The guidelines have changed
For many years the American Heart Association recommended a CPR technique that involved alternating between mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions. That was changed in 2008 in favor of the compression-only CPR technique for the general public. For the layperson, this took away the squeamishness about performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a stranger.
Doubts about the effectiveness of this change were quieted by an American Medical Association study which found that survival rates are better with the hands-only technique than the traditional CPR. It’s important to know that if you find yourself in the position where you need to use CPR – don’t be afraid. Your actions can only help. If you need to administer CPR, here are the steps:
- Call 911 first.
- With the victim on their back, put the heel of one hand over the other, and place them in the center of the victim’s chest.
- Lock your elbows. With your shoulders directly over your hands, fall forward and use your body weight; press 100 times per minute. The American Heart Association suggests doing compressions to the beat of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” – the hit song from the movie, “Saturday Night Fever“ (1977), which landed in the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1978 for four weeks!
- Continue until the paramedics arrive.
Iphone, Android and Palm Pre users can download an app from the American Heart Association for hands-only CPR to guide them through the process. This app will be available for Blackberries soon. http://handsonlycpr.org/
Originally from http://www.followupsystems.net/sys/nl/ai.esp?iid=4666&cid=4ed4204c93654b9d8c227a00b0d1a35a&diid=3125&taf=0