d. Position Infant for Chest Thrusts. Chest thrusts are used instead of
abdominal thrust because the force of abdominal thrusts could injury the abdominal
organs of an infant.
(1) Small infant. Place your free arm over the infant's back with your arm
over his spine and your hand resting on the back of his head. Turn the infant over so he
is now positioned with his face up and you are supporting the back of his head in the
palm of your hand. Rest your forearm on your thigh. Make sure the infant's head is
lower than his trunk. The forearm under the infant's back will provide the firm surface
needed for the chest thrusts.
(2) Large infant. If the infant is too large to straddle your arm, turn the infant
over and lay his body across your thighs with his head lower than the trunk of his body.
Put your arm (the arm not being used to deliver chest thrusts) under the infant's head
and neck. The forearm under the infant's back will provide a firm surface for the chest
thrusts.
e. Administer Chest Thrusts. Chest thrusts are used rather than abdominal
thrusts due to the danger of injury to abdominal organs from abdominal thrusts. The
chest thrusts are performed in the same manner as are CPR chest compressions for
infants (paragraph 6-6) except the thrusts are delivered at a somewhat slower rate.
(1)
Draw an imaginary line on the casualty's chest connecting his nipples.
(2) Place the index finger of your free hand just under the imaginary line on
top of the infant's sternum.
(3) Place your middle and ring fingers on the sternum so that they are below
(closer to the infant's feet than) your index finger.
(4)
Lift your index finger from the infant's sternum.
(5) Press straight down with the tips of the middle and ring fingers so the
sternum is depressed 1/2 to 1 inch.
(6) Relax pressure without removing your fingertips from the compression
site and allow the sternum to return to its normal position.
(7) Repeat the chest thrusts until a total of five chest thrusts have been
administered or the object has been expelled.
MD0532
7-5
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