When every second counts: The 4 life-saving techniques you should know

You’re at a restaurant with your best friend, having a great time until all of a sudden, she stops talking, get a horrified, scared expression on her face and starts pointing toward her throat.

You’re at home on the couch watching a movie when your spouse turns to you, telling you he feels nauseated and like someone is sitting on his chest. Then, he collapses onto the floor.

Or, you’re hiking when you come upon another hiker who has suffered a fall and is bleeding profusely from his or her leg.

Do you know what to do in these situations? Are you prepared to help someone else in an emergency? The first step is always to stay calm; you can’t help anyone if you’re not breathing yourself. The second step is for you or someone near you to dial 911 immediately. This will get trained emergency personnel to you as quickly as possible, and 911 operators will be able to help guide you through the necessary actions until a team arrives.

These are the four lifesaving techniques that, as a trauma surgeon, I believe everyone should know:

1. CPR. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is used for people whose heart has stopped or who are not breathing. People are two to three times more likely to survive a cardiac arrest if CPR is performed on them, by anyone, before ambulances arrive. CPR can be learned quickly, inexpensively and in a variety of ways, including online or classes in your community. For teens and adults, “hands only” CPR is effective and comprised of chest compressions only — no mouth-to-mouth breathing is required. Chest compressions should be centered in the chest, over the breastbone, depress the chest by 2 inches and be done at a rate of 100 to 120 beats per minute. As we often teach in CPR classes, you should compress to the beat of the song “Staying Alive” (by the Bee Gees), which will help ensure you’re compressing at the right speed. More resources are also available via the American Heart Association’s CPR web page and YouTube video tutorial.

[See: The 12 Best Heart-Healthy Diets.]

2. AED. An automated external defibrillator is a portable device that can analyze the rhythm of the heart and deliver an electric shock. It’s used in patients with sudden cardiac arrest, which is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. In fact, it happens to more than 350,000 people a year, and approximately 95 percent will die from it, because for every minute that blood does not get pumped to the brain and the rest of the body via CPR or AED usage, the chances of survival decrease by 10 percent. AEDs are often found in public places such as shopping malls, schools, sporting arenas, hotels, airports and airplanes. AEDs can be used by anyone, even without prior training. Pictures and even voice prompts make use safe and easy. However, familiarity with what AEDs look like and how to use them helps in emergency situations. Online videos and materials are available, and training with AEDs is usually included in all community CPR training courses.

[See: How to Be a Good Patient Wingman.]

3. Heimlich maneuver. The Heimlich maneuver includes abdominal thrusts used to clear foreign objects that are blocking a person’s airway. Choking is the fourth leading cause of accidental death, and a child will die in the United States every five days from choking. The technique for rescuing adults from choking is different from that used in infants, and both should be learned. These techniques can be reviewed online and in training videos and is taught in local first aid classes. If an adult is choking, stand behind the victim, with a fist placed over his or her abdomen. The thumb of the fist should be directly against the abdomen, between the navel and the rib cage. The other hand is placed over the fist. Then, use sharp upward thrusts of your hands. This should be repeated until the item from the airway is expelled. For infants, you’ll place the baby face down on your forearm, supporting the head in your hand and with the head lower than the body. Five quick back slaps should then performed with the heel of your hand and between the shoulder blades. If the object does not clear, the baby will be turned over onto your thigh, still with the head supported and lower than his or her body (let gravity help you!). Then give five quick chest thrusts with two fingers on the breastbone and about 2 cm below the nipples (this is the same position used for chest compressions in infant CPR). Back slaps and chest thrusts are then alternated, five at a time, until the object clears. In both infants and adults, if the victim passes out, CPR should then be initiated.

[See: 8 Must-Know First Aid Tips.]

4. Tourniquets. A tourniquet is a device that can be used on arms or legs to stop blood flow for brief periods of time. It should be used on people with injuries causing life-threatening bleeding that cannot be controlled with direct pressure. Trauma is the leading cause of death for all Americans under the age of 46. Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death after trauma and can happen quickly. In fact, uncontrolled bleeding can cause death within 10 minutes, which is (often) too fast for first responders to arrive. Stop the Bleed is a national campaign launched in 2015 that aims to empower every bystander with the knowledge and confidence to help in a bleeding emergency. Tourniquets should be used if direct pressure on a wound does not control the bleeding and placed 2 to 3 inches above the injury, but not directly over a joint, such as the knee or elbow. Online videos demonstrating placement are available. Similar to AEDs, commercially made tourniquets are increasingly becoming available in public places; however, they’re not yet widespread. Tourniquets can be purchased by anyone, and more information, including training opportunities, can be found at bleedingcontrol.org.The availability of bleeding kits is incredibly important, since unfortunately, the numbers of mass casualty events are increasing. Even though tourniquets can be improvised with neckties, strips of clothing, belts and even electrical wires, improvised tourniquets have been shown to be largely ineffective, in comparison to medical grade tourniquets.

Saving a life isn’t just for medical personnel and doesn’t just happen in hospitals. Please take the time to learn these techniques — your life or a loved one’s may depend on it.

More from U.S. News

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The 12 Best Heart-Healthy Diets

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When Every Second Counts: the 4 Life-Saving Techniques You Should Know originally appeared on usnews.com

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