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Emergencies happen anywhere, any time and typically are never the same. It is why they are called emergencies, after all if we were expecting them to happen they wouldn't. Since there are so many different types of emergencies there is very little chance of being prepared for each and every one. Here I will describe some techniques used in adult breathing emergencies. Please keep in mind this is an overview and is not a certification.
Breathing emergencies also come in different forms, the person can be conscious or unconscious, breathing on their own or not. It is very important to determine whether the person is conscious or not; sleeping is NOT unconscious. A good way to find this out is to nudge the person or tickle their feet. If they move around and can be aroused you will then know they are sleeping. If it is found that the person is not responding to anything that means they are unconscious. So let's deal with unconscious breathing issues first.
Oxygen is essential to our existence, so with that being said someone that is not breathing or is unconscious is not going to exist very long. It is most important that if you find someone unconscious that you check to see if they are breathing something as simple as placing your hand in front of their face and watching for their chest rise and fall will indicate whether the person is breathing. The very next step and maybe the most important one is to call for help. Have someone or yourself call 911. Calling 911 will get the ambulance there as quickly as possible. While you are waiting for 911 to arrive, if you have found that the person is not breathing check to see if the person has a pulse. This can be checked in the neck. If you find no pulse and you are trained in CPR than you may start CPR, if you are not trained in CPR and there is no one around that is...then call 911 back and update them on your findings. If the person is not breathing and there is a pulse than provided you know the Heimlich Maneuver perform it; be sure that you are certain of what you are doing though, as it can harm someone if it is not done right.
If the person is conscious and breathing heavily than you may be able to get them to speak and tell you what they are feeling, this will aid when calling 911, to alert to ambulance of what they are walking into. The more information that is given to the 911 operator the more prepared the people on the ambulance will be when they arrive. If the person is able to communicate you know they are breathing, using your sense you will be able to give the operator lots of information. Watch the chest of the patient and see if it rise’s and falls, if so.... How fast or how slow. Counting the times of rises for 15 seconds and multiplying by 4 is a great way to be able to tell the operator how many breaths per minute the person is taking. From watching and listening you will be able to tell if the person is making noises when they are breathing or what kind of breathing they are doing. Fast or slow. Deep breaths or shallow breaths; all very important information. If he person is holding his or her hands around their neck trying to show you that they are choking, it is very important to do the Hemlich if you know how. If a person chokes long enough or goes without air long enough they will go unconscious which could create bigger or worse problems.
Anything that you feel is an emergency is one; an ambulance is never angry that you called them no matter what hour of the day or night, that is what they are they for. Please don't ever feel that you are bothering them and they never think calling them is stupid, it is the smartest thing that anyone can do. If you have a doubt as to whether someone is sleeping or unconscious please call for an ambulance. a great way to learn about these and other emergencies and how to handle the situation is to take a first aid class. They can be found throughout almost all communities and are relatively cheap!
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