Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

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Medical Author:

Joseph Sciammarella, MD, FACP, FACEP

Joseph Sciammarella, MD, FACP, FACEP

Dr. Sciammarella graduated from American University of the Caribbean in June, 1985. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Emergency Medicine and has practiced Emergency Medicine for 19 years.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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• The Importance of CPR
• Cardiac Arrest
• Rescue Breathing
• Chest Compressions
• CPR in Children
• CPR in Infants
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Hands-Only CPR - No More Mouth-to-Mouth?

Hands-Only CPR - No More Mouth-to-Mouth?

Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

In April, 2008, the American Heart Association (AHA) took steps to simplify the process of helping victims of cardiac arrest by introducing "hands-only" CPR. Since only about 1/3 of people who suffer a cardiac arrest at home or at a public place actually receive help, bystanders could be afraid to initiate CPR for fear that they'll do something wrong or won't know what to do. Others may be reluctant to perform mouth-to-mouth breathing for fear of contracting an infection.

It is estimated that each year, around 310,000 Americans die of cardiac arrest that occurs at home or in a public place. The AHA proposed the new guidelines in order to allow bystanders who have not been trained in conventional CPR or who may fear making a mistake a way to offer help.

In short, the procedure for "hands-only" CPR is simple. An untrained bystander who sees an adult suddenly collapse (after verifying that the person is unresponsive and is not breathing) should do just two things:

Learn what you should do in a CPR emergency »

The Importance of CPR

Heart disease is the number 1 killer in the United States. Each year, almost 330,000 Americans die from heart disease. Half of these will die suddenly, outside of the hospital, because their heart stops beating.

• The most common cause of death from a heart attack in adults is a disturbance in the electrical rhythm of the heart called ventricular fibrillation.
  
  
  • Ventricular fibrillation can be treated, but it requires applying an electrical shock to the chest called defibrillation.
    
    
  • If a defibrillator is not readily available, brain death will occur in less than 10 minutes.
  
  
• One way of buying time until a defibrillator becomes available is to provide artificial breathing and circulation by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR.
  
  
  • The earlier you give CPR to a person in cardiopulmonary arrest (no breathing, no heartbeat), the greater the chance of a successful resuscitation.
    
    
  • By performing CPR, you keep oxygenated blood flowing to the heart and brain until a defibrillator becomes available.
  
  
• Because up to 80% of all cardiac arrests occur in the home, you are most likely to perform CPR on a family member or loved one.
  
  
• CPR is one link in what the American Heart Association calls the "chain of survival." The chain of survival is a series of actions that, when performed in sequence, will give a person having a heart attack the greatest chance of survival.
  
  
  • When an emergency situation is recognized, the first link in the chain of survival is early access. This means activating the emergency medical services, or EMS, system by calling 911 (check your community plan, some communities require dialing a different number).
    
    
  • The next link in the chain of survival is to perform CPR until a defibrillator becomes available.
    
    
  • In some areas of the country, simple, computerized defibrillators, known as automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, may be available for use by the lay public or first person on the scene. If available, early defibrillation becomes the next link in the chain of survival.
    
    
  • Once the EMS unit arrives, the next link in the chain of survival is early advanced life support care. This involves administering medications, using special breathing devices, and providing additional defibrillation shocks if needed.

NOTE: This reference is only intended to serve as a guideline for learning about CPR. It is not intended to be a replacement for a formal CPR course. If you are interested in taking a CPR coursecontact the American Heart Association at (800) AHA-USA1, or the American Red Cross by phoning your local chapter. Never practice CPR on another person, because bodily damage can occur.

Learn CPR for a loved one.