Do you know your ABC?

An unconscious patient must be given help straight away!

They may not be breathing and their heart may have stopped beating. If this happens they will only have minutes to live. To give the right help at the right moment, learn to use the EMERGENCY ABC.

These three simple steps have saved thousands of lives.

A. Check the Airway

Diagram showing how to tilt a patient's head back. First of all tilt the person's head back (see picture). Check their mouth and throat. If they are blocked, no air can get through.

 
  • Place one hand on the forehead and tilt head back.
  • Look in mouth and remove any obvious obstructions.
  • Place two fingers on chin and lift jaw.
     

B. Check the Breathing

Diagram showing how to check for breathing.Put your face close to the person's face.

  • Look - is their chest moving?
  • Listen - can you hear breathing?
  • Feel - can you feel their breath on your face for up to 10 seconds?

If the person is breathing:

If the person is breathing, and unconscious, put them into the recovery position. Dial 999 for help.

If the person is not breathing:

  1. Shout for help. Send someone to dial 999 straight away.
  2. Give the person two breaths of mouth-to-mouth ventilation and then check their circulation.
     

C. Check for any signs of Circulation

Look, listen and feel for signs of circulation for no more than 10 seconds.

Signs of no circulation include:

  • Blue skin
  • No movement or coughing

If the person is not breathing but has circulation:

Continue mouth-to-mouth ventilations and check their circulation after every 10 breaths.

If the person is not breathing and also has no circulation:

  • Breath for the person (mouth-to-mouth ventilation)
  • Push on the chest only if you have been shown how - 15 compressions to 2 breaths.

Keep going until the ambulance comes - keep shouting for help.

Learn your ABC - Learn how to save lives.

 

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