I recently received a message from one of you concerning a
“new” method of performing cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and while I am
already familiar with the technique, it is apparently still unknown to some
people.
If you wish to skip this week’s column and get right to the
“heart” of the matter, here is a new video that accompanied the message. I hope, however, that you will take the
time to read through the column and gain the motivation to administer CPR in an
emergency.
(Actually, I am not a candidate for CPR, because I now have
an implanted cardiac device, called an ICD.
It will kick in whenever my heart has several irregular beats, or when
the natural pacemaker in my heart quits or fails to work properly. My condition is so critical that I cannot
wait for lifesaving techniques to be applied.)
For those who are at less known risk, or those who have no
medical history of cardiac problems, the chance of a cardiac event requiring
CPR is currently about thirty percent. In other words, one out of every three
of you will probably require CPR. That also means that another thirty percent
will have occasion to administer it to someone else. And that someone else is quite likely to be someone you know and
love, a family member. That being the
case, it pays to know how and when to do it.
There has always been some aversion to performing CPR. The main reason is that it has always
required both chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing. Aside from the possibility of same sex
administration, we all seem to have some reluctance to get up close and
personal with strangers. That has lead
to a lot of missed opportunity and delays in performing CPR.
When I learned CPR and became qualified in the 1970s, the
procedure called for a 10-to-2 ratio of compressions to breaths if performing
one-on-one. If two people were present,
the ratio changed to 5-to-2, but either way, there was no way to keep an even
rhythm. The one-on-one ratio was
changed in the 1990s to 20-to-2, but it still wasted about 10-15 seconds to
change positions and do the mouth-to-mouth.
Those seconds were critical.
In actual experience, it was found that the stricken person
tended to gasp during chest compressions, so some air was being inhaled even
without mouth-to-mouth. Also, the lungs
are never completely collapsed, so oxygenation of blood was not really an
issue.
The hands-only CPR not only keeps a steady rhythm to the
compressions, but it also removes the objectionable part of the procedures that
has frequently prevented CPR from being performed. In my opinion, it will
likely cause a much higher incidence of recovery from sudden cardiac events.
The new hands-only CPR requires the rescuer to perform
continuous chest compressions at a rate of 100 per minute. That compares
to a rate of 30-40 compressions per minute with an irregular rhythm in the
former CPR technique. The survival rate is likely to go up with the new
guidelines. That rapid and steady rate of chest compressions ca be maintained
if you think of the Bee-Gees' song titled, "Stayin' Alive"
while you perform hands-only CPR. It is perfectly paced to keep the beat.
Hands-only CPR
If someone collapses, stops normal breathing and is
unresponsive to shaking, here are the steps you should take:
- First, have someone call 911 and summon help, if a phone is handy.
- Put the person on the floor face up.
- Place one hand atop the other in the center of the person’s chest.
- Lock your elbows so that your arms are straight from shoulders to hands
- Push hard and fast, 100 compressions a minute.
- If there is another person with you, take turns. It is hard work.
- Continue compressions until paramedics arrive to take over.
(Source – American Heart Association)
If the person on whom you are performing CPR regains
consciousness or shows signs of a return of heartbeat and breathing, you may
quit your efforts, but do not move them and stay ready to begin again. Do not allow the victim to sit up, but make
them as comfortable as possible.
There is a Website where you can learn more about hands-only
CPR and even get some online training.
Just click on the link here for the American Heart Association. Then be sure to read the links within that
page. Other links can be found at the
following sites, and the last among them actually provides some step-by-step
training.
