Emergencies happen on a daily basis. If you are ever faced with a medical emergency and a person is unconscious, there are several steps you should take to ensure that person’s survival. When you take one of our First Aid & CPR courses offered in North York, or any of our other training facilities across Ontario, you will learn all these steps. There are many topics included in First Aid training including the ABCs of CPR!
When using the ABCs of CPR, you could be the determining factor between life and death. The ABCs of CPR are part of the “Check, Call, Care” steps that the Canadian Red Cross has implemented into their training. Check, Call, Care includes the primary assessment a first aider must complete when they encounter a hurt/ill person. When checking the person, they will need to check their ABCs. What do the ABCs of CPR stand for?
A – Airway
You must first check to confirm if the person has an open airway. The airway is the tube that allows air to pass into or out of the lungs, making it impossible to breathe if it is blocked. To open it, you must perform a head-tilt/chin-lift. To do this, you need to tilt the head back and lift the chin, until the chin is highest point (in adults). This action shifts the tongue away from the back of the throat and allows air to reach the lungs.
This action does not need to be done if the person is speaking, moaning or crying, meaning that the airway is open.
It is important to begin your rescue by opening the Airway and then proceed to check for breathing for 5-10 seconds. Make sure you know exactly how to perform a head-tilt/chin-lift by taking our North York CPR/AED course.
If the individual has suffered head and/or spinal injury, open the airway using jaw thrust instead of a head tilt chin lift. Jaw thrust is a medical technique that is used to open the airway of a patient in order to facilitate breathing. It is often used in cases where a patient has a blocked airway or is having difficulty breathing, such as during a respiratory arrest or choking.
To perform jaw thrust, the caregiver places their hands on either side of the patient’s head and gently lifts the jaw upwards and forward, using the thumb and fingers to support the mandible (lower jaw). This action helps to open the airway by pulling the tongue and other soft tissues away from the back of the throat, allowing air to flow more easily into the lungs.
Jaw thrust is typically performed as part of basic life support (BLS) or advanced life support (ALS) protocols, and is usually done in conjunction with other measures to support the patient’s breathing, such as ventilation with a bag valve mask or placing an advanced airway (such as an endotracheal tube).
Inquire about CPR Training
B – Breathing
Next, you will check for breathing. For a maximum of 5 to 10 seconds, you will need to check for normal breathing. With your face turned towards the person’s torso, right above the person’s mouth, listen for breaths and look to see if the chest is rising and falling. Here is the list of actions you can take to check the breathing:
Look for visible signs of breathing, such as the chest rising and falling or air moving in and out of the nose or mouth.
Place your ear near the person’s nose and mouth and listen for the sound of breathing.
Place your hand on the person’s chest and feel for the movement of the chest as they breathe.
If you only see an infrequent gasp of air, the person is not breathing normally. An occasional gasp for air is a reflex action called “agonal respiration” which is irregular.
Agonal breathing, also known as agonal respiration or gasping respiration, is a type of abnormal breathing pattern that can occur in people who are experiencing a medical emergency, such as cardiac arrest or severe respiratory distress. It is characterized by irregular, shallow breaths that may be accompanied by grunting or gurgling sounds.
Agonal breathing is a sign of severe oxygen deprivation and is often a sign that the patient is in cardiac arrest, which is a life-threatening condition in which the heart has stopped beating effectively. In these cases, immediate medical attention is necessary to restore blood flow and oxygen to the body.
Agonal breathing can also occur in other medical emergencies, such as respiratory distress, pneumonia, or other conditions that cause difficulty breathing. If a person is experiencing agonal breathing, it is important to call for emergency medical assistance and begin basic life support measures, such as CPR, if trained to do so.
C – Check Circulation
When checking for circulation, you must look for deadly bleeding and signs of shock (e.g. pale, moist, cool skin). Deadly bleeding must be controlled as soon as possible and you should speedily check the person from head to toe. Many ways of dealing with bleeding are practiced in our First Aid & CPR courses taught in our first aid facilities. Normal breathing indicates that the heart is beating, but if the person is not breathing as normal, the heart may soon stop and you should start chest compressions as soon as possible.
For higher training levels such as Basic life support (BLS) and Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), checking the pulse is added to the circulation check routine. For unresponsive adults and children check the carotid pulse and for unresponsive infants check the brachial pulse.
If the individual you are rescuing has suffered hypothermia, then ensure to check the ABC for at least 60 seconds to confirm the signs of life.
ies
Learn First Aid & CPR
The ABCs of CPR are only a part of what you need to learn in case an emergency happens. Many of these steps must be practiced so if there’s any kind of emergency you are fully prepared. This is why it is now mandatory for a large number of people in different occupations to have had a First Aid & CPR training done. Many professions such as police, nurses and even office workers require first aid and CPR training for their jobs, and they must keep their certificate valid.
By enrolling in a first aid and CPR training course with us at Coast2Coast, not only will you learn amazing life saving skills, you will also feel confident in providing first aid and CPR to someone in need. You never know when an emergency can strike, which is why we recommend that everyone enrolls in a First Aid and CPR training course at some point in their life. These important skills may help you save a life one day!
We hope we can help the community of North York by making sure everyone is prepared for emergencies. Register for one of our Canadian Red Cross First Aid and CPR training courses and practice the ABCs of CPR with our top-notch equipment.
2 Comments
Hi
I am interested to complete CPR A,B and C from Canadian Red cross. Can you please let me know the process and fees. I am living in Toronto. Is there anything in Scarborough area
Thanks
Fazlul
Hi Fazlul,
The best thing for you to do would be to take a CPR/AED level C course. This will cover all of the material that is taught in level A and B as well.
You can register through our website by choosing the location closest to you or you can also call us to register. Prices vary from location to location.
Please feel free to give us a call at 866-291-9121.
Taylor