is ready to use
• A trained rescuer arrives
• You are too exhausted to continue

Special Considerations for Adult CPR:

Depending on the age of the Adult victim, the rescuer may fracture the sternum and/or ribs of the victim when performing CPR

• In order for CPR to be effective, the rescuer must push down hard, at least 2 inches deep, on the victim’s chest. Although, this pressure may do harm to the victim such as break bones. The decision to give CPR relies on the rescuer, but physicians suggest that the victim would most likely rather live with broken bones than not live at all

STEPS FOR HOW TO HELP A CONSCIOUS CHOKING ADULT

1. Give Continuous Abdominal Thrusts
   • Place a fist with the thumb side against the middle of the child’s abdomen, just above the navel
   • Cover your fist with your other hand
2. Continue Abdominal Thrusts Until:
   • The object is forced out
   • The adult/child can cough forcefully or breather
   • The child becomes unconscious. Call Emergency No(911, 102, 104, 108..depends on country) if not done already

STEPS FOR HOW TO PERFORM CHILD CPR (1YR-8YR):

1. Give 30 Chest Compressions

• You can use one or two hands: For one-handed compressions, press down hard and fast on the center of the chest using the heel of your hand
• For two-handed compressions, push down hard and fast on the center of the chest with the heel of one hand and place the other over top
• Push down about 2 inches deep, giving at least 100 compressions per minute
• Allow for full chest recoil between each compression

2. Give 2 Rescue Breaths

• Make sure the head is tilted back and the chin is lifted
• Pinch the nose closed and cover their mouth with your mouth to form a complete seal
• Blow inside the victim’s mouth for 1 second and look for their chest to rise
• If the chest doesn’t rise, give another breath

STEPS ON HOW TO HELP A CONSCIOUS CHOKING CHILD

1. Give Continuous Abdominal Thrusts
   • Place a fist with the thumb side against the middle of the child’s abdomen, just above the navel
   • Cover your fist with your other hand
2. Continue Abdominal Thrusts Until:
   • The object is forced out
   • The adult/child can cough forcefully or breather
   • The child becomes unconscious. Call Emergency No(911, 102, 104, 108..depends on country) if not done already

If child becomes unconscious, perform CPR. Start 30 to 2

STEPS FOR HOW TO PERFORM INFANT CPR:

1. Give 30 Chest Compressions

• Using two fingers, push down in the center of the chest, just below the nipple line
• Give 30 chest compressions at the rate of at least 100 per minute
• Press down approximately 1 1/2 inches deep
• Allow for full chest recoil between each compression 

2. Give 2 Rescue Breaths

• Make sure the head is tilted back and the chin is lifted into a neutral, or sniffing, position
• Cover the infant’s mouth and nose with your mouth to form a complete seal
• Give 2 rescue breaths, each 1 second long
• You should see the infant’s chest rise with each breath

**A baby’s lungs are much smaller than an adult’s, so it takes much less than a full breath to fill them

STEPS FOR HOW TO HELP A CONSCIOUS CHOKING INFANT:

** The infant cannot cough, cry or breathe**

1. Give 5 Back Blows

• Place the infant in one hand with their face facing down
• Give 5 firm back blows with the heel of one hand between the infant’s shoulder blades

2.Give 5 Chest Thrusts

• Turn the infant over so their face is upwards in one arm with the same hand cupping their head
• Place two or three fingers in the center of the infant’s chest just below the nipples and press down onto the breastbone, about 1 1/2 inches deep – 5 Compressions

**Be sure to support the infant’s head and neck with one hand and arm, and keep the head lower than the chest** 

Continue Sets of 5 Back Blows And 5 Chest Thrusts Until:

• The object is forced out
• The infant can cough, cry or breathe
• The infant becomes unconscious. Call Emergency No(911, 102, 104, 108..depends on country) , if not done already

STEPS FOR HOW TO PERFORM PET CPR:

1. Check For Breathing And a Pulse

• Using your middle and index fingers, check your pet’s pulse below its wrist, inner thigh, below the ankle, or where the left elbow touches the chest
• Check pulse below wrists, inner thight, ankle or where left elbow touches chest

2. Look For Other Warning Signs

• The gums and lips will appear gray in color
• The pupils will be dilated

3. If No Pulse, Start CPR

• Lay your pet on its right side, with its heart facing upwards
• Place your hands over the ribs where its elbows touches the chest
• Begin chest compressions

**DO NOT give compressions if the animal has a pulse

• Cats and small dogs under 30 pounds: press down ½ – 1 inch
• Medium dogs between 30-90 pounds: press down 1 – 1 ½ inches
• Large dogs over 90 pounds: press down 1 ½ – 2 inches

4. Rescue Breaths

• If your pet is not breathing, give rescue breaths
• Cats and small dogs: close your pets mouth shut, place your mouth over the nose and mouth, and blow until you see chest rise
• Medium to large dogs: close your pets mouth shut, place your mouth over the nose, blow until you see chest rise

• Cats and small dogs under 30 pounds: give 5 compressions per breath
• Medium dogs between 30-90 pounds: give 5 compressions per breath
• Large dogs over 90 pounds: give 10 compressions per breath

Continue Compressions And Breaths Until:

• Your pet starts to breathe or has a pulse

**Check its pulse after 1 minute when first starting CPR, and then after every few minutes

The above steps are easy to remember and one must have the presence of mind to perform it when the need arises. Doing so may help save a person’s life.

References.. Various Health sites, reliable web pages

Please feel free to share your story and any lessons you learned, you experienced, you came across in your life in the comments below.