The life-saving procedure
With a person who appears unconscious, you always follow the same scheme. Two simple questions decide everything else: does she respond? And is she breathing normally?
Responds? Breathing normally? – these two questions guide you through every emergency.
In detail: speak loudly to the person and gently shake their shoulders. If there’s no response, call for help and open the airway by carefully tilting the head back and lifting the chin. Then check breathing for at most ten seconds: do you hear and feel breaths, does the chest rise? Occasional agonal gasping does not count as normal breathing.
The ABCD scheme
The systematic tool for assessment and care is the ABCD scheme. It gives you a fixed order so you forget nothing vital under stress.
Always in this order – A before B before C before D.
The recovery position
An unconscious person who is breathing normally is placed in the recovery position. The airway stays clear and vomit or blood can drain away instead of entering the lungs. In four steps:
- Kneel beside the person and bend the near arm up at a right angle.
- Place the far arm across the chest, the back of the hand against the person’s cheek.
- Lift the far leg by the knee and roll the person towards you onto their side.
- Tilt the head back slightly, point the mouth to the lowest point. Keep monitoring breathing, make the 144 call.
Moving out of the danger zone
If a person is in immediate danger – for example in a burning or smoke-filled car – you must rescue them first. That is what the Rautek grip is for: you reach from behind under the armpits, grasp with both hands one of the person’s forearms laid across their belly and pull them backwards out of the danger zone, the head supported against your body as much as possible. Use this grip only in real danger – otherwise: do not move unnecessarily.
Helmet removal for motorcyclists
With an unconscious person wearing a helmet you must remove the helmet to be able to check the airway and ventilate. Ideally with two people: one stabilises the head and neck from below, the other opens the visor and chin strap and carefully pulls the helmet off along the axis. If you are alone, do it anyway – a clear airway takes priority over the theoretical risk of a neck injury.