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PHOTO: Baby dramatically rescued in roadside CPR


The National Institute of Health offers this advice for CPR on infants:

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is a lifesaving procedure that is done when someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped. This may happen after drowning, suffocation, choking, or other injuries. CPR involves:

  • Rescue breathing, which provides oxygen to the lungs.
  • Chest compressions, which keep the blood flowing.

Permanent brain damage or death can occur within minutes if blood flow stops. Therefore, you must continue these procedures until the infant's heartbeat and breathing return, or trained medical help arrives.

This article discusses CPR done on an infant.

Considerations

CPR can be lifesaving, but it is best done by someone trained in an accredited CPR course. The procedures described here are not a substitute for CPR training.

All parents and those who take care of children should learn infant and child CPR if they haven't already. See www.americanheart.org for classes near you.

The newest techniques emphasize compression over rescue breathing and airway, reversing long-standing practice.Causes

There are many things that cause an infant's heartbeat and breathing to stop. Some reasons you may need to do CPR on an infant include:

  • Choking
  • Drowning
  • Electrical shock
  • Excessive bleeding
  • Head trauma or serious injury
  • Lung disease
  • Poisoning
  • Suffocation

SymptomsCPR should be done if the infant has the following symptoms:

In a series of photos by Miami Herald staff photographer Al Diaz, Pamela Rauseo, 37, is seen performing CPR on her nephew, 5-month-old Sebastian de la Cruz, after pulling her SUV over on the side of the road along the west bound lane on Florida State Road 836 just east of 57th Avenue when Sebastian stopped breathing.

At right is Lucila Godoy, who stopped her car to assist in the rescue.

View the other amazing photographs from Al Diaz in the Miami Herald photo gallery here.

The baby was resusitated and did survive, thanks to the life-saving efforts of his aunt and a police officer who also rendered aid.

Young Sebastian was born premature, which has led to respiratory difficulties. Aunt Pamela observed the baby had turned blue in the back seat. That's when she pulled over on the busy highway to begin the life-saving CPR.

Herald Photographer Diaz reported that he heard the aunt screaming "He can't breathe!"

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