CPR and Choking Emergencies, Week Three Application

Dana Helton
EDUC 1005-1: Professor Eissler
September 27, 2009


My first scenario is an infant who has choke on food and has become unresponsive in a childcare facility. The first thing to do is don’t panic and call for the person who has been trained in CPR/First Aid and also call 911 because you do not know what is going to happen so you must be safer then sorry. Then I turn the child so their belly is on my lap, make sure child’s head is lower then the rest of his/her body (Robertson, 2007). I need to put one hand on the child’s chest near their neck. Then I have to use the heel of my free hand to give five rapid blows to the child’s back between the shoulder blades. Now it says that I turn baby face up keeping the head lower then his chest and give five chest thrusts slowly. Repeat this procedure for five cycles of CPR until the food is brought up or the child is responsive. Robertson 2007, says that I also can put an infant on their back and hold their forehead slightly with one hand and with my other hand I should use two fingers to compress the chest 30 times with a 1/3 or ½ depth of the chest at the rate of 100 compressions per minute. Now I blow two breaths into the infant’s nose and mouth allowing the chest to rise. I should continue this for two minutes. If this doesn’t work then I start over from the beginning. Meanwhile, I pray that the ambulance people are close and coming to help me. There also must be a teacher or two that are watching the other infants while I am pre occupied.

The ways to have advanced planning would be to make sure the food is mashed up enough so the child doesn’t choke in the first place. I would also suggest waiting a little bit before giving an infant more food. I see teachers shoveling food in an infant’s mouth too quickly just so they can get it done and move on to another infant who needs care. This is one reason why I feel the ratio for infant to teacher should not be 4 to 1. Infants need immediate care and having four to tend to is too many, if you ask me. Another way to prevent choking is to make sure there are no little objects in the infant’s room. You never know what might get stuck in their mouths and I am sure no one wants a baby to choke and stop breathing. Another way to help this problem would be having all teachers certified in CPR, First Aid, and AED. People also need to make sure that they do not panic because you cannot think correctly if you are panicked. I believe the parent should be contacted right away so they can come to the center for their child. I am sure this has to be a traumatic experience for the baby to go through. I know I would want my mom or dad there when I woke up. It is important to work fast and resuscitate because without oxygen a person can have permanent brain damage in as little as 8 minutes (Cronan, 2006).

My second scenario is a five-year-old child who became very pale in the face and collapsed on the floor unresponsive in a childcare facility. When it comes to CPR there are three steps known as the ABC’s (Robertson, 2007). The A stands for airways, the B stands for breathing, and the C stands for circulation. These are important to remember when dealing with a child who needs CPR. The first thing I need to do is call for assistance and someone who is certified in CPR. I also believe it is a good idea for someone to call 911 and also the parents. I on the other hand, must start CPR as soon as possible because we do not want a child to have permanent brain damage so we have to act fast and stay as calm as possible. Lay child on their back, and tilt the head back (Robertson, 2007). Look, listen, and feel for breathing for 5 to 10 seconds. Pinch nose and cover victim’s mouth with my mouth and give two breaths for one second each. Make sure the chest rises. Immediately start chest compressions; I place the heel of my hand on the lower sternum between the nipples. I must make sure my fingers are not on the ribs. I have to put my other hand on the forehead and give some pressure to keep the airways open. I then start to compress the chest 30 times with a 1/3 or ½ depth of the chest at the rate of 100 compressions per minute. I may need to use two hands. Give two rescue breaths and must do this for five cycles.

A few ways to be prepared for this type of situation is to make sure that everyone on the staff has been trained in CPR, First Aid, and AED. I think that every center should have a defibrillator because this can help save the child’s life too. If someone uses the defibrillator then you must make sure that this person has been trained in using this apparatus correctly. Using CPR or using the AED machine incorrectly, can create more damage then good. I also believe that parents should be called immediately so they can come right away to be with their child. Like I said earlier this has to be a scary experience to go through and I am sure having a parent there will be helpful and calming for the child.


Resources

Cronan, K. (2006, August). CPR. Sprout for parents website. Retrieved on September 25, 2009, from, http://www.sproutforparents.com/sprout/parentsplace/article_detail.aspx?id=fff6b51c-6c1b-41b3-8072-9a5d0187a2cc

Robertson, C. Robertson, C. 2010, 2007. safety, nutrition, and health in early education. 4th ed. Wadsworth, Belmont, CA