You’ve probably seen cardiopulmonary resuscitation done over and over on TV. And most times, it seems easy. But you’d be surprised at how much work it takes to sustain CPR for even a few minutes. If want to learn how to perform CPR in emergency situations, here are a few tips you should know:
Enroll in a good training program
Look for a reliable CPR Training in Illinois and apply for one. You need a solid foundation of the basics, theory and on how to put those to good use in real-life situations. Then start learning.
Prepare to work hard
Pushing on someone’s chest while maintaining a depth of two inches and going at a rate of 100 compressions per minute takes a toll on you quickly. It’s tedious and exhausting work and one you’ll need to prepare for. So practice a lot. Any break in the compression rate can affect and even undermine your resuscitation efforts.
Do it early on
The sooner you perform CPR on someone, the better their chances will be at recovery. However, CPR isn’t going to magically get the heart pumping again. That’s not your goal. The goal is to pump oxygen into the brain by manually pumping the blood through the heart. This greatly increases the chances of survival for someone undergoing cardiac arrest.
No need for mouth-to-mouth
While a lot of people shy away from doing CPR because they’re afraid of doing more harm than good, and some refuse to do it because they’re afraid of germs involved with mouth to mouth contact. But not all CPR efforts involve a mouth-to-mouth response. Chest compressions often work, too.
Check for a heartbeat
Before you administer CPR, make sure you check for a heartbeat first. That way, you won’t have to waste precious time trying to do CPR when you can focus on addressing other immediate health issues or concerns.