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Foreword

If you’ve taken a CPR class before, or if you do so in the future, you will most likely find some differences

between the steps taught in most practical classes and those shown here. The CPR routine taught in this

online course is shorter and simpler than those usually described in practical classes. The reason for this is

that research has shown that casual/non-professional responders (such as yourself), who do not regularly

practice these skills, are liable to perform some steps inefficiently or incorrectly, and in fact, you could be

performing CPR much more effectively by skipping those steps entirely.

We strongly encourage all our students to take a practical CPR or first aid course, and attend regular

refresher classes.

That being said, this online course is designed to provide you with the most vital information you need to

remember to be able to give life-saving aid in a medical emergency, even if you never take another first aid

class ever again (but you really should!).

The next few pages contain schematic or step-wise summaries of the course videos, to help you review and

better remember what to do in an emergency. We’ve also added some notes on medical equipment and first

aid kits, and a list of reliable and up-to-date online information sources.

For more information or to join our life saving movement go to: www.heartsproj.org

Good luck!

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Written and edited by AJ Schiller, EMT-B

Content supervisor: Roi Shternin, AEMT

Medical advisor: Yonatan Goffer, MD

Design and illustrations by Siddhartha Pudasaini

Project Hearts International 2017

Disclaimer: This manual and the course which it accompanies are for learning purposes only and do

not replace any officially recognized or accredited medical or first-aid training in your country. In an

emergency, refer to your local emergency services or a Doctor.

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Whatever the emergency, always remember:

1. Call an ambulance first.

2. Always ensure you safety – don’t be a hero. Seriously.

CPR and the Unresponsive Patient

Not sure if you should be doing adult CPR or child CPR?

Start with two-handed (adult) CPR. If you feel you are pressing too hard, switch to one-handed (child) CPR.

The method for both is the same, but pressing with one hand will reduce the pressure on the patient’s

chest.

Note: The official guidelines state that you should press until you reach a depth of one-third of the

thickness of the patient’s chest. This is a good guideline to follow when practicing on a CPR dummy, until

you get the feel for it. It is also good to keep this in mind when performing CPR on a real patient, but it is

harder to assess this measurement in a real-life emergency, and you should not waste time on it.

A note on AEDs

When a person collapses from heart failure, immediate defibrillation with an AED – an Automatic External

Defibrillator – can be their best chance of survival. AEDs are easy to use and come with simple, clear

instructions. But under pressure of emergency is not the time to start learning how to use one. We urge

you to learn this in your own time. A CPR & AED class will afford you the opportunity of practicing with a

training AED, which will take you through the entire procedure, up to and including the actual shock.

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Choking

Clutching at your throat is universally recognised as a sign of choking. If you see someone doing this,

perform the Heimlich manoeuvre immediately, repeating 5 times. If this does not help, call an ambulance

and continue to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre until help arrives. If your patient collapses, switch to CPR.

*If the victim is pregnant or obese, place your hands at the base of the breast bone (where the lower ribs

meet, above the baby bump) and press in hard. Continue as instructed above.

Babies and infants

Not sure if you should be doing baby CPR or child CPR? Place your hand across the infant’s chest – if it

covers the chest, do baby CPR (two fingers); if not, do child CPR (one-handed).

Remember to cut food into narrow strips. You can use hot dogs as a reference – they are about the same

diameter as an infant’s airway, so make sure to cut your child’s food much narrower than that.

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Traumatic Injuries and Accidents

After doing everything you can according to the flowchart above, check for breaks, bleeds and burns.

Bleeds and burns are addressed in their respective sections in this course.

A limb may be broken if it is swollen, painful, bruised, or hard to move. If you see a bone protruding

through the skin, obviously it is broken (this is called an open fracture). Avoid moving the broken limb as

much as possible – this means you mustn’t bend or straiten a broken arm when splinting it. Splint a broken

arm by tying it to the torso with two bandages (or belts, towels, ropes, whatever you can find), one above

the break and one below it. In the same way, splint a broken leg to the healthy leg.

Note: Obviously, there are other bones in the body which can be broken – skull, spine, ribs and pelvis – but

there is little you can do about them without additional training and specialized equipment. Without these,

you should take care to keep your patient as still as possible until help arrives.

Bleeding

Most bleeds can be stopped by applying pressure directly on the wound. For a small cut or scratch, applying

direct pressure (preferably with a clean tissue) for 30-60 seconds will usually allow the body’s clotting

mechanism to close the wound enough to stop the bleed completely.

For any larger bleed, follow the bandaging sequence shown in the video. If one bandage does not stop the

bleed, apply the next step on top of it:

1. Sterile bandage – wrap around or tape over the injury.

2. Knotted cloth or towel – place knot directly on wound, tie cloth tightly around injured limb.

3. Tourniquet or pressure point – tourniquet should be placed about 5 cm (2 in) above injury site;

pressure points are shown in the video and on the next page (each point also mirrored on the other

side of the body).

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*Steps 2 and 3 can only be used on limbs. For injuries to other body parts, if a bandage is

insufficient, apply direct pressure to the wound.

*Raise an injured limb above the height of the heart, to reduce blood flow towards the

wound.

*If you have gloves, use them!

*Remember to call for help, or you’ll be stuck applying direct pressure for a very long time.

Burns & Fires

To treat:

- Run cool water over the burn.

- Remove clothes and jewellery, if possible.

- Apply a clean, damp bandage.

See a doctor immediately if:

- Burn site is blistered.

- Burn site changes colour beyond slight reddening.

- Burn area is numb.

- Burn is extremely painful.

Call an ambulance immediately if:

- Burns to face, neck, or chest.

