Begin rescue breathing or CPR right away and continue until aid comes. If you are alone and the youngster is not breathing or has no pulse, begin Rescue Breathing or CPR right away. Call 9-1-1 after one minute. Return to the youngster and keep performing CPR until aid comes.
If there is someone else around, they can help perform CPR too. Make sure that you tell them what to look for while they are doing it.
Children can drown in as little as four inches of water over their head. Don't wait to get them out of the pool!
Don't try to lift the child out by themselves. Instead, call for help from neighbors or store employees.
Don't use a ladder! A falling child can injure yourself too. Use a platform handle or a chair to reach them.
Children can die from drowning even if they aren't actually unconscious at the time. Save them by getting them out of the pool immediately!
If your kid is unconscious for more than two minutes, has trouble breathing, or tremors or jerks while unconscious, dial 911. A weak pulse or poor breathing need immediate medical attention.
Kids can fall and hit their heads hard enough to be unconscious. If this happens, follow these steps:
First, check the child's vital signs. Feel his or her neck for a tender spot called the "jugular vein" or "carotid artery". These are important vessels that may have been damaged by the child falling on their head. You can feel them with your hand.
Next, look for other signs of injury. Does the child have any bleeding from open wounds? Is there a lump on the back of their head? Are their eyes closed or wide open?
Last, call for help. Kids can be injured seriously enough to die easily. You should always try to save a life even if it means leaving the child in distress for a few moments.
Children can fall and not be conscious for several reasons. They may have suffered a brain injury because their skull is hard and small relative to their body size. This makes their brains vulnerable to trauma.
Stay with the patient and call for assistance. Examine the patient's respiration, pulse, and blood pressure. If the patient is unconscious, not breathing, or does not have a pulse, dial 911 and begin CPR. Injuries such as cuts, scratches, bruises, and fractured bones should be looked for. Check for signs of shock (weakness, cold sweat, pale skin). If present, start CPR immediately.
CPR instructions: chest compressions should be done at a rate of 100 per minute while ventilations are performed at a rate of 10 per minute. The hands should be used to guide the patient's air back into their lungs and not to force them away from their body. Once life has been saved, stop performing CPR.
If a patient is unconscious but has a breathing pattern, try to keep them on their side. This will help avoid choking. If they remain unresponsive after several minutes, call for help.
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"If a child has a genuine submersion that necessitates any form of CPR, they should get to the emergency department right away," he added. "If they experience a less severe 'choking episode,' they should seek medical assistance if they have a prolonged cough, chest discomfort, fast breathing, fever, or dyspnea."
Water can be dangerous for children because their airways are narrow and they can choke easily on even small amounts of liquid. If this happens at home, call 911 immediately and follow these steps until help arrives:
Remove the child from the water. Place them in a recovery position, with their head raised slightly above heart level. Keep them warm during rescue operations by placing them in a bathtub or shower cubicle. Do not give them anything to eat or drink while waiting for help.
If the child is still not breathing properly, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Begin by performing artificial respiration: place your mouth over the child's nose and mouth and blow into their throat once or twice. This will try to push the water back down their throats.
If this isn't enough to restore their breathing, use a defibrillator on them. Defibrillation is the process of applying an electrical shock to the chest to restart the heart. Only trained personnel should perform defibrillation; only do so if you're sure there's no other way to revive the child.