Basic Life Support for Infants and Children

These tips are applicable for those infants and or children who are unconscious due to certain incidents/accidents:

ü  Check the unresponsiveness of the infant/children. You can do this through:

• Infant: tapping or shaking the shoulder only
• Child: shaking or tapping the shoulder and as well as ask if he/she is okay

ü  Shout for help if the infant or child does not response

ü  Position the infant/child in a sitting position

ü  Open the airways of the infant/child through jaw thrusting, chin-lifting, and or head-tilting. Position your hand on the forehead and then put your fingers on the other bony part of the chin.

ü  Get rid of having pressure on the chin of the infant as it may cause airways obstruction.

ü  Carefully listen to the casualty’s nose, mouth and chest and then feel if breathing and heart beat is there.

ü  Provide the casualty with breathing support. You can do this through opening the casualty’s mouth and then successfully breathe in there. Right after keenly observe if the casualty is able to breathe. You can repeat the action for several times until the casualty is already conscious.

ü  Be able to check the pulse of the casualty. You can do this through locating the carotid pulse in the upper shoulder, neck, elbow, and arm. Also, check any sort of body bleeding.

ü  Call for medical attention if you see to it that you cannot handle the situation anymore.

ü  Gently compress the casualty’s chest. You can specifically do this through positioning your index and middle fingers on the breastbone (nipple line) and at the same time provide mouth-to-mouth breathing support. Continue doing this until the casualty is already conscious.

ü  Be able to continue providing the casualty with CPR. If in any case that the child or infant still has no pulse and breathing please provide another breath and as well as CPR. Right after every minute; see to it if the casualty already has pulse. If in any case that the pulse is there yet breathing is absent, continue providing breathing support and as well as the CPR. As your very last option, if you really can’t handle saving the life of the casualty, please bring the casualty to the medical center right away.