Differences Between CPR For Infants, Children, and Adults
CPR is a life-saving technique that can allow you to help restore an individual’s breathing and blood circulation if they go into cardiac arrest. The technique includes providing rescue breath and chest compressions to enable the heart to pump oxygen and blood to the body’s essential organs. CPR is an essential skill that everyone should be aware of, and it’s also important to remember that this life-saving technique is different for infants, children, and adults.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the difference in the CPR technique and how enrolling in CPR and first aid training can equip you with the right skills.
CPR For Infants
Infants are categorized as kids between the age bracket of 0 and 1 year. CPR for infants differs in several ways from an adult or a child. The first difference is the location of the chest compressions. In infants, you compress the chest just below the nipple line. This is because infants have smaller chests than adults or even kids, and the placement of organs differs, so the location for compressions is different.
Another major difference is using two fingers instead of the palm of both hands. While for adults, we use both palms to compress the chest, for infants, we only use our index and middle finger. This is because if you use your palm to perform CPR on an infant, you’re more likely to injure their fragile chest instead of regulating their breathing.
It’s also important that you remember to be gentle yet firm while performing CPR. The amount of pressure needed slightly differs from the one used for adults. It’s suggested that you use enough pressure to only depress one-third of its depth.
CPR For Children
Children come under the age group of 1 to 12 years of age. You can perform CPR the same way as you would on an adult. The location for chest compressions is the same as in infants, which is in the middle of the chest, just below the nipple line.
However, the technique differs a little. Since children have comparatively smaller chests, only one hand is used while performing chest compressions. Additionally, it’s important to remember that you’re not supposed to exceed 2 inches when you compress a child’s chest.
Another major difference is that you also use rescue breaths between chest compressions. Since it’s less likely for a child to go into cardiac arrest, asphyxial cardiac arrest is more common in children because of choking, pulmonary embolism, respiratory failure, or airway obstruction. It’s suggested by PALS certification trainers to keep the ratio of rescue breaths to 2 breaths for every 30 compressions.
CPR For Adults
Since adults have bigger chests than kids and infants, the location for chest compression is different too. For adults, you perform chest compressions in the center of the chest. The technique of compressions is the major thing that’s different while performing CPR in adults. You use both palms to exert pressure on the individual’s chest who went into cardiac arrest.
In addition, it’s important to remember that you need to maintain 100–120 compressions per minute. If performed properly, CPR can significantly increase a person’s survival chances.
Use Of AED While Performing CPR
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a medical device that delivers an electric shock to restore the heart’s rhythm of an individual experiencing cardiac arrest. Even though AEDs are usually used while performing CPR on adults if available nearby, they aren’t recommended for children or infants.
This is because the heart rhythm of infants and children differs from that of adults. Their hearts are highly likely to be in a shockable rhythm that an AED can use to treat, but the voltages required for that should be much lower than the voltage used for adults. This is why using an AED manufactured for adults can cause severe damage to the heart or other vital organs or even be fatal.
Healthcare professionals sometimes use specialized pediatric defibrillators, but there aren’t normally available in a public setting. They’re designed keeping the fragile structure and smaller size of a kid’s body in mind.
Even though AEDs are an extremely valuable tool to manage cardiac arrest in adults, their use in children and infants isn’t recommended. Instead, you should follow proper guidelines and protocols to perform CPR to ensure the best possible outcomes.
How Can Enrolling In American Heart Association Courses Equip You With The Necessary Skills?
Enrolling in CPR and first-aid training courses equips you with the skills and expertise to offer life-saving interventions in medical emergencies, including performing CPR, whether an infant, child, or adult.
Since performing CPR varies slightly for different age groups, a CPR certification class will provide you with sufficient training on the appropriate technique for each age group.
In addition to CPR, first aid certification teaches you how to respond to various emergencies, including burns, bleeding, and shock, and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) and perform basic wound care.
Furthermore, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification courses are created for healthcare professionals at a higher level than basic CPR and first-aid courses. ACLS certification emphasizes cardiac emergency management, including heart attack and stroke. On the other hand, PALS certification’s main goal is to equip candidates with the skills to assess and provide treatment in pediatric emergencies. These emergencies could include severe allergic reactions or respiratory distress. These courses are developed to offer more in-depth training on medication administration and the use of advanced medical equipment.
CPR, ACLS & PALS Training Institute offers numerous first-aid and cpr and first aid certification, where instructors offer hands-on training to tackle a medical emergency such as a heart attack or a stroke. They also provide basic life support certification online, ACLS, and PALS certification that teaches you how to differentiate between respiratory failure and distress, perform early interventions for shock treatment, and much more.
Look at their calendar and register for their upcoming class today.
About The Author
Simon K. is an AHA-certified pals certification online instructor. He has trained numerous medical professionals extensively to equip them with life-saving skills for over a decade. He’s currently working with CPR, ACLS & PALS Training Institute and offers his expertise to emergency responders.
