d. Relax and Allow the Chest to Rise Completely. Releasing the pressure
allows the heart to refill with blood. Release the pressure completely so that the
sternum resumes its normal position, but do not remove the heel of your hand from the
compression site. If you do lose the compression site, repeat the procedures for finding
the site.
e. Repeat Until 15 Push-Relax Cycles Have Been Completed. (If One--
Rescuer CPR is Being Performed) or five Push-Relax Cycles Have Been Completed (If
Two-Rescuer CPR is Being Performed). Establish a definite rhythm and compress at
the rate of 80 cycles per minute (15 compressions in 10-12 seconds). Spend half the
time for each compression pushing down and half the time letting the chest rise. Keep
the compression cycles regular, smooth, and uninterrupted.
f. Give Two Quick Breaths (3-5 seconds). Immediately after giving the
fifteenth chest compression, release the pressure, move your hands to the casualty's
head, and open his airway. Close the nose (or mouth) and seal the casualty's mouth (or
nose or stoma). Blow air in until the chest rises. Look out of the corner of your eye to
be sure the chest rises. Break the seal, take a breath, and administer a second breath.
g. Administer Three More Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Cycles (15
Chest Compressions and Two Breaths Per Cycle). Before you do this, relocate the
compression site over the casualty's sternum. Use the procedure given in paragraph
2-13 i (l). DO NOT GUESS where the site is.
h. Check the Pulse (3-5 seconds).
(1) Check the pulse after the first 4 CPR cycles. If the pulse is absent, give
two breaths and resume one-rescuer CPR. If the pulse is present, perform rescue
breathing.
(2)
Recheck the pulse every few (3-5) minutes after the initial pulse check.
1-13. INTRODUCTION
There are two basic methods of administering CPR. The one-rescuer method is
used when you have no one available to help you perform CPR. The two-rescuer
method is used when you have assistance available. The one-rescuer method is
presented in this section, and the two-rescuer method is presented in Section V.
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