Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR): Infants

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (kar-dee-oh-pul-muh-nayr-ee ree-suh-sih-tay-shun), also called CPR, is a way you can save someone’s life if they stop breathing or their heart stops. It combines chest pumping (compressions), which moves blood from the heart to the body, and mouth-to-mouth breathing, which sends oxygen to the lungs.

How the Lungs and Heart Work

The lungs’ purpose is to breathe in (inhale) air that is made of oxygen, which we need to live. The heart pumps the blood to the lungs and the body. The heart and the lungs work together to send oxygen in the blood to the rest of the body.

If the Child Stops Breathing or the Heart Stops Beating

If your child stops breathing, they are not getting the oxygen they need to stay alive. If breathing stops, the heart will also stop soon.

YOU MUST ACT RIGHT AWAY BY:

• Pumping the child's heart with your hand (compressing).
• Breathing air into the child’s lungs (ventilating).

Practice

• IMPORTANT:  You must practice CPR on a doll (mannequin) with a nurse to be sure you’re doing it correctly. This should be done before you leave the hospital with your child.
• If you wish to become certified in CPR, contact the American Heart Association^® or the Red Cross^® in your community.

How to Do CPR

If you think the baby is not breathing:

1. Check to see if they will respond to you. Tap the heel of their foot and call their name to see if they respond.
2. If they do not respond, call out for someone to call 911 or use your cell phone to call 911 and put it on speakerphone while you start CPR.
3. Turn them flat on their back on a hard surface.
4. Look at their face and chest to see if they are breathing. Look for at least 5 seconds, but no more than 10 seconds (see "Quick Reference for CPR" below, step 1).
5. If they’re not breathing, remove clothes from their chest.
6. Find the right position for chest compressions by drawing an imaginary line between the nipples to find the middle of the breastbone.
7. Place 2 fingers just below that line on the breastbone and push down (compress) hard on the breastbone 1½ inches toward the backbone (see "Quick Reference for CPR" below, step 2). Let the chest come back to its normal position after each compression. Compress the chest fast at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute.
8. After you have compressed the chest 30 times, open their airway for mouth-to-mouth breathing using the head lift-chin lift method (see "Quick Reference for CPR" below, step 3). Tip the head back with one hand on the forehead. Use the tips of the fingers of your other hand to lift the chin upward. Be careful not to close their mouth all the way. This may close their airway. Tilt their head just until the nose is aimed at the ceiling.
9. Give 2 breaths (see "Quick Reference for CPR" below, step 4). To do this, place your mouth over both the baby’s mouth and nose to form an airtight seal. Breathe into their mouth and nose only enough air to make their chest rise. Since a baby’s lungs are small, only small puffs of air are needed to fill them.
10. Repeat 30 compressions and 2 breaths until help arrives.
11. If you still have not called 911 because you are alone and do not have a cell phone, call 911 after 5 sets of compressions and breaths. Keep doing CPR until help arrives. If help is already on the way and the baby is not moving or breathing, continue CPR.

 Resources: 2015 AHA Guidelines : Update for CPR and ECC

IMPORTANT: You must practice CPR on a mannequin (doll) with a nurse to be sure you are doing it correctly. This should be done before you leave the hospital.

NOTE: If you wish to become certified in CPR, contact the American Heart Association or the Red Cross in your community.

Resources: Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care 2010, American Heart Association

Quick Reference for CPR

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR): Infants (PDF), Arabic (PDF), Nepali (PDF), Somali (PDF), Spanish (PDF)

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