Chest compressions — not mouth-to-mouth resuscitation — seem to be the key in helping someone recover from cardiac arrest, according to new research that further bolsters advice from heart experts.
A study in Japan showed that people were more likely to recover without brain damage if rescuers focused on chest compressions rather than on rescue breaths, and some experts advised dropping the mouth-to-mouth part of CPR altogether. The study was published yesterday in The Lancet.
More than a year ago, the American Heart Association revised CPR guidelines to put more emphasis on chest presses, recommending 30 instead of 15 for every two breaths given. Stopping chest compressions to blow air into the lungs of someone who is unresponsive detracts from the more important task of keeping blood moving to provide oxygen and nourishment to the brain and heart.
Another big advantage to dropping the rescue breaths is that it could make bystanders more willing to provide CPR. Many are unwilling to do the mouth-to-mouth part, become flummoxed or are fearful of getting the ratio of breaths to chest compressions right in an emergency
.http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/17/health/17cpr.html?ex=1331784000&en=93d7b2b0e266a88c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
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