When I took CPR causes we were told to start doing cpr before calling an ambulance, unless we thought it was a heart attack (since the person would be death by the time the ambulance arrived otherwise). Was this wrong?
The only exception to this rule is if you are in an area where no one will find you unless you call for help yourself. For example, if you are home alone with someone and you start CPR, you will probably need to stop out of exhaustion before someone will hear you cries for help. In this case, you need to call 911 first. If you're in a mall or something, then leave the emergency call to someone else and get started on chest compression.
1. Check for signs of life. Vigorously tap (hit) your patient a few times. Generally, we like tapping their upper chest, right below the shoulders when we do this. Yell, "Are you OK?" a few times. If the patient does not react at all, it's time for you to become a hero.
2. Call for help. In training, this is normally emphasized by having the student point at someone and yelling "Call 911!". If you know that there is a defibrillator in the vicinity, this is also the perfect time to yell, "Grab the defibrillator!".
3. Begin chest compressions. Take one hand, splay your fingers out (so it looks like you're making a "five" symbol). Take your other hand, fit each finger between the other finger; your thumbs should be at the very end and your fingers should interleave. You want to begin compressions about the middle (or slightly higher) of the patient's sternum - that's the central bone where your ribs connect to. Try to get about 100 compressions per minute. It's the tempo of a fast, upbeat song.
4. IF YOU ARE TRAINED: You may begin to perform head-tilt chin-lift, 2 rescue breaths every 30 compressions.
5. Continue compressions until better trained rescuers arrive.