What Should You Do If Someone Is Unresponsive And Not Breathing?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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  1. Check breathing by tilting their head back and looking and feeling for breaths. …
  2. Call 999 as soon as possible. …
  3. Give chest compressions: push firmly downwards in the middle of the chest and then release.

What is the first thing you should do if a person is unconscious and not breathing?

If they’re not breathing,

open the airway and give 5 initial rescue breaths

before starting CPR. Find out how to give CPR, including rescue breaths. If the person is unconscious but still breathing, put them into the recovery position with their head lower than their body and call an ambulance immediately.

What to do if someone is not breathing and has no pulse?

If the person is not breathing and has no pulse and you are not trained in CPR, give

hands-only chest compression CPR without rescue breaths

. If the person is not breathing and has no pulse and you are trained in CPR, begin CPR, giving 30 chest compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths. Push hard and fast.

What to do if someone is not breathing?

  1. Cover their mouth tightly with your mouth.
  2. Pinch the nose closed.
  3. Keep the chin lifted and head tilted.
  4. Give 2 rescue breaths. Each breath should take about a second and make the chest rise.

What do you do if a person is unresponsive and not breathing normally or only gasping for air?

For an unconscious patient who isn’t breathing or is gasping for air every few seconds,

call 911 and start CPR chest compressions

. Hands-only CPR on an unconscious patient who is gasping has a good chance of being effective.

What’s the first thing you should do when you see someone unconscious?

Call or tell someone to call 911. Check the person’s airway, breathing, and pulse frequently. If necessary,

begin CPR

. If the person is breathing and lying on their back, and you do not think there is a spinal injury, carefully roll the person toward you onto their side.

How can you be unconscious but still breathing?

1.

Check their breathing by tilting their head back and looking and feeling for breaths

. When a person is unresponsive, their muscles relax and their tongue can block their airway so they can no longer breathe. Tilting their head back opens the airway by pulling the tongue forward.

Can someone be breathing without a pulse?

It often occurs at the same time as cardiac arrest, but not always. In the context of advanced cardiovascular life support, however,

respiratory arrest

is a state in which a patient stops breathing but maintains a pulse. Importantly, respiratory arrest can exist when breathing is ineffective, such as agonal gasping.

How long can you go without pulse?

But it is not a final threshold. Doctors have long believed that if someone is without a heartbeat for longer than

about 20 minutes

, the brain usually suffers irreparable damage. But this can be avoided, Parnia says, with good quality CPR and careful post-resuscitation care.

What can cause an unresponsive breathing state?

  • a car accident.
  • severe blood loss.
  • a blow to the chest or head.
  • a drug overdose.
  • alcohol poisoning.

What happens if you stop breathing for 1 minute?

For most people, it’s safe to hold your breath for a minute or two. Doing so for too much longer can decrease oxygen flow to the brain,

causing fainting, seizures and brain damage

. In the heart, a lack of oxygen can cause abnormalities of rhythm and affect the pumping action of the heart.

What should you do if a person is choking but is still able to speak or breathe?

  1. Give Back Blows. Give up to 5 blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
  2. If Person Is Still Choking, Do Thrusts. …
  3. Give CPR, if Necessary. …
  4. Follow Up.

How can you tell if someone isn’t breathing?

  1. look to see if their chest is rising and falling.
  2. listen over their mouth and nose for breathing sounds.
  3. feel their breath against your cheek for 10 seconds.

What does it mean when someone is unresponsive but breathing?

When a person is unresponsive,

their muscles relax and their tongue can block their airway so they can no longer breathe

. Tilting their head back opens the airway by pulling the tongue forward. If they are not breathing, their chest and stomach will not be moving and you will not hear or feel their breaths.

What would your course of action be if a patient stopped breathing?

If an adult is unresponsive and not breathing, you’ll need to do

CPR

(which is short for cardiopulmonary resuscitation). CPR involves giving someone a combination of chest compressions and rescue breaths to keep their heart and circulation going to try to save their life.

How do you wake up an unresponsive person?

  1. Place one hand on their forehead.
  2. Place the fingers of your other hand under the tip of their chin.
  3. Gently tilt their head back. The goal is for their tongue to move so it does not block their airway.
James Park
Author
James Park
Dr. James Park is a medical doctor and health expert with a focus on disease prevention and wellness. He has written several publications on nutrition and fitness, and has been featured in various health magazines. Dr. Park's evidence-based approach to health will help you make informed decisions about your well-being.