First Aid 5

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DROWNING

A person who has stopped breathing has only 4 minutes to live! You must act fast.

Start mouth-to-mouth breathing at once--if possible, even before the drowning person is out of the water, as soon as it is shallow enough to stand.

If you cannot blow air into his lungs, when you reach the shore, quickly put him with his head lower than his feet and push his belly as described before. Then continue mouth-to-mouth breathing at once.

ALWAYS START MOUTH-TO-MOUTH BREATHING AT ONCE before trying to get water out of the drowning person's chest.

What do you do when breathing stops? Mouth-to-mouth breathing.

Common causes for breathing to stop are:

- Something stuck in the throat.

- The tongue or thick mucus blocking the throat of an unconscious person.

- Drowning, choking on smoke, or poisoning.

- A strong blow to the head or chest.

- A heart attack.

A person will die within 4 minutes if he does not breathe.

How to do mouth-to-mouth breathing.

1) Quickly remove anything stuck in the mouth or throat. Pull the tongue forward. If there is mucus in the throat, quickly try to clear it out.

2) Quickly lay the person face up, tilt his head way back, and pull his jaw forward.

3) Pinch his nostrils closed with your fingers, open his mouth wide, cover his mouth with yours, and blow strongly into his lungs so that his chest rises. Pause to let the air come back out and blow again. Repeat about 15 times per minute. With newborn babies, breathe very gently about 25 times per minute.

Continue mouth-to-mouth breathing until the person can breathe by himself or until there is no doubt he is dead. Sometimes you must keep it up for an hour or more.

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