ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES • Técnico/a Auxiliar de Saúde

Healthcare Services • Técnico/a de Geriatria

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Name _______________________________ No. _____ Class ________

WHEN TO USE CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)

CPR works by keeping a person’s blood flowing until healthcare professionals can help them.
When a person initiates CPR immediately after someone’s heart stops beating, CPR can
double or even triple the chances of them surviving.
A person might need CPR if they stop breathing in any of the following circumstances:
5 a cardiac arrest or heart attack, choking, a road traffic accident, near-drowning, suffocation,
poisoning, a drug or alcohol overdose, smoke inhalation, or electrocution.

CPR STEP-BY-STEP
Step 1 Call 911.
First, check the scene for factors that could put you in danger, such as traffic, fire or falling
10 masonry. Next, check the person. Do they need help? Tap their shoulder and shout, “Are you
OK?” If they are not responding, call 911 or ask a bystander to call 911 before performing CPR.

Step 2 Place the person on their back and open their airway.
Place the person carefully on their back and kneel beside their chest. Tilt their head back slightly
by lifting their chin. Open their mouth and check for any obstruction, such as food or vomit.
15 Remove any obstruction if it is loose. If it is not loose, trying to grasp it may push it farther into
the airway.

Step 3 Check for breathing.

Place your ear next the person’s mouth and listen for no more than 10 seconds. If you do not hear
breathing, or you only hear occasional gasps, begin CPR. If someone is unconscious, but still
20 breathing, do not perform CPR.

Step 4 Perform 30 chest compressions.

Place one of your hands on top of the other and clasp them together. With the heel of the hands
and straight elbows, push hard and fast in the centre of the chest, slightly below the nipples.
Compress their chest at a rate of, at least, 100 times per minute. Let the chest rise fully between
25 compressions.

Step 5 Perform two rescue breaths.

Making sure their mouth is clear, tilt their head back slightly and lift their chin. Pinch their nose
shut, place your mouth fully over theirs, and blow to make their chest rise.

Step 6 Repeat. 911 - Emergency number in the US

30 Repeat the cycle of 30 chest compressions and two rescue breaths 999 - Emergency number in the UK
112 - Emergency number in Portugal
until the person starts breathing or the ambulance arrives.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com (adapted; accessed in January 2023)

1. Match the following images with the steps of CPR described in the text.

b. c.

a.
e. f.
d.

2. Find words/expressions in the text that match the following definitions.

a. This happens when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops pumping. ________________________
b. Severe difficulty in breathing because of a constricted or obstructed throat. ______________________
c. A feeling of being deprived of air or unable to breathe. ________________________________________
d. The passage by which air reaches a person's lungs. ___________________________________________

3. Answer the following questions about the text.

3.1 Why is CPR an important procedure?
___________________________________________________________________________
3.2 What should you do before you even approach the victim?
___________________________________________________________________________
3.3 After this, what two things should you do before starting CPR?
___________________________________________________________________________
3.4 What position should the person be for you to perform CPR?
___________________________________________________________________________
3.5 What should you not do if you detect an obstruction in the airway? Why?
___________________________________________________________________________
3.6 When should you not perform CPR?
___________________________________________________________________________
3.7 What part of your hand should you use to do chest compressions?
___________________________________________________________________________
3.8 How should the compressions be done?
___________________________________________________________________________
3.9 What should you alternate compressions with?
__________________________________________________
3.10 When should you stop CPR?
__________________________________________________