NOBODY wants to see someone sink to the ground in front of them.
But if it happens to you, a little know-how can help you intervene and even save a life.
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And who knows when you have to help someone you love or a stranger on the street.
medical director for St. John ambulancedr. Lynn Thomas, explains exactly what to do if you see someone collapse…
1. Don’t Walk By
One of the most important things we want people to do is to do something.
So if you see someone collapse, please don’t walk by, go over there and see if there’s anything you can do to help. But make sure you don’t put yourself in danger first.
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Check if they can hear you or if they are responding.
You can gently push them onto their shoulders and ask, ‘Are you okay? Can you hear me?’
If there is no response and they are not breathing normally, you should consider starting chest compressions right away, as these cardiac arrest.
If they don’t respond but are breathing normally, you need to turn them into the recovery position, which is a way of turning someone on their side to keep the airway open.
3. If They Could Have a Cardiac Arrest…
Make sure to dial 999, put your phone on speakerphone, and start chest compressions.
The call handler tells you what to do. If you know where the nearest defibrillator is, don’t stop doing compressions to get it, try to get someone else to get it for you.
If there is none, the emergency services on the other end of the line will tell you what to do and get you a defibrillator as soon as possible.
Keep doing chest compressions, you should do them at about 100 per minute. I always say that to the rhythm of Staying Alive or Baby Shark apparently works too.
Don’t do a ventilator.
4. If it’s a child…
The only slight variation is really if it’s a kid.
In a child, it is more likely that the cause of cardiac arrest is actually a problem with the lungs, the respiratory system.
Give rescue breaths, but if you haven’t learned how to do it, no problem.
Just do the chest compressions. Acknowledge there is a problem, call 999 and start chest compressions and help will come very quickly.
5. Ideally be prepared in advance
Everything you do will help, but the most important thing is to know in advance what to do.
Go to the St John Ambulance website where you can watch lots of really helpful YouTube videos.
I always advise people to overlook these beforehand, for example if you are waiting for a bus or train, if you have a few minutes to spare.
We also have a first aid app that you can download for free.
Do you want to learn life-saving skills? Click here to book a first aid course, join one of St John’s youth programs (ages 5 to 25) or become a first aid volunteer.
St John’s training gives you essential life-saving skills and the confidence to use them, and includes first aid courses in mental health and wellness.
St John is a charity and needs donations to help train and equip its volunteers to save more lives. donate on sja.org.uk and follow them with #AskMe