Instruction manual

PROFICIENCY IN SURVIVAL CRAFT AND RESCUE BOATS OTHER THAN
FAST RESCUE BOATS
15 8
one breath and you giving five presses on the chest. Check the heartbeat
after one minute then after every three minutes or 12 cycles.
Fig. 15-11 If there are two of you, work together so that one person
gives heart massage while the other gives mouth-to-mouth respiration
15.1.3 Recovery position for an unconscious person
An unconscious patient should be turned to lie on one side to stop the
tongue blocking the throat and to allow fluid to come out of the mouth. This is
called the recovery position.
Before you turn the patient over:
• If breathing is noisy, sweep your finger round the mouth to remove
anything blocking the airway, and take out the patient's false teeth if they are
loose.
• Empty the patient's pockets of anything that would be uncomfortable to
lie on.
• Take off the patient's spectacles in case they injure the eyes.
• Look for injury to the head or neck, and feel with your fingers to see
whether the back of the neck or the backbone is bent or swollen.
• Get help if the patient has an injury to the head or neck. Three people
should roll the patient keeping the head, neck and body in a straight line. Do
not let the patient sit up when he or she wakes up.
The patient should be turned onto one side with:
• the head, neck and body in a straight line,
• the head placed so that the tongue will not block the throat, and vomit
or saliva can come out of the mouth;
• the arms and legs placed so that the patient stays in the same position.
One way of turning a patient
1. Kneel beside the patient, turn the patient's face towards you, and tilt it
back, with the jaw jutting forward so the airway stays open. Place the arm
nearest you above the head. Place the patient's other arm across the chest.
Raise the patient's far leg under the knee, to bend it (Fig.15-12).