b. Actions Following an Infant's Death.
(1) Initiate CPR. Even though the infant may have been dead for some
time, initiating and continuing CPR until you reach the hospital allows the family to feel
that everything possible was done.
(2) Provide support. Give the family support and help relieve their feelings
by guilt. Parents of a child who has died from SIDS often feel very guilty. Remind these
parents that SIDS happens to babies who seem to be very healthy and who are
receiving the best parental care.
Section V. TRAUMA IN CHILDREN
3-19. IMMEDIATE ACTION
The first actions for a child who has experienced trauma are the same as for an
adult. You should perform the following.
a. Establish an airway and stabilize the child's spine.
b. Make sure the child is breathing and has a heart beat. If he does not, perform
cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The sequence of steps for CPR for a child follows.
(1)
Determine the child's unresponsiveness or respiratory difficulty.
(2) Call for help. If you (the rescuer) are alone and the child is obviously not
breathing, perform CPR for one minute. Then, call for help.
(3) Position the victim. Carefully place the child lying on his back on a firm,
flat surface. Remember to turn the child's body as a unit. DO NOT allow his head to
roll, twist, or tilt backward or forward as you move him.
(4) Open the child's airway. Use the head-tilt/chin-lift method or the jaw-
thrust method.
(5) Determine whether the child is breathing. Continue breathing for the
child if he is not breathing. If he is breathing, make sure the airway remains open.
(6) Breathe for the victim. Use rescue breathing to fill the child's lungs with
oxygen. An infant's or child's lungs are smaller than those of adults. Remember,
therefore, that the proper amount of air is the volume that causes the child's chest to
rise and fall.
(7) Circulation. Check the child's pulse. For a child less than one year,
check the brachial pulse. Check the carotid pulse of a child one year or older.
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