Up to five children die by drowning in Austria every year. The number of those who are rescued but have to live with permanent impairments is significantly higher. “Rapid and, above all, correct action can save lives in an emergency and significantly reduce the risk of physical and mental consequential damage,” says anesthesiologist and emergency doctor Christian Dopler, explaining what is important when it comes to first aid for small children who have had an accident.
“If you witness a swimming accident, it is important to get the child out of the water as soon as possible and call 144 immediately. After the rescue, consciousness and breathing must be checked. Talk to the child and touch them . Try to determine whether breathing is present,” says the expert from the Salzkammergut Klinikum Vöcklabruck.
If breathing is detected, the child should be observed until emergency services arrive. If not breathing, resuscitation measures must be started immediately. Resuscitation is a combination of ventilation and cardiac massage. Babies are given oxygen through mouth-to-nose resuscitation, and children over one year of age through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. “Put the child on a hard surface. In small children, the head should be stretched back slightly, in babies it should only be bent back a little,” explains the emergency doctor.
This is how resuscitation works
“Breathe five times in a row, then press 15 times on the lower half of the breastbone. For babies, two-finger pressure is sufficient.”
After the first breath and cardiac massage, further resuscitation follows in a rhythm of two artificial respirations and 15 cardiac massages. “Breathe evenly into your mouth for about a second at a time so that the chest visibly rises. Resuscitation measures must be carried out until the child shows signs of life or until professional help has arrived.”
Definitely pay attention!
The best first aid is prevention. Only preventive measures can protect children from accidents, says Dopler. “You should never underestimate their curiosity, range of motion and lack of risk awareness.” Children would have to be supervised at all times when they were near water, whether it was a bathing lake or a paddling pool. Small children in particular sink quickly and drown quietly without drawing attention to themselves by screaming or kicking, explains the emergency doctor.
Open water areas should therefore be well secured in the private sector, even a rainwater butt can become a deadly danger. Christian Dopler warns that children should not remain unattended when using swimming aids.
What to do in an emergency:
- Get the child out of the water without endangering yourself
- Control consciousness and breathing
- Bend your head back slightly and put your child on a hard surface if possible
- Breathe 5x (about one second each)
- Chest compressions, after compression completely relieve pressure from the chest, then
- 2x ventilation
- 15x cardiac massage
- dial emergency number 144 after the first rescue breaths
- Continue CPR at a 2-to-15 rate until signs of life are seen or professional help arrives.
Source: Nachrichten
