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Change In CPR May Help More Bystanders Save Lives
T
he American Heart Association changed their guidelines on Oct. 18 from the ABC (Airway, Breathing, Compressions) to CAB (Compressions, Airway, Breathing) in the life-saving CPR technique.
The American Heart Association said the reason for this change is to improve bystander responses and to simplify CPR for rescuers.
The AHA stated this will help use CPR more efficiently because it allows rescuers to begin chest compressions right away. The conventional CPR started with opening the airway and giving mouth-to-mouth, the most difficult task for the rescuer, and also the most time-consuming. Doing the compressions first lessens this delay.
The new CPR guidelines hope to decrease these barriers to performing CPR by letting the rescuer start with the chest compressions first.
This change applies to adults, children, and infants, but excludes newborns.
The American Red Cross updated its website with these new guidelines, first stating they will train five million people and instructors by the end of 2011 in both the old and new CPR. However, they revised that statement and said the Red Cross has conducted an initial review of the recent changes to the ECCU 2010 guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. They do support the hands-only technique for bystanders, and the Red Cross believes full CPR with both chest compressions and rescue breaths is still best for many people. They do not plan to make any substantial changes to their courses as a result of these new guidelines. They will continue with a more thorough review of the guideline’s science and might make subtle changes in the future if needed.
Cody Ham, a certified instructor for American Red Cross at UCO, said, “American Red Cross still teaches conventional CPR and that’s who we’re certified through. There will be changes in the way we teach CPR once ARC changes their guidelines. That’s the only way we’d be changing our teaching methods.”
While the 2005 guidelines recommended chest compression-only CPR if the rescuer was unwilling or unable to provide ventilation, there was no recommendation provided for trained versus untrained rescuers.
Research now states that hands-only CPR is easier for a bystander to perform and the bystander will be more likely to because there is no longer the fear of getting infections from doing mouth-to-mouth, and survival rates are similar with either hands-only CPR or CPR with both compressions and breaths.
Ham said, “You can only do what is in your scope of training. If you’re not certified in CPR or you haven’t had recent certification, then there could be some liability issues there.”
Therefore, the new American Heart Association’s recommendations are:
If a bystander is not trained in CPR, he or she should provide hands-only CPR for an adult who suddenly collapses, or follow the directions of the EMS dispatcher.
All trained rescuers should, at a minimum, provide chest compressions for victims of sudden cardiac arrest.
If a trained lay rescuer is able, he/she should perform rescue breaths at a rate of 30:2. In all cases, the rescuer should continue CPR until an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is available for use or EMS arrives and assumes care.
Ham said, “It basically comes down to this quote… ‘something is better than nothing.’”
