Wed3November0844PM 17

True / False

The head position should be neutral Correct

The palm of the hand is used to perform cardiac compression Correct

The carotid pulse is palpated Correct

Five rescue breaths should be administered to the nose and mouth Correct

Cardiac compression should only be performed where the pulse is absent during palpation of 10 seconds Incorrect answer selected

Explanation

In BLS in an infant, the head position should be neutral. The infant's trachea is short and soft and may easily become compressed if the neck is extended. In an older child the head should be placed in a "sniffing the air" (neck slightly extended) position to improve the airway. Five initial slow rescue breaths are given - rapid breaths cause gastric distension.

The infant's neck is short and fat and the carotid pulse may be difficult to identify, therefore the brachial or femoral pulse is palpated. Cardiac compression is carried out for absent pulse for up to 10 seconds or heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute with signs of poor perfusion.

Two fingers are used to perform chest compressions. or the hand encircling technique (both hands encircling the chest). The fingers should be placed one finger breadth above the xiphisternum.