CURE OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

There are several methods of applying artificial respiration,any one of which is good if applied properly. Following are some methods.

Artificial Respiration  : (Method -1)  :

   (a)  Lay the patient on his stomach with his face to one side. Free the neck from clothing and see

          that passage of his throat is clear. Remove false teeth, tobacco etc. if any from the mouth.

   (b) Kneel over him or at his side as may be convenient and place the palms of your hands flat in

         the small of his back, with the thumbs nearly touching and the fingers spread out on each side 

         of the body under the lowest side of the ribs.  

  

      (c)   With arms staight, lean forward gradually over the patient bringing the wight of your body to                 bear on the patient for about a second Fig 1 .Next release all pressure for about 3 seconds 

             by swinging your body backward but without lifting yours hands from the patient Fig 2.

      (d)  Repeat this application and relaxation of pressure, Without any marked pause between the                      movement at the rate of about 12 to 15 times per minute until natural breathing is restored.

     (e)   Do not give up efforts to restore natural breathing , until the victim is pronounced to be safe

            by a doctor. There is every possibility that the victim may survive even after more than an 

            hour of unconsciousness,

     (f)   The patient should be kept warm with blankets or coats and hot water bottles, if available,                      should be applied to the feet.

     (g)  Do not give any liquid until the patient is conscious.

Method -2

     When then patient has burns etc. on his chest or any where on front side, then the patient must definitely not be laid on his front downward. The main process of artificial respiration is to expand and contract his chest to draw the air in and expel it out alternately. In this method, first loosen the clothes around the chest and stomach and place a rolled up coat or improvised pillow beneath the shoulders so that the head falls backwards. 

   First motion :  kneel in the position shown Fig. and hold the patient just below the elbows and draw his hands over his head until they are horizontal. Keep them in that position for about two seconds. Now bring the patient's hands so as to compress his chest by bringing them down as show in the figure and keep repeating the two motions at the same rate. 

Mouth to mouth respiration method :

         It is easily and particularly suited where the patient has suffered chest injuries.

         Mouth-to-mouth method for adults  :  Insert thumb of your left hand between victim's teeth. Hold the jaw upward so that the head is tilted backwards. Close victim's nostrils with your right hand.

Take a deep breath and place your mouth tightly over victim's mouth and your own thumb. Blow forcefully enough to make victim's chest rise. Repeat inflation every three or four seconds. The main precaution to be prevent direct transmission of from germs from one mouth to the other.

Mouth to mouth respiration method for children  :

        Hold the angles of the child's jaw at the ear lobes using both hands and lift up forcibly so that the head is tilted backwards. Push child's lower lip towards the chin with your thumbs. Never let the chin sag. Take the breath and place your mouth tightly over child's mouth (for a small child, cover both mouth and nose). Blow in gently until his chest moves, then take your mouth off and let him exhale passively. Repeat inflation about one every two to three seconds.

    The mouth to mouth method has been found to supply ten to twelve times more volume of air into the lungs then any of the other method. There is danger of sagging of the victim's tongue into the throat and blocking the air passage. But this is prevented in the new technique if the victim's head is tilted back.

Can anything be done if the heart stops beating ::

   1. Check for pulse, if no pulse is apparant,  start working at once without wasting seconds in asking for equipment or help. The lack of sufficient oxygen carried in the blood to feed the brain may result in peril of any heart as the brain is the most sensitive tissue of the body.

   2.  Lay the patient  face up on a solid bed or floor.

   3.  Tilt the head back.

   4.  Kneel on the body so that you can use your weight in applying pressure.  Place the heel of your right hand on the breast bone with fingers spread and raised so that pressure is only on the breastbone not on the ribs.