Glossary
Airway: the pathway for air to travel from the mouth and nose to the lungs.
Airway obstruction: partial or complete blockage of the airway, which either prevents or makes it difficult for air to reach a person’s lungs.
Arteries: large blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to all parts of the body.
Blood: the fluid that circulates through the heart, arteries, capillaries and veins and that constitutes the chief means of transport within the body.
Brain: the centre of the nervous system that controls all body functions.
Breastbone: the sternum, a thin flat vertical bone and cartilage in the chest connecting the ribs.
Breathing: the spontaneous movement of air in and out of the lungs.
Bystander: someone at the scene of an emergency (other than the casualty).
Cardiac arrest: condition in which the heart has stopped or is too weak to pump effectively. A casualty suffering a cardiac arrest will be unconscious, unresponsive to verbal commands and touch, not breathing normally and not moving. Infrequent gasps of air may be seen in a witnessed cardiac arrest. However, this is not an indication of effective breathing.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): the technique combining rescue breathing and external chest compressions for a cardiac arrest casualty who is unconscious, unresponsive, not breathing normally and not moving. CPR is aimed at maintaining sufficient circulation to preserve brain function until an ambulance arrives.
Cardiovascular disease: disease of the heart and blood vessels; commonly known as heart disease.
Casualty: a person experiencing illness or injury and in need of medical assistance or first aid.
Chest: the upper part of the body (torso), containing the heart, major blood vessels and lungs.
Chest compressions: an action of rhythmic pressure and relaxation on the casualty’s chest to pump their heart, which maintains circulation.
Community coordinators: community coordinators are usually active in community health service provision. They may volunteer or be selected to take on this role. Community coordinators approach community organisations and brief them on CPR for Life. They also recruit, train and support peer trainers.
CPR for Life network: the CPR for Life network is made up of peer trainers, community coordinators and a project team that delivers the CPR for Life program to the community.
Defibrillation: delivery of a precise electric shock to the heart by a defibrillator in an attempt to restore normal heart rhythm.
Defibrillator: a device used to monitor heart rhythm and administer an electric shock to cardiac arrest casualty in an attempt to restore normal heart rhythm.
Emergency: a situation requiring immediate action from a bystander.
Fibrillation: irregular twitching of individual muscle cells (fibres) or small groups of muscle fibres preventing effective action by an organ or muscle (such as the heart).
Finger sweep: a technique used to remove foreign material from a casualty’s mouth.
First aid: immediate care given to a casualty suffering an injury or sudden illness until more advanced care can be provided.
Heart: a fist-sized muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body.
Heart attack: damage which occurs to the heart muscle when blood supply in the coronary arteries is blocked and heart tissue does not receive enough oxygen-rich blood; also called myocardial infarction.
Lungs: a pair of organs in the chest that provide the mechanism for taking in oxygen and removing carbon dioxide during breathing.
Normal breathing: the breathing a person would have given their age, health and normal activity. Normal, healthy adults will breathe between 12 and 18 times per minute.
Peer trainer: member of the community who has attended a CPR for Life peer trainer workshop. After this workshop they will have the skills to both perform adult CPR and to teach it to members of the community.
Pistol grip: a position of the hand on the casualty’s jaw that lifts and supports the jaw while the head is tilted backwards during CPR.
Rescue breathing: the technique of ventilating the lungs of a non-breathing casualty (also called mouth-to-mouth resuscitation).
Resuscitation: the preservation or restoration of life by the establishment and/or maintenance of airway, breathing and circulation.
Sternum: the breastbone, a thin flat vertical bone and cartilage in the chest connecting the ribs.
Ventricular fibrillation: an uncoordinated quivering movement in the ventricular muscles of the heart. The ventricles are the two main cavities of the heart, which receive the blood from the arteries and propel it into the arteries. When the heart is in fibrillation, blood is not pumped effectively around the body.
Vital organs: organs whose functions are essential to life, including the brain, heart and lungs.
Last updated 6 February 2007
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