Basic Life Support

 

What would you do if you were suddenly confronted with one of the following situations?

• During class, a student suddenly falls to the floor with no respiration or pulse.
• While sparring, a student is knocked out or is struck on the throat and the trachea is compressed obstructing the airway.
• A student runs to you grabbing his throat and indicating something is obstructing his airway.

A student's life may depend on your ability to perform immediate and adequate resuscitation. Airway obstruction is an emergency situation that must be recognized and treated immediately since inevitably leads to loss of consciousness, followed by heart arrest, and, once the heart stops beating, irreversible brain damage and death will follow within 4 to 6 minutes unless effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is administered. Of course, a cardiac arrest requires immediate attention and appropriate action to prevent death or brain damage.