Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, infant
Description
Objective of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in an infant: same as in a child or adult, with varying techniques
Essential steps
Gently tap the foot of the apparently unconscious infant and call out his name.
For a sudden, witnessed collapse, call for help or call emergency medical services. If you didn’t witness the collapse, perform resuscitation measures for 2 minutes; then call for help. You may move an uninjured infant close to a telephone, if necessary.
Place the infant supine on a hard surface.
Open the airway using the head-tilt, chin-lift maneuver, unless contraindicated by trauma; don’t hyperextend the infant’s neck.
Place your ear near the infant’s mouth and nose to evaluate his breathing status. Look for chest movement, listen for exhaled air, and feel for exhaled air on your cheek.
If the infant is breathing, maintain an open airway and monitor respirations.
Restoring ventilation
If the infant isn’t breathing, take a breath and tightly seal your mouth over the infant’s nose and mouth.
Give two breaths.
If the infant’s chest rises and falls, then the amount of air is probably adequate.
Continue rescue breathing with one breath every 3 to 5 seconds (12 to 20 breaths per minute) if you can detect a pulse.
Give each breath over 1 second.
Clearing the airway
If you’re unable to ventilate the infant, reposition the head and try again.
To remove an airway obstruction, place the infant facedown on your forearm, with his head lower than his trunk.
Support your forearm on your thigh.
Give five blows between the infant’s shoulder blades using the heel of your free hand.
If the airway remains obstructed, sandwich the infant between your hands and forearms and flip him over onto his back.
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