It is your mom's Birthday today. You and your dad are out doing some last minute shopping for the party you are throwing her ton
ight. The two of you decide to pick her up a bottle of perfume from the mall. The sales clerk is "swamped". She has no help and several people waiting in line to purchase items. You can tell she is getting very frustrated as she is rushing around trying to help all the customers. You notice that she is sweating and looks very flush. A couple of minutes later she turns extremely pale and falls to the floor unconscious. A customer rushes behind the counter to help her. She says “she must be having a heart attack - does anyone know CPR". What steps should you take? (Hint: you need to know what she needs, don’t just take the person yelling CPR as fact!)
Before you preform CPR, if the person is unconscious and is not responding to questions (such as: "Are you okay?) call 911 or the local emergency number, and get an AED, if one is available. As soon as the AED is ready, deliver one shock if instructed by the device, then begin CPR
Your heart rate or rhythm can change when you are under stress or having pain. Your heart may beat faster when you have an illness or a fever. Hard physical exercise usually increases your heart rate, which can sometimes cause changes in your heart rhythm.
