First Aid for Asphyxiation - Part 2
Back-pressure arm-lift method. (Holger-Nielsen method) Another method of artificial respiration is the back-pressure arm-lift method. When using this method, lay the victim on his stomach. Than bend his elbows and place one of his hands on the other so that both are lying under his head. Turn the victim’s head to one side and quickly wipe out any foreign matter that might be in his mouth. Make sure that his throat is clear.
Rescuer’s position. Kneel on one or both knees at the victim’s head, facing him. Open your hands and spread them across the victim’s back so that your thumbs are almost touching and the palms are just below an imaginary line connecting the armpits.
Compression. Rock forward slowly, so that the weight of your upper body presses on your hands. Increase the pressure until your arms are vertical. The pressure of your weight forees the air out of the victim’s lungs.
Expansion. Release the pressure on the victim’s back. Then slide your hands to his arms, just above the elbows. Grasp the upper arms and rock backward slowly, forcing the victim’s arms up and out. Continue until you feel the strain in his shoulders; then lower his arms.
This procedure forces air into a victim’s lungs by expanding his chest and arching his back. The steps in this method are repeated twelve times a minute for an adult victim and twenty times a minute for a child.
Think for Yourself
Can you think of a situation in which the back-pressure arm-lift method would be harmful to a patient?
Alternating rescuers. Because either method of artificial respiration may take a long time to help the victim to breathe by himself once again, one person may not be able to maintain the resuscitation by himself. In that case, it may be necessary to alternate rescuers. The move should be completely planned. It should be executed only when the two rescuers are certain they can complete the shift without missing any breaths.
If you have a chance to enroll in a Junior Red Cross course or one like it, you can learn about and practice many
methods of artificial respiration.
Try This
From your local fire department find out what equipment is used for victims of asphyxiation. It may also be possible to arrange for a demonstration of these kinds of equipment.
First Aid for Asphyxiation - Part 1
Accidental asphyxiation. Stoppage of breathing occurs most often in drownings. However, it may occur in carbon monoxide poisoning and other accidents. When a person stops breathing, serious injury and death can follow in a few minutes. Therefore, asphyxiation, or stoppage of breathing, must be given immediate first aid.
The best way to eliminate the danger of asphyxiation by drowning is to follow the water-safety rules you will find in this book. Care of automobile exhaust systems will eliminate the danger of asphyxiation by carbon monoxide poisoning. Proper handling and storage of old refrigerators are other good ways to reduce the danger of accidental asphyxiation.
When breathing has stopped. Always begin artificial respiration immediately upon discovery of an asphyxiated person. Do not believe bystanders who claim that there is no hope, or that the "victim has been out for an hour." The excitement of an accident often wrecks people’s sense of time and judgment. One minute may seem like twenty during the excitement of an accident.
When you begin first aid for stoppage of breathing, you should use the mouth-to-mouth method of rescue breathing. This is the easiest and most effective way to force air into a victim’s lungs. According to the Red Cross, it is the best of the methods of resuscitation, or revival.
Mouth-to-mouth breathing. If you need to administer rescue breathing to a person, proceed with the following steps.
1. Lay the victim on his back. Turn his head to one side and quickly wipe out any foreign matter that is present in his mouth. Check to see that his throat is clear.
2. Kneel beside him and tilt his head as far back as possible so that his chin is pointing up. Pull or push his jaw into a jutting-out position. Hold the jaw in this position while proceeding with the mouth-to-mouth breathing. These procedures will keep the victim’s tongue from obstructing the flow of air into his lungs.
3. Open your mouth wide. Place it over the victim’s mouth so that a leakproof seal is formed. At the same time, close his nostrils. Blow sharply into the victim’s mouth.
4. If you see the victim’s chest rise, proceed. Otherwise, check his tongue and head position. If you still fail to get air to the victim’s lungs, turn him to one side and deliver several sharp slaps to the middle of his back in an attempt to dislodge the obstruction.
5. Once the airway is clear, blow vigorously into his mouth once every five seconds (twelve times a minute). After each time you blow into the victim’s mouth, remove your mouth and listen for the return rush of air. This indicates air exchange. Then repeat the process.
For a young child, blow gently; for a baby, in puffs. Children should receive twenty breaths a minute instead
of the adult twelve.
6. Continue rescue breathing until the patient begins breathing for himself or he has been declared dead by a doctor.
If you do not wish to come into such close contact with a victim, you may wish to spread a handkerchief over his mouth. This will not obstruct the passage of air to any great degree.
You may be able to use an airway. This is a tube made especially for mouth-to-mouth breathing. It is designed to eliminate mouth-to-mouth contact and to keep the victim’s throat clear during rescue breathing. An airway can be obtained at most drug stores.
If you cannot or will not use mouth-to-mouth breathing, you can use another method. Other methods of resuscitation are effective, but none is as easy for the rescuer nor as effective as the mouth-to-mouth method.
Think for Yourself
Why should you not discontinue rescue breathing if a bystander says, "He’s dead now. Nothing will save him"?
Maintaining Mental Health - Making adjustments
Making adjustments. A second aspect of good mental health is the ability to make adjustments to different situations. You cannot succeed in everything you do, and in order to be happy you will have to adjust to situations in which you do not get what you want and to situations that you do not enjoy.
There are many things that could happen to make you unhappy or to disappoint you. Perhaps you worked hard and tried out for a part in a class play. But you failed to get the part. You may have needed more practice, or you may have failed to get the part because there were others competing for the part who had more talent and skill. Or perhaps someone else got the part simply because he seemed to fit the part better, physically.
There are several ways you could react to such a failure. You could lose your temper and complain loudly, making everyone around you uncomfortable. You could stay by yourself and daydream about being a successful and greatly admired actor or actress. You could make excuses for not going to the play and even become ill the day of the performance. But none of these would be a satisfactory adjustment. These are all ways of running away from the real difficulty.
What are some of the ways you could adjust? You could use the method of compensation. In this method, you would decide to do something to help make the play a success, whether that would mean painting scenery, selling tickets, ushering, or making posters. If you failed to act as well as others, you could accept the fact that you did not quite "measure up," and that perhaps you never would become good enough to take part in a play. Then, you could enjoy other activities that make a play a success. When you use the method of compensation to adjust to a failure, you are showing a mature attitude and signs of good mental health.
Think for Yourself
In what situations is compensation a mature method of reacting?
