External chest compressions provide artificial circulation.
When you apply rhythmic pressure on the lower half of the victim's breastbone, you force the heart to pump blood.
To do external chest compression properly, follow the steps below and watch the video:
- Kneel beside the victim's chest. With the middle and index fingers of your hand find the notch where the bottom rims of the two halves of the rib cages meet in the middle of the chest.
- Put the heel of one hand on the sternum (breastbone) next to the fingers that found the notch. Put your other hand on top of the hand that's in position. Be sure to keep your fingers up off the chest wall. It may be easier to do this if you interlock your fingers.
- Bring your shoulders directly over the victim's sternum and press down, keeping your arms straight. Depress the sternum at least 2 inches. Then completely relax the pressure on the sternum. Do not remove your hands from the victim's sternum, but do let the chest rise to its normal position between compressions. Push hard and fast at a rate of 100 to 120/min.
- If you are comfortable with your abilities to give both rescue breathing and external chest compressions, the proper ratio is 30 chest compressions to 2 breaths. Keep interruptions to less than 10 seconds. Continue administering compressions at a rate of 100-120/min with 2 breaths until emergency personnel arrives.
Important: As of October of 2015, the guidelines for performing effective CPR have changed. If the person is not confident in his/her abilities to perform CPR, he/she may administer Compression Only CPR. However, please note that conventional CPR with 30 compressions and 2 rescue breaths is still advised for pediatric victims.
