PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE

VOCATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTE OF BEROEA

Speciality: Paramedics – Ambulance Crews
Module: ESP Instructor: Demetrios Hadjinicolaou

CPR (Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation)1

This advice is for helping an adult.

Staying safe while giving first aid

Please always consider your personal safety when giving first aid. Look
out for any dangers and only act when you're confident it is safe to do so.

If someone is not moving and does not respond when you call them or
gently shake their shoulders, they are unresponsive.

Step 1. Check breathing by tilting their head back and looking and feeling for
breaths.
When a person is unresponsive, their muscles relax and their tongue
can block their airway so they can no longer breathe. Tilting their head back
opens the airway by pulling the tongue forward.
If they are not breathing, their chest and stomach will not be moving
and you will not hear or feel their breaths.

If they are not breathing, move on to step two.

Step 2. Call 999 as soon as possible.

If you can’t call 999, get someone else to do it.

Step 3. Give chest compressions: push firmly downwards in the middle of

the chest and then release.
Continue to push in this way at a regular rate until help arrives.
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1
Source: https://www.redcross.org.uk/first-aid/learn-first-aid/unresponsive-and-not-breathing
 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE
VOCATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTE OF BEROEA
Speciality: Paramedics – Ambulance Crews
Module: ESP Instructor: Demetrios Hadjinicolaou

These are called chest compressions. Chest compressions keep blood

pumping around their body helping to keep the vital organs, including the
brain, alive.

Common questions about first aid for someone who is unresponsive and
not breathing

1) Why do I have to tilt their head back to check for breathing?

When someone is unresponsive, their tongue can fall backwards and block
their airway. Tilting their head backwards opens the airway by pulling the
tongue forward.

2) What should I do if I hear noisy or irregular breathing?

Sometimes when a person is unresponsive their breathing may become
noisy or irregular, or they may be gasping. This is usually a sign that their
heart is not working properly and you should start chest compressions.

3) What should I do if I’m on my own when I find someone unresponsive and

not breathing?
If you are on your own, call 999 before you start chest compressions.

4) What are chest compressions?

Chest compressions are where you place your hands in the centre of the
chest and repeatedly press downwards and release at a regular rate to help
pump the blood around the body.

5) How long should I do chest compressions for?

Keep going until help arrives. If there is someone else who can help, change
over every minute or two. Try to keep doing chest compressions with as
little interruption as possible when you change over.

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 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE
VOCATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTE OF BEROEA
Speciality: Paramedics – Ambulance Crews
Module: ESP Instructor: Demetrios Hadjinicolaou

6) If I press too hard during chest compressions, could I break their ribs?
You might, but try not to worry. Your priority is to keep the blood
circulating. A damaged rib will mend, but if you don’t do chest compressions
their chances of survival are much lower.

7) Should I do chest compressions differently on a child or baby?

Yes, chest compressions should be done slightly differently for children or
for babies. For a child over one, use only one hand to do chest
compressions. For a baby under a year old, use two fingers to do chest
compressions.

8) What if I make a mistake and do chest compressions but the person is still
breathing?
It’s not ideal but don’t worry. There’s no evidence to suggest you will cause
any serious damage.

9) Am I supposed to give rescue breaths too?

If you feel able to, combine chest compressions with breathing into
their mouth or nose.
However, giving chest compressions is the most important thing to do
because their blood already has some oxygen in it and the compressions will
keep that blood pumping around their body, taking oxygen to their brain.
Breathing into their mouth or nose tops up the oxygen in their lungs.
The combination of continuous cycles of 30 chest compressions followed by
two breaths is called CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

10) How do I give rescue breaths?

If you feel able to give rescue breaths, you can do so after about 30
pushes on their chest.

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 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE
VOCATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTE OF BEROEA
Speciality: Paramedics – Ambulance Crews
Module: ESP Instructor: Demetrios Hadjinicolaou

To give rescue breaths, tilt their head back and seal your mouth over
either their mouth or nose. Blow air into them with two steady breaths. If
you are breathing into the mouth, pinch the nose. If you’re breathing into
the nose, shut their mouth.
On a baby under a year old, seal your mouth around both their nose
and mouth because their faces are small.

11) Will I restart the heart if I give chest compressions?

The chance of restarting the heart by chest compressions alone is very
small. Usually, a heart needs an electric shock from an automated external
defibrillator (AED) to restart.
Chest compressions pump a small amount of blood around the body
to keep the organs alive, most importantly the brain.
Don’t give up even if you do not see any change in the person’s
condition. Chest compressions significantly increase the chance of the
person surviving.

12) What is an automated external defibrillator (AED)?

An AED is a machine that can be used to shock the heart back into
normal rhythm.
When you open an AED case it will give you full instructions on what
you should do.

13) What should I do if someone has been rescued from drowning and is
unresponsive and not breathing?
Get the person safely to dry land without putting yourself in danger.
Check to see if they are breathing by tilting their head back and
looking and feeling for breaths. If they are unresponsive and not breathing,
push firmly downwards in the middle of their chest at a regular rate.

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 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE
VOCATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTE OF BEROEA
Speciality: Paramedics – Ambulance Crews
Module: ESP Instructor: Demetrios Hadjinicolaou

Ideally, you should alternate 2 rescue breaths with 30 chest

compressions for anyone who has been rescued from drowning. This will help
build up a supply of oxygen in their blood._

See if you can find the English equivalents.

α) ἀναζωογόνησι: _________________
β) ἀναπνέω μὲ δυσκολία: _________________
γ) ἁπαλά: _________________
δ) γλῶσσα (τὸ ὄργανο): _________________
ε) ἐμφυσήσεις, «φιλὶ τῆς ζωῆς»: _________________
στ) ζωτικός: _________________
ζ) μὲ αὐτοπεποίθησι: _________________
η) μῦες: _________________
θ) πνευμονικός: _________________
ι) ῥυθμός, ταχύτητα: _________________
ια) σταθερός: _________________
ιβ) συμπιέσεις:
ιγ) σφραγίζω, κλείνω ἑρμητικά: _________________
ιδ) τραβῶντας: _________________
ιε) ὠθήσεις: _________________

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