CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is performed when a child's breathing or heartbeat has stopped, as in cases of drowning, suffocation, choking, or injuries. CPR is a combination of:

• Rescue breathing, which provides oxygen to a child's lungs
• Chest compressions, which keep the child's blood circulating

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

CPR can be lifesaving, but it is best performed by those who have been 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. This jewel of knowledge is something no parent should be without. (See www.americanheart.org for classes near you.)

Time is very important when dealing with an unconscious child who is not breathing. Permanent brain damage begins after only 4 minutes without oxygen, and death can occur as soon as 4 - 6 minutes later.

Machines called automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can be found in many public places, and are available for home use. These machines have pads or paddles to place on the chest during a life-threatening emergency. They use computers to automatically check the heart rhythm and give a sudden shock if, and only if, that shock is needed to get the heart back into the right rhythm.

When using an AED, follow the instructions exactly.

In children, major reasons that heartbeat and breathing stop include:

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