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Factsheet - Basic Life Support - For Children over 12 months


Basic Life Support for Children over 12 months

Disclaimer: This fact sheet is for education purposes only. Please consult with your doctor or other health professional to make sure this information is right for your child.

Check the area for DANGER to yourself and others

Check your child for any RESPONSE

  • Squeeze child's shoulder and call the child's name.

  • If no response ...

Send for HELP

(call 000 for an ambulance - a bystander can do this for you)

Open AIRWAY

  • Lie child on their back and tilt the head back and support the chin forward.

  • Open mouth, look for any objects and remove anything visible with your fingers.

  • If the throat is blocked with fluid such as vomit then roll onto side to drain the fluid.

Check for normal BREATHING

  • LOOK for chest movement
  • LISTEN and FEEL for air coming out of the nose and mouth.

IF NOT BREATHING OR ABNORMAL BREATHING START CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR)  

1. View the centre of the chest: place the heel of one hand on the lower half of the breastbone (sternum).

2. For larger children you will need to use two hands - place the other hand on top of your first

3. Start chest compressions. Push the chest down by 1/3rd of the depth of your child's chest.  Give 30 chest compressions and then give 2 breaths.  Continue with this, aiming to give 100 compressions per minute.

 

Giving Breaths

  • Place your mouth over your child's mouth ensuring a good seal and pinch nose between thumb and index finger

  • Give 2 gentle breaths, each breath should be enough so that your child's chest rises and falls each breath

 

 

 

 

4. If your child starts breathing, turn them onto their side and stay with them until the ambulance officers arrive. Call for help if you haven't already done this.

5. If your child shows no signs of life after 1 minute and an ambulance hasn't been called, take your child with you if possible and continue CPR or leave your child on their side and go to a telephone nearby to call...

 

  • Dial 000... (any phone) or 112 (from a digital mobile phone only). Ask for an ambulance
  • Give your exact address, including cross-street & suburb
  • Tell them you are doing CPR on a child
  • Do not hang up

 

6. Continue CPR until the ambulance arrives or your child begins to breathe normally.

  • Any attempt to resuscitate is better than none
Kids Health (CHW) Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick Kaleidoscope, Hunter Children's Health Network
The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Tel: (02) 9845 3585
Fax: (02) 9845 3562
www.chw.edu.au
Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick
Tel: (02) 9382 1688
Fax: (02) 9382 1451
www.sch.edu.au
Kaleidoscope, Hunter Children's Health Network
Tel: (02) 4921 3670
Fax: (02) 4921 3599
www.kaleidoscope.org.au

© The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick
& Kaleidoscope, Hunter Children's Health Network - 2005-2009.

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