Editing First aid (section)

==== Preserving life ====
The patient must have an open airway—that is, an unobstructed passage that allows air to travel from the open [[mouth]] or uncongested [[human nose|nose]], down through the [[human pharynx|pharynx]] and into the lungs. [[Conscious]] people maintain their own airway automatically, but those who are unconscious (with a [[Glasgow coma scale|GCS]] of less than 8) may be unable to do so, as the part of the brain that manages spontaneous breathing may not be functioning.

Whether conscious or not, the patient may be placed in the [[recovery position]], laying on their side. In addition to relaxing the patient, this can have the effect of clearing the tongue from the [[pharynx]]. It also avoids a common cause of death in unconscious patients, which is choking on regurgitated stomach contents.

The airway can also become blocked by a foreign object. To dislodge the object and solve the choking case, the first aider may use [[Choking#General strategy: "five and five"|anti-choking methods]] (such as 'back slaps, 'chest thrusts' or 'abdominal thrusts').

Once the airway has been opened, the first aider would reassess the patient's breathing. If there is no breathing, or the patient is not breathing normally (e.g., [[agonal breathing]]), the first aider would initiate [[Cardiopulmonary resuscitation|CPR]], which attempts to restart the patient's breathing by forcing air into the lungs. They may also manually massage the heart to promote blood flow around the body.

If the choking person is an infant, the first aider may use [[Choking#Infants|anti-choking methods for babies.]] During that procedure, series of five strong blows are delivered on the infant's upper back after placing the infant's face in the aider's forearm. If the infant is able to cough or cry, no breathing assistance should be given. Chest thrusts can also be applied with two fingers on the lower half of the middle of the chest. Coughing and crying indicate the airway is open and the foreign object will likely to come out from the force the coughing or crying produces.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000048.htm|title=Choking - infant under 1 year: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia|website=medlineplus.gov}}</ref>

A first responder should know how to use an [[Automated external defibrillator|Automatic External Defibrillator]] (AED) in the case of a person having a sudden cardiac arrest. The survival rate of those who have a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital is low. Permanent brain damage sets in after five minutes of no oxygen delivery, so rapid action on the part of the rescuer is necessary. An AED is a device that can examine a heartbeat and produce electric shocks to restart the heart.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nessel |first=Edward H. |date=2012 |title=Treating Sudden Cardiac Arrest and the Use of Automated External Defibrillators in the Community Setting |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Treating+sudden+cardiac+arrest+and+the+use+of+automated+external...-a0285436339 |journal=AAMA Journal |volume=25 |page=9}}</ref>

A first aider should be prepared to quickly deal with less severe problems such as [[wounds|cuts]], [[Abrasion (medical)|grazes]] or [[bone fracture]]. They may be able to completely resolve a situation if they have the proper training and equipment. For situations that are more severe, complex or dangerous, a first aider might need to do the best they can with the equipment they have, and wait for an ambulance to arrive at the scene.