Skip the Lips and Go Straight for the Chest

[Guest guest]

Thought this was interesting - didn't know they'd

changed their reccomendations.........Lynn

First Aid BlogFrom

Rod Brouhard,

Your Guide to First Aid.

Skip the Lips and Go Straight for the

ChestShortly after I wrote

 

Tricks They Don't Teach in CPR Class, the American Heart Association

went public with one of the changes I suggested.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't have anything to do with the recommendation.

But I've been singing the praises of what the AHA is now calling

"

Hands-Only CPR " (otherwise known as CCR) for a year

now.

In a statement released today, the American Heart Association gave two

steps for untrained rescuers to save the lives of victims who collapse in

front of them:

 

Call 911 Push " hard and fast " on the center of the chest

 

That's it. Period. No other stuff like checking pulses or putting your

lips on theirs. Just push on the chest, right in the center, fast and

hard.

Easy.

" Don’t be afraid to try it, " said Dr. Michael Sayre, associate

professor in the Ohio State University Department of Emergency Medicine

in Columbus, in the statement. " We are sure many lives will be saved

if the public does Hands-Only CPR for adult victims of sudden cardiac

arrest. "

The statement focuses only on adults who collapse suddenly. Drowning

victims, choking victims and children should still get rescue breathing

-- at least until more study is done. Despite those exceptions, I think

the most important thing to take away from this is: do something!

 

Why

Mouth-to-Mouth Isn't Necessary

The Issue: Removing Rescue Breathing No

Mask Needed

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http://firstaid.about.com/b/2008/03/31/skip-the-lips-and-go-straight-for-the-chest.htm