Change to cardiac arrest procedures
Source: Agencies |
October 19, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
NEW guidelines have been laid out in the United States to switch the steps for the resuscitation procedure CPR, telling rescuers to start with chest presses before giving mouth-to-mouth.
The change puts "the simplest step first" for traditional CPR, said Dr Michael Sayre, co-author of the guidelines issued by the American Heart Association.
In recent years, CPR guidance has been revised to put more emphasis on chest pushes for sudden cardiac arrest.
In 2008, the heart group said untrained bystanders, or those unwilling to do rescue breaths, could do hands-only CPR until paramedics arrive.
Now, the group says everyone from professionals to bystanders who use standard CPR should begin with chest compressions instead of breathing into their mouth first.
The change ditches the old ABC training, airway-breathing-compression which called for rescuers to give two breaths first, then alternate with 30 presses.
Sayre said that approach took time and delayed chest presses, which keep the blood circulating.
"When the rescuer pushes hard and fast on the victim's chest, they're °?really acting like an artificial heart. That blood carries oxygen that helps keep the organs alive till help arrives," said Sayre.
"Put one hand on top of the other and push really hard," he said.
Sudden cardiac arrest - when the heart suddenly stops beating - can occur after a heart attack or as a result of electrocution or near-drowning. The person collapses, stops breathing normally and is unresponsive. Survival rates from cardiac arrest outside the hospital vary across the US - from 3 percent to 15 percent.
The change puts "the simplest step first" for traditional CPR, said Dr Michael Sayre, co-author of the guidelines issued by the American Heart Association.
In recent years, CPR guidance has been revised to put more emphasis on chest pushes for sudden cardiac arrest.
In 2008, the heart group said untrained bystanders, or those unwilling to do rescue breaths, could do hands-only CPR until paramedics arrive.
Now, the group says everyone from professionals to bystanders who use standard CPR should begin with chest compressions instead of breathing into their mouth first.
The change ditches the old ABC training, airway-breathing-compression which called for rescuers to give two breaths first, then alternate with 30 presses.
Sayre said that approach took time and delayed chest presses, which keep the blood circulating.
"When the rescuer pushes hard and fast on the victim's chest, they're °?really acting like an artificial heart. That blood carries oxygen that helps keep the organs alive till help arrives," said Sayre.
"Put one hand on top of the other and push really hard," he said.
Sudden cardiac arrest - when the heart suddenly stops beating - can occur after a heart attack or as a result of electrocution or near-drowning. The person collapses, stops breathing normally and is unresponsive. Survival rates from cardiac arrest outside the hospital vary across the US - from 3 percent to 15 percent.
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