- Burns over large area of the body.

In case of fire:

Get everyone out of the building and call the fire brigade.

Know how to use a fire extinguisher? Use one – only one. Then get out.

Smoke in the air? Get on the floor, crawl to the exit.

Can’t get out? Close doors between you and the fire, put a wet towel under the door, alert rescuers to

your location.

Kitchen fire? Use a fire blanket to put it out before it gets out of control.

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Ischaemic Diseases – Heart Attacks and Strokes

Heart attacks and strokes, both types of ischaemic diseases, are the leading causes of death across the

globe. In both cases, getting medical help is very urgent. Remember the signs of each condition, and call for

help immediately when you see them.

Signs of a stroke:

S – smile

T – talk

A – arms (raise them)

T – time

If the patient has difficulty doing any of the first three, time is of the essence – call an ambulance STAT!

Signs of a heart attack:

One or more of the following:

Pain in the:

o Chest

o Arms

o Stomach

o Jaw

o Back

o Neck

Tightness in the chest

Shortness of breath

Nausea / vomiting

Light-headedness

Fainting

Cold Sweats

Important note: Most people associate chest pain and pain in the left arm with heart attacks, but many

people who suffer a heart attack are actually likelier to show some of the less famous signs instead.

Women are more likely than men to show some of these less obvious signs. The same is true for people of

all genders who suffer from diabetes and other chronic conditions. For example, there have been cases in

which the only sign of a heart attack was a stiff neck, tooth ache or a stomach ache. It is very important

that you learn all the possible signs and remember to consider the possibility of a heart attack when:

- One or more of these symptoms appears in someone with known risk factors for a heart attack (e.g.

over 65, past/ongoing heart problems, diabetes, certain ethnic backgrounds).

- Two or more of these symptoms appear together (especially if one of them is pain) in anyone,

regardless of risk factors.

Remember: not every case of chest pain is a heart attack, but at the same time, not every stomach ache is

indigestion. Get checked out, just in case.

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Treatment for both conditions:

1. Call an ambulance immediately.

2. Sit the patient down and try to calm them.

3. If the patient collapses or loses consciousness, follow the flowchart titled “CPR and the Unresponsive

Patient.”

Heart attacks and aspirin:

Heart attacks are caused by blood clots. Aspirin can help dissolve these.

However, some people may be:

- Allergic to aspirin, or

- Already taking other medication which prevents them from taking aspirin.

Once you have ensured that your patient has not been told by their doctor that they can’t take aspirin, you

can give them one aspirin to dissolve under the tongue – this way, the aspirin will be absorbed straight into

the many blood vessels under the tongue, and will enter the blood stream faster than through the digestive

system.

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Some notes on first aid equipment

AEDs – more and more public buildings now have these on hand. Make sure places you frequent daily

(work, university, gym) and even your children’s school have AEDs on the premises and staff are trained in

using them. If not, take up the matter with the Health and Safety Officer or the manager. AEDs are easy to

acquire and operate, and they save lives. There is no excuse for a public facility to be without one.

Medication – when assembling a first aid kit, make sure you have medication to suit the needs of the

person or people who will be using it. This means not only including specific prescription medication, but

also avoiding medication that one of the users is allergic to or otherwise not allowed to take. If you need

any regular prescription medication, or auto-injectors (such as an EpiPen) or inhalers for emergencies, you

probably keep a sufficient reserve at home. Remember to store them properly, replace unused items

before they expire, and carry any emergency medication with you.

Hopefully this is all very obvious to you, but what may be less obvious is how you should carry medication

with you. First of all, avoid exposing your meds to high temperatures – carry them in handbags or

backpacks, but not in clothes pockets; don’t leave them in direct sunlight or in the car; the same applies for

the handbag or backpack the meds are in. Secondly, if you are carrying a sheet of pills, tablets, or capsules,

make sure it is in its box or another protective case, to prevent the sheet from getting worn and falling

apart.

Store-bought first aid kits – these are the easiest solution for covering basic first aid needs. You can buy

purpose-made ones for your home, office, vehicle, or handbag, and need only supplement them with your

prescription medication, if you have any. Just remember to pay attention to proper storage and expiry

dates.

Important! Only use equipment you are trained to use. Trying to perform beyond your training can be

deadly to your patient, and can get you prosecuted.

Once again, we encourage you to attend a first aid course and regular refreshers, to ensure you are as

prepared as you can be for an emergency.

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Sources

Following is a list of reliable online sources for information about first aid and medical issues, including

sources used in the creation of this course:

1. The American Heart Association – researches heart diseases, conditions, and resuscitation methods.

Generally referred to as the top authority for resuscitation guidelines, both for medical professionals

and for lay providers. Provider of CPR training worldwide.

2. St John Ambulance – first aid volunteer association in the UK and internationally. Provides information

and guidelines on a thorough variety of first aid emergencies. Provider of first aid training in the UK and

internationally.

3. The Mayo Clinic – internationally renowned for leading research in various branches of medicine.

Provides information on a wide variety of medical conditions and emergencies.

4. The European Resuscitation Council – for research and education on resuscitation.

5. The Center for Resuscitation Science at the University of Pennsylvania – dedicated to research and

training to save the lives of those suffering cardiac arrest or shock.

6. Health on the Net Foundation – a non-governmental organisation under the auspices of the United

Nations, which promotes and guides the deployment of useful and reliable online health information.

Certifies reliable health websites and provides a list of these, as well as appropriate searching

capabilities.

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Project Hearts International All rights reserved 2017

This Study Manual is part of the course “How to Save a Life”

Want to learn more? Go to https://www.udemy.com/course/832162