First Aid - In Case of Emergency

You are now in a situation where you find a person who appears to be in need of help. Let's assume the person is lying on the ground. We are referring to first aid for an adult.

Put on your gloves.
Speak to the person.
If you receive no response, shake the person gently - for example, on the shoulder.

→ Response

The person responds to your call or the shaking.

Ask them if they need help. In some cases, the person may not be able to assess this realistically (for example, if they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, suffering from an illness, or have hit their head and are dazed). Look for signs such as slurred speech, paralysis of one side of the face, or similar, which may indicate a stroke. Is the person complaining of pain? Or is there an obvious injury?

Attention: Chest pain - possibly radiating to the left arm - may indicate a heart problem. In these cases, call emergency services at 112 and stay with the person until the ambulance arrives. Psychological support is also help. If there are open wounds, treat them. If the person is in shock, let them lie down and elevate their legs slightly. A shock reaction also requires medical treatment!

→ No Response

If you receive no response, call out "Help" loudly to get assistance from others who may be present. Ideally, another helper will call emergency services at 112.

Check for foreign objects in the mouth. To do this, open the person's mouth and look inside. If there is fluid in the mouth, turn their head to the side and clear the mouth. Tip: Press your thumb against the cheek between the person's teeth to avoid being bitten if they wake up.
Check the breathing if the person remains unconscious. To do this, tilt the person's head back while they are lying on their back. Place your hands on their chin and forehead and position the head as if the person wanted to look up. Now lean over the person's mouth and nose with your ear and cheek - facing towards the chest. This way, you can feel and hear if they are breathing - and you may also see chest movements. Observe this for about ten seconds. Since the person may have slowed breathing, it is necessary to check for a longer period.

Breathing Present

You have determined during the check that the person is breathing but is unconscious. In this case, place the person in the recovery position. Don't forget to tilt the head! Then call emergency services at 112 if this has not already been done by another helper. Regularly check the breathing!

Don't forget to tilt the head! Then call emergency services at 112 if this has not already been done by another helper.

No Breathing Present

You have determined during the breathing check that the person is not breathing. Call emergency services at 112 if this has not already been done by another helper.

Then start cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

Place the person on a hard surface in supine position. A bed or sofa is not suitable - lay the patient on the floor. Expose their upper body and ensure that the head is tilted back.

Kneel beside the person's upper body. Place your interlocked hands on the center of the patient's chest and compress the chest about 5 to 6 cm with straight arms. About 100 times per minute. As a guide, you can remember the beat of the song „Stayin' alive“ by the Bee Gees. Don't be afraid to hurt the person. A rib that may break during CPR will heal - but a cardiac arrest is acutely life-threatening!

According to the latest guidelines, please limit yourself to chest compressions as a layperson. Perform this continuously (without interruption) until emergency services clearly instruct you to stop or take over resuscitation. When emergency services arrive, continue resuscitation until they give you other instructions. If another helper is present, please take turns with the compressions approximately every two minutes, as this is exhausting. Try to avoid any pauses in compressions during the switch. Only this keeps the person's circulation going during this time. Any pause in resuscitation means a standstill in circulation during that time.

If an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is available, have someone get it. Do not go yourself - the highest priority is resuscitation. It must not be interrupted! Another helper will get the device and apply it to the patient according to the device instructions. You will be guided through the use of the device by voice instructions. Very important: Do not be afraid of this device! It is designed for use by laypersons and will guide you through the application. Just follow the instructions. The location of the nearest AED can be found, for example, in the Red Cross Defi App or the Defikataster App. These apps can also be used to make an emergency call. The AED is, however, not a substitute for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It serves as an aid and complement. You must continue to compress and ventilate when the AED instructs you to do so.

Once again as a reminder: Only stop resuscitation efforts when emergency services instruct you to do so or take over resuscitation.

Sources:

This article is from BloodPressureDB the leading app since 2011 that supports hundreds of thousands in blood pressure monitoring every day. Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 06/2024).

Author Sabine Croci is a certified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has been leading the editorial team of BloodPressureDB since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder, and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably verified information.

First Aid - In Case of Emergency

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

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