Premergency First Aid, CPR and AED Manual

5 Cardiovascular Emergencies, CPR and AED

Cardiac Arrest – Infants and Children First aid for cardiac arrest requires different techniques for infants aged 12 months or fewer and children aged 8 years or fewer. Age is used as a guideline and you should always consider the size and physical development of the patient when choosing a CPR technique. The first aid components for cardiac arrest in children and infants remains the same but the initial sequence is different. For patients under 8, the most likely cause of cardiac arrest is respiratory related. If you are alone with a patient 8 or younger and must leave to summon help and get an AED, then you first provide 5 cycles of 30:2 chest compressions and rescue breaths (2 minutes) before going for help/AED. If it is possible to carry the patient with you when you go to summon help, then do so. If not, then place the patient in the recovery position before leaving.

Once you have summoned help and retrieved an AED, resume care of the patient as soon as you can. Resume first aid with the primary assessment and continuing to provide CPR if the patient has not resumed breathing.

Child AED

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