1) Check the scene and the person. Make sure the scene is safe, then tap the person on the shoulder and shout "Are you OK?" to ensure that the person needs help.
2) Call 911 for assistance. If it's evident that the person needs help, call (or ask a bystander to call) 911, then send someone to get an AED. (If an AED is unavailable, or a there is no bystander to access it, stay with the victim, call 911 and begin administering assistance.)
3) Open the airway. With the person lying on his or her back, tilt the head back slightly to lift the chin.
4) Check for breathing. Listen carefully, for no more than 10 seconds, for sounds of breathing. (Occasional gasping sounds do not equate to breathing.) If there is no breathing begin CPR.
1) Push hard, push fast. Place your hands, one on top of the other, in the middle of the chest. Use your body weight to help you administer compressions that are at least 2 inches deep and delivered at a rate of at least 100 compressions per minute.
2) Deliver rescue breaths. With the person's head tilted back slightly and the chin lifted, pinch the nose shut and place your mouth over the person's mouth to make a complete seal. Blow into the person's mouth to make the chest rise. Deliver two rescue breaths, then continue compressions.
Note: If the chest does not rise with the initial rescue breath, re-tilt the head before delivering the second breath. If the chest doesn't rise with the second breath, the person may be choking. After each subsequent set of 30 chest compressions, and before attempting breaths, look for an object and, if seen, remove it.
3) Continue CPR steps. Keep performing cycles of chest compressions and breathing until the person exhibits signs of life, such as breathing, an AED becomes available, or EMS or a trained medical responder arrives on scene.
Note: End the cycles if the scene becomes unsafe or you cannot continue performing CPR due to exhaustion.
To see the steps to perform CPR in action, watch the video Putting it All Together: CPR – Adult. Or, for online, in person and blended training courses, visit the Red Cross CPR Training Page or the American Heart Association CPR Training Page.
Signs and Symptoms
- Unconscious, Unresponsive with no pulse
- Chest pain, middle of chest and possibly in left arm & neck
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Loss of Consciousness
- Weakness on one side of body
First Aid
- Call Campus Police at 281-476-9128 or 5555 from a campus phone
- Check to see if the patient is breathing
- Check their pulse
- If no pulse or breath, start CPR. Red Cross now recommends constant heart massage. No breaths. Push hard, push fast. Place your hands, one on top of the other, in the middle of the chest. Use your body weight to help you administer compressions that are at least 2 inches deep and delivered at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute
- If an Automatic Emergency Defibrillator (AED) is available, turn it on and follow voice prompts.
- If a Stroke is suspected, think F.A.S.T.
- Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
- Arm: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
- Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence (such as, “The sky is blue.”). Is speech slurred? Can the person repeat the sentence correctly?
- Time: Try to determine when the signals began. Report the time of onset to EMS personnel
Signs & Symptoms
- Uncontrolled muscle contractions caused by possible head injury, drug overdose, epilepsy, fever, acute infection
First Aid
- Call Campus Police at 281-476-9128 or 5555 from a campus phone
- Place patient on floor, make sure the immediate area around patient is free of objects/obstacles, DO NOT restrain
- Try to help maintain an open airway by supporting the person in a side-lying position
- DO NOT put anything in patient’s mouth, including your fingers
- After the seizure, DO NOT try to awaken the patient
- Note time of onset and behavior during seizure, as well as time that seizure ends if emergency personnel have not arrived
Signs & Symptoms
- Unable to talk or cry out
- Victim clutches at throat
First Aid
- Call Campus Police at 281-476-9128 or 5555 from a campus phone
- If patient is coughing, do nothing but assist
- If patient is unable to cough and airway is completely obstructed, use five (5) abdominal thrusts, pause and ask if patient is still choking. Repeat until airway is clear.
- Wait for emergency personnel to arrive
Signs and Symptoms
- External – uncontrolled bleeding
- Internal – patient complaining of pain in stomach or chest. Patient is dizzy when standing, pulse rate fast, above 100
First Aid
- Call Campus Police at 281-476-9128 or 5555 from a campus phone
- External – Place direct pressure over the wound, keep wound as clean as possible
- Elevate a bleeding extremity above the level of the heart. DO NOT apply a tourniquet
- Internal – Lay patient down with feet raised, protect airway, keep patient calm