Understand How to Perform New and More Effective CPR Procedure

CPR techniques practiced by non-professionals on heart attack victims and others requiring resuscitation have saved tens of thousands of lives over the past two decades. When CPR procedures where first developed the Red Cross trained thousands of volunteers who were willing to spend a few hours in Red Cross training sessions. The CPR procedure replaced the old techniques of artificial respiration in which victims were placed on their stomachs, with heads turned to one side and the the aide giver applying alternating pressure on the back side of the lung and rib cage area at 5 second intervals. This was the standard procedure used to revive drowning or smoke inhalation victims. The procedure was effective in victims about 25% of the time.

With the introduction of CPR techniques in which the aid giver after clearing the mouth of foreign objects placed the victim on his or her back and applied 15 chest compressions directly over the breast bone at 2-3 second intervals. After every 15 chest compressions the aid giver was instructed to pinch the victim's nose shut while blowing directly into the victims mouth for two full breaths until the victim's lungs expanded and chest rose. After the mouth to mouth resuscitation the aide giver would apply 15 more chest compressions. This process was repeated alternating between compressions and mouth to mouth inflation until the victim responded.

CPR response provided a much higher success rate than the old artificial respiration techniques and is credited with saving numerous lives as first responders applied life-saving action while waiting for medical personnel.

In 2005 after many years of study and much success using CPR techniques the Red Cross revised the procedure by calling for 30 chest compressions between every two mouth to mouth breaths. Chest compressions were found to play a larger role in the success rate.

Recent studies conducted in this country and in Japan have found that the primary benefit gained from life-saving CPR is obtained form rapid and frequent chest compressions and that the mouth to mouth component adds little to the end result. Japanese studies actually showed a significantly higher recovery rate when chest compressions alone were applied.

New Method:

Today, the Red Cross recommends that CPR be practiced by an aid giver kneeling on his or her knees on one side of the victim lying flat on his or her back by applying firm chest compressions, every 2-3 seconds. Pressure is applied using overlapping hands placed directly over the victim's breast bone as the aid giver bends forward keeping both arms straight applies his or her body weight in a downward compression of the victim's chest, then quickly releasing pressure by sitting back on his or heels, allowing the chest wall to rise. This action is repeated until the victim resumes breathing or consciousness.

One Japanese study shows a thirty percent increase in survival rate using this new technique.

The Red Cross states that in addition to improving survival rates the revised technique provides the added benefit of overcoming the reluctance many potential aid givers had to conducting mouth to mouth resuscitation to strangers or those with undetermined health risks or communicable diseases.

The Red Cross is hopeful the new technique will save many additional lives not only through increased effectiveness, but by adding substantially to the number of people willing to give aid..

Let's hope they are right.