In What Situations Should I Use CPR?

Everyone should know cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), as it can help save lives in life-threatening emergencies.

CPR is typically performed when someone’s heart has stopped beating, and the person has lost consciousness. However, CPR may also be needed when someone has suddenly collapsed, is not breathing, or is struggling to breathe.

Here are situations where you can use CPR to potentially save a person’s life.

Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating. It is accompanied by symptoms including stopped breathing and loss of consciousness.

Cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack, which occurs when blood flow to a part of the heart becomes blocked. If a person suffers a heart attack, CPR should not be performed until the person goes into cardiac arrest. The CDC says that ​​immediate CPR can double or triple the chances of a person’s survival after cardiac arrest.

Drowning or Near-Drowning

CPR can provide drowning victims with the oxygen they need after being submerged in water for a period of time. Nearly all lifeguards who work at swimming pools and beaches are trained in CPR to save victims of near-drowning who have inhaled water and have lost consciousness.

Smoke Inhalation

In most cases, smoke inhalation causes more deaths than the fire itself. Heavy amounts of smoke in the air reduce the amount of available oxygen, causing symptoms of nausea, dizziness, and unconsciousness. CPR can often revive victims who have breathed in high amounts of smoke.

Drug Overdose

Drugs with sedative effects like opioids and benzodiazepines can lead to stopped breathing and heart rate in people who take high amounts, or who suffer a drug overdose. Immediate CPR can often revive victims of drug overdose and keep them awake until emergency medical services arrive on the scene. CPR can also be used to revive victims of alcohol poisoning, which commonly occurs after episodes of binge drinking.

Choking

Swallowing large pieces of food or foreign objects like small toys can block the airway to cause difficulty breathing or stopped breathing. CPR can often help restore a person’s breathing after they experience a choking episode and lose consciousness. Basic Life Support (BLS) training can also be useful in these situations, as it teaches you how to perform the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge foreign objects stuck in a person’s throat.

Electrical Shock

Electrocution and high-voltage electrical shock can often lead to stopped breathing, seizures, and cardiac arrest. CPR can be used to revive victims of electrical shock who may have misused electrical appliances or touched electrical sources when their hands were wet.

Earn Online CPR Certification With the American Academy

If you would like to learn CPR so you can save someone’s life in the face of an emergency situation, consider earning an online CPR certification.

The American Academy of CPR and First Aid, Inc. offers online CPR certification for those who prefer the convenience of learning in the comfort of their homes. Visit our homepage to explore our many training courses and start earning your CPR certification today.