Adolescent CPR

A Crucial Part of CPR, mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing is an effective way to ventilate

an unconscious teen whose respiration is compromised.  

It is very frightening to see a teenager unconscious, especially if that teen is your child. Youth counselors, too, will feel deep concern in such an emergency. Nevertheless, it is important to remain calm and not to panic! When you have knowledge and training in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques, you will know how to help a teen. When carried out immediately and correctly, CPR has the potential to save a young life! Here are steps to follow if you come across a teenager who is unresponsive: 

•   Gently tap the teenager on the shoulder and ask, "Are you okay?" If the teen does not respond, call for help. Ask another person to call 911 immediately. If you are alone and you saw the youngster collapse, call 911 at once. If the teenager is likely unconscious from a non-cardiac cause and you are alone, 911 should be called after giving 1 minute of CPR.   

•  Open the young person's airway. Lay the teenager on their back if necessary. Place one hand on the teen's forehead and the other hand on their chin. Avoid applying hard pressure to the soft part of the chin, as doing so may block the airway. Gently and carefully tip the youngster's head back while lifting their chin.  Do this just far enough so that the teen's mouth falls open. If necessary, clear the teenager's mouth of any obstruction (food, gum, vomitus, mucus, ectr.) by quickly sweeping your finger around the inside of their mouth.    

•  Check to see if the teenager is breathing. Position your ear near the teen's nose and mouth. For no more than 10 seconds, feel for the brush of air on your cheek, watch for a rise and fall of the youngster's chest, and listen for sounds of breathing. Remember that gasping sounds are not the same as normal respiration. Shallow or very slow breaths are also insufficient and are a sign that something is wrong. 

• If the young person does not seem to be breathing or cannot breathe normally, begin CPR immediately.* Interlace your two hands and place them, one on top of the other, in the middle of the teen's chest, just on their sternum. Push straight down on the youngster's chest 2 to 2. 4 inches deep but never more than 2.4 inches deep. Push hard and push fast. Allow the teen's chest to spring back after each compression. NEVER lean on the teenager's chest in between massages. Give 30 chest compressions altogether.

• Give the young person 2 rescue breaths. The child's head must be tilted back and their mouth open. Gently press the teen's nostrils closed and position your mouth over their mouth to form a tight seal. Blow one slow, gentle, full breath into the teen's mouth. This breath should last 1 second. Watch to see if the youngster's chest rises. If the chest does not rise, re-tilt the teen's head and breathe into their mouth again. If the chest still fails to rise, check the child's airway for any obstruction, clear it, and then once more attempt to ventilate.

• Remove your mouth from the teen's mouth and release their nose so that the teen can exhale the air. Take a breath yourself during this pause.  After 5-6 seconds, give the teenager a second gentle rescue breath. Make sure not to blow too frequently or too hard. Between ventilations, check to see if the youngster starts to breathe on their own.

• If the youngster's mouth is too injured, cannot be opened, or is too full of debris or fluids, administer mouth-to-nose rescue breathing rather than mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Close the teenager's mouth and place your mouth over the teen's nose so that their nose is completely sealed. Then blow into their nose two times. Open the youngster's mouth in between each breath so that they can breathe out naturally.

• Continue giving cycles of chest compressions and rescue breaths at a rate of 30:2 until help arrives or the teenager starts breathing on their own. No matter what, continue your efforts to restore the child's life. You will notice that your attempts have been effective if the young person begins to breathe, cough, moan, or move. If the teenager is able to breathe again but is still unconscious, gently turn them over onto their side so that they can continue to respire freely. Stay beside and carefully monitor the child while waiting for medical help. 

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* The AHA recommends that compressions be given before ventilations. However, in some cases, it may be helpful to initiate rescue breathing first; for instance, when a teen has experienced near-drowning or a drug overdose.

Illustrated Steps

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