Infants routinely place items in their mouths and sometimes suffer sudden illnesses. Knowing infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, can help you act quickly in the event of an emergency involving an infant. The Red Cross sets guidelines for performing CPR on infants, children and adults. Understanding these guidelines will help you decide what form of training you need to handle infant emergencies.
Training Programs
The Red Cross offers several infant CPR training programs. The child and infant course runs for four hours and 15 minutes and applies to infants and children aged 12 and under. The infant course runs three hours and 45 minutes and applies to infants under the age of one. Child CPR runs three hours and 45 minutes and applies to children between the ages of one and 12.
Choking
The Red Cross provides a clear set of guidelines on how to handle the situation when an infant is choking. If your baby is unable to cry or cough, he may be choking. If he can cough or gag, his airway is only partially blocked and you should continue to let him cough. For a baby with a completely blocked airway, have someone call 911, and proceed to alternate five back blows with five chest thrusts until the object is coughed up. If the baby becomes unconscious, begin to perform CPR.
Definition of CPR
CPR is a form of artificial respiration that can save your infant's life if she is not breathing. CPR uses alternating chest compressions with rescue breaths to keep blood pumping and oxygen flowing into the lungs. It should only be performed on an infant who is not breathing and has no pulse. When properly performed, CPR can help prevent brain damage.
CPR on an Infant
The first step in any CPR procedure is to have someone call 911. If the infant is unconscious and not bleeding, quickly place him on a firm surface and begin CPR. If the baby is bleeding, get the bleeding under control first. When performing CPR, tilt the baby's head back and administer two breaths. Then use the pads of two of your fingers to compress the baby's chest. Alternate 30 chest compressions with two breaths until help arrives or the baby begins to breathe on his own.
Warnings
To properly perform CPR, you must attend a Red Cross training class to learn the proper procedure. Because there is no way to predict when you will be in an emergency situation, you take a Red Cross course as soon as you can. There are also several disposable, plastic shield devices that you can use to help minimize the risk of disease transmission during CPR.
