Note: Your progress in watching these videos WILL NOT be tracked. These training videos are the same videos you will experience when you take the full ProFirstAid program. You may begin the training for free at any time to start officially tracking your progress toward your certificate of completion.
In this lesson, we'll cover how to help an adult choking victim who is unconscious. In our fictional scenario, the adult victim went unconscious while you were trying to help them.
The method of care will closely resemble performing CPR, which you recently learned, however, there are subtle differences to pay attention to.
As always, the first thing you want to do is make sure the scene is safe and that your gloves are on, and that you have your rescue shield handy.
Pro Tip #1: To maintain a steady rhythm, count out loud while performing chest compressions – one, as you press down, and, as you allow the chest to recoil. When you reach 13, drop the and to maintain a two-syllable cadence on the compressions and not disrupt the rhythm.
Remember to make sure you're directly over the victim's chest to maximize cardiac output, and not off to one side. If you're not directly over the chest, you may not adequately compress the heart.
Warning: Once you perform a chest compression, make sure you allow for full recoil of the chest cavity. You want to allow the chest to come all the way back to the neutral position before performing another compression.
Pro Tip #2: There are no complications when performing chest compressions on a pregnant woman, as you're not near the womb and baby when doing them. Proceed as you would for any other adult patient.
Pro Tip #3: Let's assume your compressions were able to dislodge the obstruction and you got it out of the victim's mouth. At this point, either they're breathing normally and becoming more responsive, or they're not. If not, continue to perform 30 compressions to two rescue breaths.
Continue to perform CPR until EMS arrives, an AED is located, someone equally trained relieves you, or the victim becomes responsive and begins breathing normally again.
It's important to understand what constitutes high-quality CPR, as performing CPR correctly will give the victim the best chance of survival. With that in mind, here are two lists (cheat sheets) to use when practicing CPR – one list of what to do and what of what NOT to do.