Recovery position

Even if the individual is breathing but is unconscious,

there is still a significant risk of airway obstruction. The
recovery position reduces the risk to the patient. A first
aider should do the following:

1. If the individual is wearing glasses, remove them.

2. Kneel next to the person, and place the arm nearest to
you at a right angle to the body.
3. Bring the other arm across the chest. Hold the back of
your hand against their nearest cheek.
4. With your other hand, hold the thigh furthest from
you and pull up the knee. Make sure the foot is flat
on the ground.
5. Slowly pull down on the raised knee, and roll the
body over towards you.
6. Move the upper leg slightly, so that the hip and knee
are bent at right angles. This makes sure that they do
not roll onto their face.
7. Gently tilt the head back so that the airway is kept
open.
There are two main steps in CPR: Applying chest compressions and then providing
breaths.

Apply 30 chest compressions:

The first aider should kneel next to the person who is injured. They should be lying on
their back.

1. For adults, place the heel of one hand in the middle of the chest. Place your
other hand on top of the first hand and interlace the fingers.
2. Push the chest down about 1.5 to 2 inches. If the person is a child aged between
1 and 8 years, compress to a maximum of 1.5 inches with one hand. Let go, and
wait for the chest to come back up completely before repeating. Your elbows
must remain straight throughout.
3. Push the breastbone up and down to a depth of about 5 cm about 30 times, at a
pulse rate of 100 beats per minute.

Provide two breaths:

1. Make sure the airway is open, and pinch the nose so it closes.
2. Gently raise the chin upwards with two fingers of your other hand.
3. Take a deep breath, seal your mouth over that of the person with the injury, and
exhale into the airway.
4. You should see the chest rise and fall.
5. To get another breath, lift your head and breathe in deeply. Perform steps 1, 2,
3, and 4 again.
 Step 1. Dress the wound
 Put on gloves or use other protection to avoid contact with the victim's blood.
 Clean the wound with mild soap and water.
 Apply a small layer of topical antibiotic if desired.
 Place a clean dressing over the entire wound. Gauze dressings let in air for faster healing.
Nonstick dressings have a special surface that won't cling to the wound.
 If blood soaks through the dressing, place another dressing over the first one.

Step 2. Cover the bandage

 Wrap roller gauze or cloth strips over the dressing and around the wound several times.
 Extend the bandage at least an inch beyond both sides of the dressing.
 Don't wrap the bandage so tight that it interferes with blood flow to healthy tissue.

Step 3. Secure the bandage

 Tie or tape the bandage in place.
 Don't secure the bandage so tight that fingers or toes become pale or blue.

Step 4. Check circulation

 Check circulation in the area below the bandage after several minutes and again after
several hours. If circulation is poor, the skin may look pale or blue or feel cold. Signs of poor
circulation also include numbness and tingling.
 If circulation is reduced, loosen the bandage immediately. If symptoms continue, seek
medical attention.