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MANAGEMENT
This is based on the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) 2010 International Consensus on CPR Science with Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR). The first person on the scene stays with the patient, checks for danger and commences resuscitation, making a note of the time. The second person summons help to organize the arrival of equipment, then assists with the resuscitation.
Immediate actions
The aim is to maintain oxygenation of the brain and myocardium until a stable cardiac output is achieved. Lay the patient flat on a hard surface such as a trolley. If the patient is on the floor and enough people are available, lift the patient onto a trolley to facilitate the resuscitation procedure. Rapidly give a single, sharp precordial thump within the first few seconds of the onset of a witnessed or monitored arrest, where the rhythm is pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF), and a defibrillator is not immediately to hand.
Check the victim for a response, and then open the airway by tilting the head and lifting the chin if there is no response (‘head tilt, chin lift’):