Enrolling for a basic life support course online will give you knowledge on the various symptoms that require you to perform CPR on a person.

They may include:

• Unconsciousness
• Difficulty in breathing
• Lack of pulse among others

The surrounding environment can also provide signs which help you decide if CPR is needed, which is why you need to consider basic life support course online. The circumstances under which CPR can be administered are:

1. Drowning or getting electrocuted
2. Exposure to toxic fire smoke and drugs may require CPR

The Best Time to Perform CPR

CPR is supposed to be done fast when there is an occurrence that requires immediate action. In case someone walking before you trips and falls unconscious or when you find an accident victim lying motionless on the roadside, here’s what you can do:

1. Call an emergency service line or if you don’t have a phone with you, instruct someone to do so as you await rescuers to come.
2. Check for body response from the victim either by shaking or stimulating the person to see if they are conscious.
3. Listen carefully to their chest or mouth and if their chest is rising and falling then it is a sign of breathing.
4. Check for a pulse by placing your fore and middle finger on the wrist of the victim right under the thumb.
5. Judge the situation by trusting your instincts. If the pulse is hard to find, and the victim’s body feels cold, begin CPR immediately.

Failing to perform CPR may cause brain damage and in worst cases, death for the victim.

Circumstances When Your Safety is Crucial

Giving CPR is encouraged, but sometimes it becomes a risk. Therefore, you need to clear your mind first and evaluate the situation before going ahead with it.

Here are the things you need to be aware of:

Criminal in Disguise

A cunning thief may use pretense to lure well-wishers into assisting a person requiring CPR as bait. The targeted people are usually women. Calling emergency line may help you avoid trouble.

Naked Electricity Lines

Assess the surroundings near the victim to see if there are power lines down. Never approach the victim unless the power source has been switched off.

Perform a Scene Inspection

There is no reason to put your life in danger if the surrounding environment is unsafe. Floods, burning buildings may be too risky.

Discontinuation of CPR may occur when:

• There is a response or breathing
• Rescuers or trained personnel take over
• The person performing CPR to the victim is exhausted
• There is potential harm that may escalate

People May Need CPR Anywhere

An example of a circumstance where CPR is needed fast is the case of cardiac arrest since it may happen anywhere without warning for those people with no prior heart-related problems. Each year, 10,000 cases get reported in workplaces, 395,000 happen outside a hospital, and 200,000 instances occur inside a hospital. It is necessary to acquire knowledge about CPR and basic life support by getting certified so that you can help victims before experts arrive.