ProCPR Blog

Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of people say they would be more likely to perform CPR on someone if they did not need to have mouth-to-mouth contact such as through rescue breaths, according to an American Red Cross survey.

“Hands-Only CPR is an effective lifesaving technique especially for an untrained bystander who witnesses someone suddenly collapse,” said Dr. David Markenson, chair, American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council. “Full CPR is recommended for infants, children and those with respiratory problems.”

The national survey of more than 1,000 adults found that when needed, people are more willing to perform Hands-Only CPR (chest compressions without rescue breaths) than full CPR (series of chest compressions and rescue breaths) on strangers – regardless of age, gender or appearance of the person in need of help.

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Here are a few of the changes in CPR Guidelines for 2010.  This makes a few significant changes from the 2005 guidelines.  The focus with these changes is on good chest compressions.  Here are just a few of the differences between the 2005 and 2010 guidelines.

We’re going to be working on updating the videos on our websites as soon as possible, but while you wait, allow us to take you through some of the main points.

Firstly, there is a switch in the order of operations when you begin the CPR process.  Instead of starting with airway, then breathing and finally compressions, we’re going to start with compressions first.  This is based, in part, on the new Hands-Only CPR initiative of 2008.  After that you start on airway and breathing.  It’s a simple switch from A-B-C to C-A-B.

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This coming Monday, October 18, 2010, the new CPR guidelines will be released. The updates, which come out every five years, are speculated to increase the recommendation of compressions-only (hands-only) CPR.

We’re hoping to bring the updates to you as soon as we can, once the guidelines have been released.

What do you expect the changes to be, this time?

UPDATE: 2010 CPR Guideline Updates

There is a proposal for all New Jersey students to be required to learn CPR.  It’s going to be up for vote this summer, in July.  The bill was introduced by New Jersey Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan on Thursday, that would have two outcomes.  First, teens would be tested for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – or an enlarged heart.  Second, the bill would also require all students and staff in New Jersey schools to know CPR and to have defibrillators.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a heart condition that kills about 75 student athletes across the nation each year.  One of the symptoms of it is unusual fatigue.

The question that I have is this: Should CPR be required in all schools across the country, not just New Jersey?  Vote in our poll!

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Discuss below.  Not only if it should, but how often should a refresher course be taught?  Should it be include AED use and Hands-Only CPR?

Bystanders who start CPR on children before paramedics arrive can save lives and limit brain damage, regardless of whether they do the old-fashioned type of CPR with chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth or the newer “hands-only” CPR, a study from Japan confirms.

In the study of children who had suffered cardiac arrest outside a hospital, those who received any CPR were about three times more likely to survive than those who did not get CPR.

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ProCPR training programs follow scientific treatment recommendations based on the 2005 American Heart Association (AHA) and ILCOR Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. After the publication of the 2005 guidelines, several scientific studies have showed that hands-only CPR can be as effective as conventional CPR in the out-of-hospital setting. The AHA published an advisory statement in the March 31, 2008 edition of the journal Circulation, to clarify and amend the 2005 Guidelines for CPR. The previous recommendation was that laypersons (bystanders) should perform hands-only CPR if they are unable or unwilling to provide rescue breaths.

The most recent AHA advisory states that Hands-Only (compressions only) CPR without mouth-to-mouth breaths is recommended for use by all people who see an adult suddenly collapse in the out-of-hospital setting. It consists of two steps; Call 911 and begin chest compressions by pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest. Hands-only CPR and conventional CPR are considered to be equally adequate for treating adults who suddenly collapsed.

The AHA continues to recommend conventional CPR (CPR with rescue breaths and compressions) for all infants and children, for adult victims who are found already unconscious and not breathing normally, and for any victims of drowning or collapse due to breathing problems. For adults who suddenly collapse, the choice is yours. AHA states that if you are confident in your ability to provide CPR including breaths with high-quality chest compressions with minimal interruptions, then provide either the conventional CPR that you learned or begin hands-only CPR.

ProCPR applauds the AHA for simplifying CPR. We have consistently taught that complicating CPR training and adding confusion to the learning process is counterproductive to the goal of simply getting people to do CPR without fear of hurting someone who is dead. According to the American Heart Association, only 15-30% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR before EMS arrives.

ProCPR remains committed to its fundamental principle of providing high quality and easily accessible training that will get more people to perform CPR. We will make necessary enhancements to stay consistent with new AHA guidelines and recommendations. Rest assured, ProCPR will continue to provide the most up-to-date materials and training presentations.

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.189380