Paediatric First Aid level 3 Notes
Baby & Child: Basic Life Support (with choking protocols for all ages)
Background Information
Infant Child Adult
0 – 1year 1year – puberty puberty+
Child 1year – puberty
Most medical emergencies in infant and children occur due to a problem with the airway and breathing.
Signs of Sever Choking
Usually witnessed 
Unable to vocalise or cry
Sudden onset Unable to breath
Recent history of eating or playing with small objects Quiet or silent cough.
Reduced level of consciousness
Change in colour
Severe choking (adults and children)
Up to 5 Back Blows Up to 5 Abdominal Thrusts
if patient becomes unconscious start BLS
Severe choking (infants)
Up to 5 Back Blows Up to 5 Chest Thrusts
if patient becomes unconscious start BLS
Other points – choking
- Call an ambulance if the obstruction has not cleared after three cycles.
- Anyone that has received abdominal/chest thrusts should seek medical attention.
Normal breathing present
Normal breathing absent
send for an ambulance
if no helper, perform 1 min BLS before calling an ambulance
Initial rescue breaths
Basic life support (child)
Basic life support (child)
Continue Basic Life Support 30:2 until:
Professional help arrives
The casualty shows signs of regaining consciousness and starts to breathe normally
You become exhausted (stop & swap after 1-2 minutes)
Open the airway (infant)
Normal breathing present
Normal Breathing absent
Send for an ambulance
if no helper, perform 1 min BLS before calling an ambulance
Initial rescue breaths
Basic life support (child)
Basic life support (baby)
Continue Basic Life Support 30:2
Professional help arrives
The casualty shows signs of regaining consciousness and starts to breathe normally
You become exhausted (stop & swap after 2 minutes)
Key points
3 important modifications for babies/children:
- Give 5 initial rescue breaths before starting chest compression
- if you are on your own, perform BLS for 1 min before leaving to summon help.
- Compress to a 1/3 of the depth of the chest.
Health care professionals
- if you are a health care professional regularly working with sick children, you may consider using the 15:2 CPR ratio
- This should still be preceded by 5 initial rescue breaths.
- 15:2 is advocated by the Resuscitation Council (UK) for those with a ‘duty to respond’ as it increases the total number of ventilations per minute.
- 30:2 remains an acceptable alternative for lay rescuers or HCPs not working in acute settings.
Donate to Bart’s City Life Saver
- We are seeking charitable donations to support our outreach work;
- Our project has provided free basic life support training for over 200 patients and family members, from East London, who have experienced a heart attack or undergone cardiac surgery;
- Your donation can help us train even more patients and their families. if you would like to donate you can do so via www.jutgiving.org.uk/bcls