by Gen.Jersey » Sun Mar 17, 2013 10:36 pm
(I have been an EMT for almost 15 years, and an AHA first-aid and CPR instructor for 12 years)
Yup that was changed a couple of years ago for several reasons.
* Enough oxygen remains in the lungs and bloodstream that merely circulating it via chest compressions is adequate for the short period of time CPR is effective. And let's face it, CPR really doesn't save lives -- if a victim of sudden cardiac arrest doesn't get hit with a defibrillator within 4-5 minutes they're usually not coming back. CPR is really just a stopgap measure to give the victim a few precious minutes so they can be shocked before brain damage occurs and/or their heart rhythm doesn't degrade to something non-shockable. The recent trends to place AED's (automated external defibrillators) in public places like malls, movie theaters, and planes save many more lives than bystander CPR, with or without rescue breaths.
* It is much quicker and easier to train the public to push down on someone's chest 100 times a minute compared to compressions combined with basic airway management and rescue breaths. Show them how to locate the correct spot on the chest, and make sure they understand that quite a lot of pressure is required and that they will probably crack a rib or three (especially on older victims), and they are out with their freshly-signed CPR card in an hour or two.
* Very few people (even EMT's) regularly carry a disposable CPR mask. Knowing that they can do something without exchanging saliva makes it much more likely that a bystander will offer assistance.
EMT's should still be trained to use traditional CPR with rescue breaths, even if they are alone. The new no-compressions procedure is intended for the general public.
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