CPR Class & First Aid Training

Chapter Four: ABCs

Many of the concepts behind the ABCs are discussed in a CPR class. Since this is a first aid class we will only briefly describe them.

Overview
For first aid and CPR, the ABCs do not describe merely the first three letters of the alphabet, they are the lifeline of the person you are trying to help. A stands for Airway. B stands for Breathing. And C stands for Circulation.

Get Information Quick/Airway
In order to make sure that the person's airway is how it should be, you should check first for any obstruction or ask those around if the person may have choked on something recently. If this is the case, perform the Heimlich maneuver to expel the object. This technique is covered in more detail in the CPR class.

Breathing
Once you have checked the airway, you want to verify if they are breathing. Then you need to know if it is too fast, too slow, just right or not at all. Normal breathing is anywhere from 12-20 respirations (inhalations and exhalations) per minute.

If the person is breathing too fast, try to calm them down and make them feel as comfortable as possible. Much of the time, rapid breathing is caused by anxiety. This is not always the case, however. So make sure not to make the person breathe in a paper bag like you might have heard before. This could be detrimental to their condition.

Ensure Good Ventilation
If the person is breathing too slow, then try to find the cause of the problem, if you can fix it by repositioning the victim, then do so. Otherwise, stay calm and attempt open the airway by tilting their head back. Hopefully this will assist with breathing.

In the event that the person does not have any signs of respiration, attempt to give breaths to the person either via mouth-to-mouth or through a mechanical device. This should be repeated about 15 times per minute and again is covered in greater detail in the CPR class.

Circulation
Lastly you should check for signs of life or circulation. For healthcare providers this means checking a pulse. For others, this means that you should check to see if the person appears to have any signs of life (e.g. spontaneous breathing, moaning, movement of any kind, good skin color). If these signs are not present, you will want to start CPR right away.

The reason they call them the ABCs is that it is easy to remember airway, breathing, circulation. We understand that you can be in a panicked situation and want for you to try to remember to the best of your ability what to do when something happens where you will need to help someone out.

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