CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION

(CPR) emergency procedure designed to restore normal breathing and circulation after such traumas as cardiac arrest and drowning. CPR involves clearing the air passages to the lungs and carrying out external heart massage by the exertion of pressure on the chest. CPR procedures should be performed only on unconscious individuals who are not breathing and only by those who have training in CPR methods. The first step in CPR is to open the airway by placing the individual on his back on a rigid surface, clearing foreign matter from the mouth or airway, and tilting the head back so that the chin is elevated. The second step involves mouth-to-mouth resuscitationclamping the victim's nostrils, making an airtight seal over his mouth and breathing into it about 12 times per minute, allowing for natural exhalation. The third step is to check one of the carotid arteries (large blood vessels located on either side of the voice box) for a pulse. Absence of a pulse requires artificial circulation of the blood by means of external chest compressions (at the rate of about 80 per minute for adults). The recommended ratio of chest compressions to breaths administered is 15:2. CPR should continue uninterrupted until normal breathing and circulation are restored or until advanced professional medical assistance can be obtained. The procedure is modified somewhat for infants and children and under special circumstances (such as additional injury).