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Page name: TH 11 Health:Respiratory PartII [Exported view] [RSS]

2005-07-16 17:20:16

Last author: Faery
Owner: Kaimee

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The Town Herald

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The netpaper about Elftowners, by Elftowners, for Elftowners.

Unblocking respiratory ways part II
by [Faery]

If the victim falls unconscious while you are doing the pushes, it is very important not to let her fall to the ground without help. This is why the position you adopt is very important. You must be placed behind your victim with your hands in front of her. This way, if she falls down, she’ll fall on you and you will be able to protect her head. The main thing to remember is that a person is never an object, but a living being. Everyone deserves respect so you must be careful and cautious when you manipulate the victim. Once you’ve placed the victim on her back, call the ambulance as fast as possible. Then, you can start with the ABC.

A: Air - First, open the victim’s airways by gently lifting the chin. Then, check if she is breathing by placing your cheek above her mouth, watching if her chest is coming up and down and listening to the breathing. Look in her mouth if you see something blocking the way. (figure 1)

(1) <img:stuff/TH11_HL1>

B: Breathing - If the person isn’t breathing, take a deep breath and slowly blow it in her mouth. Be careful to cover the whole mouth with yours and to block the nose otherwise the air won’t reach the lungs. (figure 2) Do this twice. If the air isn’t passing, bring the chin down and up again. If it still doesn’t pass, start doing some abdominal pushes.

(2) <img:stuff/TH11_HL2>

(3)

Abdominal pushes done here are the same as for CPR. To do those correctly, you have to find the right spot to place your hands. First, place the fingers of your right hand on the ribs and go up until you find the hole right under the sternum. Place your ring finger in the hole, and your major and index above it. Then, place your left hand above the two fingers and your right hand above it. Move your body forward until your arms are perpendicular to the victim’s body and start pushing. (figure 3) Your hands should go down one to two inches. Do this until the victim starts breathing again. If she vomits, place her on her side until she stops and go back to step A. Once she’s breathing, place her on her side (figure 4) and watch her vital signs until the ambulance arrives.
(4) <img:stuff/TH11_HL4>

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2006-04-16 [Chrysilla]: I have something to add. "Look in her mouth if you see something blocking the way." That could mean her tongue too. In that case, use a clean handkerchief to move it. "take a deep breath and slowly blow it in her mouth." A doctor would tell you to use something between your mouths to filter the air (just in case, maybe she/he is ill). So a handkerchief would be really helpful here . If the mouths are too different in size (e.g. the person is a kid) or u just don`t wanna put your mouth on his/hers, you could try the "mouth to nose" metod. You just keep his/hers mouth closed and breath the air into the nose. And the pushes should be done in the same rhytm as the heart`s beats. That`s all.

2006-04-16 [Chrysilla]: And I didn`t write that to look like Miss Knows-Everything, I only wanted that this advices to be complete.

2006-04-17 [Kaimee]: But apparently mouth to nose resusitation isn't used because it's less effective as it's harder to seal the mouth, easier to clear the mouth, and easier to breathe the right amount of air into the mouth as the air capacity of the nose is obviously smaller ;) Mouth to nose is often used on pets however as, yeah - obviously their mouth shape makes mouth-to-mouth almost impossible, and because the air capacity of the nose is more suited to the smaller amounts of air their smaller bodies use.

2006-04-17 [Faery]: Actually, there are special devices used to put between your mouth and the victim's, called pocket masks, but if you don't have one, it is better not to use a handkerchief. First, it will not stop any contamination and second, il will make the manoeuvre less effective. If you think the victim might have a grave illness transmitable by mouth to mouth contact. you are better not to try and help at all and wait for professionnals. Concerning mouth to nose, it is vever used on humans. However, when treating a baby, your mouth will cover the whole mouth AND nose, since they are so small, but this is a completely different case I will explain in my next article

2006-04-18 [Chrysilla]: I read everything I wrote in a manual for professionals, as you call them. And they say to really use a handkerchief

2006-04-18 [Faery]: Well, in practice, we don't. I have discussed the matter with other lifeguards and they all agreed...

2006-04-19 [Kaimee]: You need to remember how old some of those manuals can be, and also that different countries have different safety practises. In fact, different areas of different countries will have different regulations ;)

2006-04-26 [Chrysilla]: Well I`m in Romania... it might be different here :D

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