Learning hands-only CPR could help save a loved one’s life
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation can double or triple a person’s odds of surviving cardiac arrest
it’s terrible to imagine, but what would you do if someone in your home suddenly collapsed and stopped breathing? A er calling 911, most people feel helpless a er witnessing such an event, which is usually due to a cardiac arrest (see “What is cardiac arrest?”). But anyone can learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and everyone should. And because four out of every ve cardiac arrests happen at home, the life you save is likely to be someone you love.
“To my mind, it’s a travesty when someone goes into cardiac arrest and a bystander does not perform CPR,” says Harvard Medical School assistant professor Dr......... ,associate direction for the Cardiovascular Performance Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Although most doctors don’t talk about CPR with their patients for fear of alarming them, he brings up the topic in routine wellness checks. “I ask my patients if they know CPR and have practiced it,” he says.
Hands-only chest compressions
What many people don’t realize is that
the basic action of CPR is quite simple:push hard and fast on the center of the chest. this hands-only approach has been recommended since 2008. In adults with cardiac arrest, it’s just as effective and possibly better than CPR
that includes blowing air into the person’s mouth, known as rescue breathing. A person who suddenly collapses has a fair amount of oxygen in his or her bloodstream. And stopping chest compressions for the breathing step may do more harm than good by temporarily stopping blood ow to the brain.
Another change from earlier in structions involves checking for a pulse which now isn’t considered necessary. “Unless you’ve received formal training, it’s hard to check for a pulse,” says Dr. Baggish. If you know how to check do so. But if you’re in doubt, go ahead and start chest compressions if the person is unresponsive, he says.