WHEN LIFE IS IN YOUR HANDS

Taupo Times, Volume III, Issue 105, 29 January 1954, Page 5

WHEN LIFE IS IN YOUR HANDS

BEST METHOD OF ARTIFICIAL RE SP1R ATION The following description of the most effective method of artificial respiration, written for the 'Times' by the Divisional Superintendent of the Taupo St. John Ambulance Brigade, Mr A. Kennedy, provides details of great possible value in a district such as Taupo. Artificial Respiration— -pumping the breath of life into the lungs of | a victim of drowning, suff ocation, electric shock or gas poisoning— is one of the most vital of all first j aid procedures and possibly the most life saving. For 30 odd years the "Schafer" method has been taught but the method perfected in Denmark by Col. Holger Nielsen has now been adopted by the Royal Life Saving Society and the St. John Organisation.

There are 80 different methods of Artificial Respiration on record and the "Holger Nielsen" method takes first place and the "Schafer" method second. Any method of respiration is trying to do two things — get air into the lungs and! oxygen into the blood; the more air you push out of the half-drowned lungs, the more flows back. The air pushed out by the "Schafer" method in one complete cycle is about 500 c.c. The air pushed out and then pulled in by the "Holger Nielsen" method is over 1000 c.c., more than twice as much. The "Schafer" method puts the oxygen saturation of arterial blood up to 67%, the "Holger Nielsen" method scores 93%.

The following are details of the accepted "Holger Nielsen" method. The patient's arms are folded and his face turned sideways and placed on his hands. The operator kneels at the head, on one knee six to twelve inches from the top of the patient's head. Place the other foot with the heel in line with the platienlt's e'lbow. After freeing the airway by a slap between the shoulders the operator places his hands on the patient's back with the palms resting on the shoulder blades. He slowly rocks forward on straight elbows until his arms are nearly vertical, exerting steady pressure on the chest, | then rocks back slowly, sliding his hands by the patient's arms, just above the elbow, grasps the arms! and continues to rock backward, raising the arms until tension is f elt, and then draws them slightly towards himself; finally he lowers the arms, completing the cycle. The whole cycle should take about 7 seconds, so that it is carried out at a rate of about nine times a minute; 2i seconds should be allowed for pressure on the back and 2i seconds for traction on the arms, allowing one second for every change of hand position. The easiest method for accuracy is to count 1-2-3-change 1-2-3-change, taking 2i seconds to count each 1-2-3.

Pressure must be light and applied without force; for men a pressure of 22 to 30 lb. is sufficient; for children or women of slight build about 12 to 14 lb. pressure is enough, and, rather than place the whole hands on the back, the lighter pressure is better obtained by just pressing the shoulder blades with the tips of the fingers. With very small children pressure on the shoulder blades should be considerably reduced and applied with the thumbs only. Untrained persons always tend to g o too fast and to exert too much pressure. The whole drill needs very careful rehearsing. Remember, time is vital— seconds count. Take advantage of any natural slope of the ground to I

tilt the patient's body and thus obtain better drainage of the lungs. Start quickly — get air into the I lungs. The Life is in your hands* ~ •