"Hands-Only" CPR Is Enough
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In most cases where an adult suffers cardiac arrest, bystanders can forgo mouth-to-mouth breathing and perform "hands-only" CPR, the American Heart Association said in guidelines published Monday.
The updated advice is in response to recent studies showing that chest compressions alone are as effective as standard CPR in sustaining cardiac-arrest victims until emergency help arrives.
The AHA also hopes that the simpler, hands-only CPR will make it easier for bystanders to aid people in cardiac arrest. Standard CPR involves alternating between chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths.
Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart develops a rhythm disturbance that causes it to stop beating. Without prompt medical attention, cardiac arrest is fatal within minutes. CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, can help keep the victim's blood flowing until emergency help arrives, boosting the chances of survival.
However, only about one-quarter of people who go into cardiac arrest outside a hospital receive CPR. In some cases, this is because no one witnesses it, but another reason is that bystanders often do not know CPR or hesitate to perform it.
In guidelines published in 2005, the AHA said bystanders should choose hands-only CPR only if they were unwilling to perform rescue breaths. The update, published in the AHA journal Circulation, puts the hands-only approach "on par" with standard CPR.
Bystanders who witness the sudden collapse of an adult should immediately call emergency services "and start what we call Hands-Only CPR," Dr. Michael Sayre, the head of the AHA committee that wrote the guides, said in a statement.
"This involves providing high-quality chest compressions by pushing hard and fast in the middle of the victim's chest, without stopping until emergency medical services (EMS) responders arrive," Sayre explained.
Bystanders who are trained in standard CPR and are "confident" in their ability to perform it can choose either CPR method, according to the AHA.
The updated guidelines do not apply to adults whose hearts stop beating due to respiratory arrest, such as victims of drowning or drug overdose. They should still receive standard CPR, the AHA says. The same is true whenever a child stops breathing.
The group still recommends that everyone be trained in conventional CPR so they will be prepared for a range of heart- and breathing-related emergencies.
Last Updated: 2008-03-31 16:01:28 -0400 (Reuters Health)
Would you like a free copy of the Key2Wealth tele-seminar, which discusses the four pillars to your wealth please fill out the form below, you will also receive a free subscription to the Key2Wealth Secrets Newsletter.
Your email address will never be sold, given out, or distributed