When initiating CPR on an 11-year-old, which guideline should you follow?

When initiating CPR on an 11-year-old, it is important to follow the guidelines for treating a child. This means using the child CPR protocol, as children aged from 1 year to the onset of puberty (typically around age 12) are considered in the child category for resuscitation purposes.

The differences in technique when performing CPR on a child, as opposed to an adult, include the depth of compressions and the ratio of compressions to breaths, which are tailored to the anatomical and physiological differences between children and adults. For child CPR, rescuers should use one or two hands for chest compressions based on the size of the child and perform them at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute, ensuring adequate depth for effective circulation. Additionally, the compression-to-ventilation ratio, when not using advanced airway techniques, is set at 30:2 for adult and child CPR, which differs significantly from infant resuscitation.

By using the appropriate child guidelines, the rescuer ensures that the technique is suited to the patient's developmental stage, thereby increasing the chances of successful resuscitation.