DEFINITION

Infant CPR is administered to any victim under the age of 12 months except for neonatal victims (i.e. newborns in the first hours after birth). Infants, just as children, have a much higher chance of survival if CPR is administered immediately.

ASSESSING THE SITUATION

Before attempting to provide assistance you must ensure that it’s safe to approach the victim. For example, at a scene of an accident potential hazards can consist of traffic, fire, electric wires, etc. If you suspect that the victim has sustained spinal or neck injury, do not move or shake him.

As with child victims, primary respiratory arrest in infants is more commonly caused by an injury (for example, poisoning, smoke inhalation, drowning, head trauma, etc.), rather than cardiac arrest. As such, statistics have shown that an infant victim is more likely to respond to, and to benefit from, the immediate administration of CPR. Currently there is no single consensus on recommendation for or against the use of AED’s for infants.

1 PERSON CPR

• Verify that the infant victim is unresponsive by patting his feet and gently tapping his chest or shoulders
• Begin CPR by providing 5 cycles of 30 compressions and 2 ventilations, for approximately 2 minutes
• Activate EMS by dialing 9-1-1 (or local emergency response number)
• If AED is available and you choose to use it, retrieve it
• Return to the victim and begin CPR (and use the AED as appropriate)

2 PERSON CPR

• Verify that the victim is unresponsive by patting his feet and gently tapping his chest or shoulders
• One of the rescuers should immediately begin CPR
• Simultaneously, the second rescuer should activate EMS by dialing 9-1-1 (or local emergency response number) and if AED is available, retrieve it
• Both rescuers should continue to perform CPR (and use AED as appropriate)