Section 3: CPR and Choking Emergencies

     Tony, a four year old boy, has swallowed a marble that he was playing with on the rug in the classroom. He is now choking. Advance planning is important in an early childhood environment because there are many health risks and illnesses. You would should always be prepared with the proper tools and procedures to follow along with any emergencies to could form.

ORDER OF RESPONSE

1. Remain calm
2. Stay at the scene and give help and reassurance to the victim and other students present.
3. Ask another teacher (if present) to remove other children from the area.
4. Assess the chocking child with a head to toe check (Robertson p.179).
5. Proceed to do the Heimlich Maneuver

 HEIMLICH MANEUVER

• First ask, "Are you choking? Can you speak?" DO NOT perform first aid if the person is coughing forcefully and able to speak -- a strong cough can dislodge the object.

• Stand behind the person and wrap your arms around the person's waist.

• Make a fist with one hand. Place the thumb side of your fist just above the person's navel, well below the breastbone.

• Grasp the fist with your other hand.

• Make quick, upward and inward thrusts with your fist.

• Continue these thrusts until the object is dislodged or the victim loses consciousness.

IF THE PERSON LOSES CONSCIOUSNESS

• Lower the person to the floor.
• Call 911 or the local emergency number or tell someone else to do so.
• Begin CPR.
• If you see something blocking the airway, try to remove it.

     To prevent this crisis, steps adults can take are monitoring children closely when play with small objects or supplies. Removing anything you suspect that can be harmful to small children can help. All teachers or educators should be trained in CPR/First Aid properly in order to work in the classroom. This process is grossly important in childhood education.

  
     Danielle is a six year old, who is running on the playground. All of a sudden, she stops, falls down and is now unconscious. Advance planning is essential and necessary in all emergency situations. Training and updated knowledge should be mandatory for all educators. Basic Emergency Response Procedures in Robertson‘s book believes, “All teachers should be trained in basic first aid and rescue breathing, and at least one teacher per site must be certified in CPR. Teachers should organize for emergencies and plan accordingly” (Robertson p. 180).

ORDER OF RESPONSE

1. Remain calm
2. Stay at the scene and give help and reassurance to the victim and other students present.
3. Ask another teacher (if present) to remove other children from the area.
4. Assess the chocking child with a head to toe check (Robertson p.179).
5. Proceed to do CPR

 CPR PROCEDURE

• Gently tap or shake the shoulders and call his name, if no response, do the following

• Ensure the child is on a firm, flat surface and place the heel of a hand on the lower half of the breastbone between the nipples.

• Push straight down about two inches and let the chest all the back up. 

• Repeat 30 times, twice per second.

• After two group of compressions, give two rescue breaths and continue for five more groups of compressions of CPR.

• Keep doing compressions in groups of 30, until help arrives.

•  Always stay with the child until her parents or emergency help arrives.

•  Contact parents of the incident and write a detailed report on the situation (Robertson p. 179).

    Adults can make sure that the First Aid Kit, emergency plan and contacts are nearby at all times. A trained individual in CPR within the classroom would be important as well. These are ways you alleviate any unprepared emergencies inside or outside of the classroom.

Programs from American Red Cross such as training students and educators CPR and First Aid, digital showings about proper hygiene and other emergency procedures are wonderful ways for educators to involve students and themselves in becoming more alert of any signs of emergencies. Also to stay prepared and keep a plan in action for all types of emergencies (ARC,2015).

Resources

American Red Cross: Prepare for Emergencies with American Red Cross First Aid, CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Courses. Retrieved from http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/courses/aed.html

Robertson, C. (2013).  Safety, Nutrition, & Health in Early Childhood (5th edition).  Belmont, California: Wadswort. Cengage Learning.
MedLine Plus. Trusted Health Information for you. Choking-Adult or child over i year. U.S. NationalLibrary of Medicine. Nation Institutes of Health..  Bethesda, MD.  Retreived from  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/