You never know when an emergency might happen. If you have children, that thought can keep you up at night. Will you know what to do? Will you be able to remain calm and help your child? No one knows of course how they will act in a life-threatening situation, but there are tools available to make you feel more confident. Let’s explore how CPR and AED techniques can save your child’s life.
All Manner of Childhood Emergencies
It could be a child who falls into a pool, a sudden fall, choking on food, or even a sudden cardiac arrest that can strike a child or teen. Anyone who cares for children (including babysitters) should know how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In fact, everyone in your family should learn how to do it. After all, you could be the one who suddenly has a cardiac issue. 
AED is another must-have tool for parents and anyone who cares for children. It stands for automated external defibrillator. These devices are invaluable and should be located in all places where children play or where groups of children are together. This includes schools, daycares, and sporting events.
Parents should inquire if they are available in your child’s school or daycare center. Also, discover if everyone there (or someone) knows how to use it. Make it a priority.
Emergencies Need Quick Action
We usually think of sudden cardiac arrest only happening to adults. Unfortunately, that is not the case. It happens to children too. Only ten to twelve percent of people survive an SCA outside of a hospital. If CPR and defibrillation were administered quickly, that number would drastically change.
The first thing to do in an emergency is call 911. Immediately determine if the child or infant is breathing. Yes, you can administer CPR to an infant, but it’s just a bit different. For an adult you use two hands for chest compressions, for children, you use only one hand, and with an infant, you only use two fingers.
Finding CPR Courses and AED Resources
Simply watching a video or having seen CPR administered does not make you trained in CPR. We do recommend attending a course.
Knowing what to do in an emergency affecting your child will help you sleep better at night and could help save your child’s life.
Contact Elmwood Pediatric Group at (585) 244-9720 if you have questions or concerns. Please see the Red Cross website for CPR courses – https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr
