Throughout the 1700s in Amsterdam, a group of citizens organized the Society for Recovery of Drowned Persons. They began the first attempts at dealing with sudden cardiac arrests and heart attacks. The group organized a set of rules to follow in case there was ever a situation in which a person could have drowned (History of CPR). The movement has since gained immense popularity, saving about 92,000 lives each year. In 1960, the American Heart Association started a program helping physicians become familiar with close-chest cardiac resuscitation, and now has now developed into a program for the general public to learn CPR (The History of CPR). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation “…can keep oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs until more definitive medical treatment can restore a normal heart rhythm” (Mayo Clinic). When put in a situation where CPR is needed, a person should recall C-A-B: circulation, airway, and breathing; reinstate blood circulation by giving chest compressions, unclog the airway, and give rescue breaths for the victim (Mayo …show more content…
An infant may be in need of CPR because of choking, drowning, electrical shock, excessive bleeding, head trauma, serious injury, lung disease, poisoning, or suffocation. Walking up to the scene, it is always necessary to check for safety. Once the scene has been declared safe, the infant needs to be checked for alertness. This should be done by gently shaking or tapping the baby, or it can be done by rubbing the bottom of the infant’s foot. When the infant does not respond, then someone should instantly call 911. The rescuer needs to carefully place the baby on its back, and prepare to give chest compressions. For an infant, the pressure from the heels of the rescuers hands would be too much for the baby’s body, so fingertips are used instead. The person giving CPR should place two of their fingers, usually their pointer finger and middle finger, or they could use their middle and ring finger, to give thirty, safe and effective chest compressions. The head-tilt-chin-lift technique is used the same as an adult or child for the infant. So once the airway is open, the rescuer needs to look, listen, and feel for any breathing that could be coming from the baby. If the infant is still not breathing after the compressions, it is time for the two rescue breaths. The person giving CPR has to cover the infant’s mouth and