The Highvelder newspaper will be publishing weekly tips on common medical emergencies to help those in crisis while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

A local paramedic gave some useful tips on how bystanders or family members can assist an adult who is in cardiac arrest.

Here is are step by step tips:

• Step 1: If the patient is unresponsive, feel for a pulse on the neck and not on the arm or wrist.

• Step 2: If there is no pulse, move the patient onto their back and begin doing chest compressions, known as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

To do CPR, one has to interlock fingers on both of their hands on top of each other, the hand at the bottom should be flat and the hand on top should be in a fist position.

Finger should sightly point upwards and not directly on the rib cage.

Push on the sternum hard and fast about two and a half inches deep about 100 compressions per minute.

• Step 3: Call emergency services for help, but continue with CPR with one hand while phoning.

• Step 4: Try to stay calm over the phone and speak loud and clear to give the correct location of the incident.

• Step 5: Continue with the CPR, but if there is no mouth protection available, do not give the patient mouth-to-mouth.

• Step 6: If help arrives, let the ambulance crew take over from you, unless the paramedics state otherwise.

• Step 7: Keep calm. You have already done all a bystander or family member could do for the patient.

Contact the following numbers in cases of emergencies:

• Provincial Ambulance – 101 77

• National Emergency number – 112

• ER24 national – 084 124

• ER24 Ermelo direct operational – 084 460 7111

• Ermelo Provincial Hospital – 017 811 2031

• Ermelo Mediclinic – 017 801 2600