Learn first aid in case of drowning!

We invite you to discover the first aid measures to know, in case of drowning.
According to the French Red Cross French Red Cross, drowning is the first cause of death by accident among children.

Precautions are important . Make sure you keep a close eye on your child, and don't allow him or her to be left alone near water. Even if the water or the environment seems very calm. Prefer the use of a floating swimsuit PLOUF girl or floating swimsuit boy for your little darling (he'll be protected and won't be able to take it off by himself, as is unfortunately the case with armbands). Finally, don't hesitate to limit access to the pool if you have one at home. Pool alarms and fences are devices required by government regulations. 

If a drowning accident happens...

Take the child out of the water, he/she should be on his/her back and the chin should be lifted up to clear the airway. Remember to call for help as soon as possible. Then check the child's breathing.
Is the child conscious or not? Put your ear close to the child's mouth and nose tolisten for breathing. Look for a steady rise in the child's chest, and to see if he or she is conscious, ask for a handshake. Do not try to make the child vomit, squeeze water out of the lungs or hang the child by the feet. Make sure the child is breathing while help is coming. Remove wet clothing and warm the child.

First aid measures if the child is not breathing...

We will have to alternate cardiac massage and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

With " mouth-to-mouth res uscitation" we make the air, contained in the airways of the rescuer, pass towards the lungs of the child. To do this, the head must be lifted up, i.e., tilted backwards, so that the tongue does not block the passage of air. This could happen if the tongue falls down the back of the throat. Blow into his mouth while pinching his nose. Make sure that the insufflation lifts the victim's chest.

Cardiac massage or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We try to stimulate the heart (squeeze it) to keep the blood flowing. The victim must be lying on a hard surface. The area we will compress depends on the victim's build.
For babies: one finger below the line that joins the nipples.
For older children, in the center, on the lower sternum area.

The heel of one of your hands should be positioned on the child's bare sternum, then place the heel of your second hand on top. The sternum should be compressed between 1 and 2 cm in babies and between 3 and 5 cm in children and after each compression the rib cage should return to its normal size. When you perform this massage your hand should always be in contact with the victim's sternum. The frequency of the gesture is fifteen chest compressions for two insufflations and a rhythm of 2 compressions per sec (between 100 and 120 per minute), while waiting for help to arrive.

First aid measures if the child is breathing...

Turn the child on his or her side and place him or her in the LATCH position. This will prevent choking if vomiting occurs.
First, lay the child down. Bend the child's elbow at a 90° angle (arm on the ground), with the palm of the hand facing up. Then grab the other hand, and place the back of his hand against his cheek (the cheek that is on the side of the ground). As you hold the victim's hand against his cheek (your palm against his palm), raise the victim's knee to the side opposite the ground and turn his body slowly. The knee should eventually touch the ground, be careful that the knee and hip are at right angles. Open the child's mouth while avoiding moving the head, this will allow the fluids to come out in case the child vomits.

Encourage swimming at supervised beaches or pools. We must also emphasize that the advice given in our article does not replace formal first aid training.

Have you taken any first aid courses?

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