Performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, can save a life. In adults, CPR improves the chance of survival after a heart attack. Cardiac arrest is rare in children and infants, but CPR is important if there is a sudden lack of oxygen due to near-drowning, choking, a blockage or a respiratory infection. However, performing CPR in children and infants is different than in adults due to their smaller size and more fragile bones.
The Essentials of CPR
The life-saving essentials airway, breathing and circulation (ABC) are the same in CPR for infants, children and adults and should be given in this order. In infants (a child younger than one year), chest compressions are given with only two fingers, and the chest is compressed down about one inch. In children (a child over the age of one), the heel of only one hand (instead of two as in adult CPR) is used, and the chest is compressed to about half of its depth. In both infants and children, the number of compressions between breaths in each cycle is 30, which is the same as in adults.
Airway
Ensure the airway of the child or infant is clear of any blockages. If an obstruction such as food or vomit is in the mouth or throat, clear it by sweeping it with the finger. Be sure to not push the blockage further into the throat. Spend less than five seconds to check the airway, because if the infant or child is not breathing, time is vitally important. If the airways are clear and there is still no breathing, CPR can begin.
Breathing
Open the airway by tilting the head only slightly back and the chin straight up. This is the mouth-to-mouth stage of CPR. For infants, this is done by placing the mouth over the infant's mouth and nose. Give two small breaths for one second each. The infant's chest should rise with each breath. To give a child mouth-to-mouth, pinch the nostrils closed and place your mouth over the child's, and then give two to five breaths that cause the chest to rise.
Circulation
This is the chest compression stage to get the heart beating and blood circulating. For CPR in infants, place two fingers only on the breast bone (sternum) in the center of the chest and just below the nipples. Compress the infant's chest 30 times, pressing about one inch into the chest at a rate of two compressions per second. For CPR in children, use the heel of one hand and compress the chest to about one-third of the total depth. The positioning and rate of compressions is also 30 compressions at two per second.
Repeat cycles until the infant or child begins breathing or help arrives.
