The first attempt at CPR was first recorded in the Bible at around 800 B. "And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm."" This quote is from 2 Kings iv, 34. CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) is an emergency first aid procedure used to help someone who has lost their ability to breathe and has also lost their pulse. .
Peter Safar first created CPR in the 1950's although there is evidence of earlier usage of CPR. It was first promoted as a technique for the public to learn in the 1970's. The American Heart Association has established the standards for CPR. They have recently been rewritten and they now have a more conservative view of the potential outcome of it. .
CPR is not usually effective on it's own. Most of the time in order to save someone from cardiac arrest you need the help of a defibrillator. However, in the certain cases in which the victim has gone into respiratory arrest but still has a heartbeat the rescue breathing part of CPR is a lifesaver. There are three simple steps to CPR. An easy way to remember them is to use the ABC method. .
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A-Airway .
If possible, the victim should be lying flat on their back on a hard surface. The airway can still be cleared if the victim is sitting upright or floating in water. .
Open the victims' airway by tilting their head back with one hand while lifting up their chin with the other hand. .
If there is a chance of neck injury just lift up the chin. If you tilt the head in the presence of injury to the spine or the neck there could be further injury to the spinal cord.
In some cases, this action alone will be sufficient enough to allow the victim to breath.
B-Breathing.
Put your cheek close to the victim's nose and mouth while looking at their chest. You do this so you can look, listen and feel for breathing.