Resuscitation for a Child over 1 year old

If you are unsure on how to perform resuscitation for a Child over 1 year old, it is better to perform the adult sequence of resuscitation on a child (who is unresponsive and not breathing) than to do nothing at all. Call 999 in an emergency.

Child resuscitation

D – Danger

• Check that it is safe for you to help.
• Do not put yourself at risk.

R – Response

• Gently tap the shoulders and shout ‘are you alright?’
• If there is no response, shout for help, but don’t leave the child just yet.

A – Airway

• Carefully open the airway by using ‘head tilt’ and ‘chin lift’ by placing your hand on the forehead and gently tilt the head back.
• With your fingertips under the point of the chin, lift the chin to open the airway.

B – Breathing

• Keeping the airway open, look, listen and feel to see if the breathing is normal. Take no more than 10 seconds to do this.
• If the child is breathing normally, carry out a secondary survey and place them in the
  recovery position.

If the child is not breathing normally

• Ask someone to dial 999 for an ambulance immediately, but if you are on your own, and you have to leave the child to dial 999, carry out resuscitation for about 1 minute first.
• Keep the airway open by tilting the head and lifting the chin.
• Nip the nose and seal your mouth around the child’s mouth.
• Give 5 initial rescue breaths (blow in just enough air to make the child’s chest visibly rise).

Combine rescue breaths with chest compressions

• Use 1 or 2 hands as required to depress the chest a third of its depth.
• Give 30 chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute.

• Open the airway again by tilting the head and lifting the chin, then give 2 more
  rescue breaths.
• Continue repeating cycles of 30 compressions to 2 rescue breaths.
• Only stop to re-check the child if they start breathing normally – otherwise do not
  interrupt resuscitation.

If your rescue breaths don’t make the chest rise effectively

Give another 30 chest compressions, then before your next attempt:

• Check inside the mouth and remove any visible obstruction (but don’t reach blindly into the back of the throat).
• Re-check there is adequate head tilt and chin lift.
• Do not attempt more than 2 breaths each time before returning to chest compressions.
• If there is more than one rescuer, change over every two minutes to prevent fatigue.
• Ensure the minimum of delay as you change over.

When to stop CPR

Continue with resuscitation for a baby under 1 year old until one of these 3 things happen:

• They show positive signs of recovery.
• A health professional arrives and takes over.
• You are physically exhausted and can’t carry on (take a moment to regain yourself and continue as soon as possible).