Published: August 25, 2008 08:33 pm         

Life-saving

Everyone should learn how to do chest compression-only CPR

The field of medicine is never static. And as that applies to the live-saving technique of CPR, that is a good thing.

The American Heart Association has endorsed a simpler way of administering CPR — chest compressions only. In doing so, the lives of many cardiac arrest patients may be saved.

Immediate CPR increases the chances of surviving an arrest considerably. In fact, cardiac and critical care nurse Virginia Jacobs says the chances of survival decrease by 10 percent every minute if immediate and effective chest compressions are not applied. “If something hasn’t happened in 10 minutes, the person is likely not to survive,” Jacobs said.

CPR is vital for a number of reasons, especially because it helps maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain, says the American Heart Association, and it increases the amount of time that an electric shock from a defibrillator can be effective.

According to Jacobs, there are several reasons people nearby don’t jump in and start traditional CPR — compressions and mouth-to-mouth — when they see someone in distress: fear of doing it wrong, misconceptions about mouth-to-mouth disease transmission, reticence about interacting with a stranger and a belief that CPR is highly complicated.

The compression-only technique eliminates those concerns.

Jacobs says she believes the new method will make a huge difference in the number of people who are apt to use it — and in the number of lives saved.

We encourage everyone to learn the new method. According to the AHA, the hands-only method entails providing high-quality chest compressions by pushing hard and fast in the middle of the victim’s chest, without stopping, until EMS arrives. A rate of about 100 compressions a minute is recommended, allowing full chest recoil between each deep compression.

It sounds simple enough that anyone can do it.

The results can be astounding and you will have the knowledge that you made a real difference in someone’s life.